The Word on the Wind: Renewing confidence in the gospel

Description

The average age of churchgoers in Britain is now 47. Almost every denomination is experiencing steady decline. How sure can we be that we are still offering something people want to hear? Alison Morgan identifies four clear reasons to be confident: 1. The gospel still speaks to confused teens and weary sceptics. By embracing doubts and welcoming questions it remains open to us to present something which answers people's real needs. 2. The word of truth and the Spirit of power still exercise authority and compel attention. Alison's own experience of ministry in the UK and abroad provides illustrations. 3. Spiritual gifts, given not to excite individuals but in order to renew the church for its core task of mission, are powerfully present and widely recognised and practised. 4. In a time of rapid cultural change, new expressions of church are constantly emerging: this is necessary to guard against vital spirituality sliding into drab religion.

The Revd Dr Alison Morgan has written a number of books, including The Wild Gospel and an internationally recognised work on the poet Dante. She works for ReSource, an Anglican agency for the encouragement and renewal of the church for mission, as a thinker and writer. Alison also edits and directs the Rooted in Jesus discipleship programme now widely used in Africa. She is a member of the Archbishops' College of Evangelists.