Posts Tagged ‘Faith Journey’

Over the last few years I have been hearing rumours about Portsmouth football club and the high number of Christians in the first team. As Portsmouth have done better and better in the league these stories have been getting more attention. On Friday of last week the Daily Telegraph carried a story in their sports section. They describe a pre-match meeting:

“Harry Redknapp has just given his pre-match talk and then something happens that would be alien to most football clubs, amateur or professional, in Britain. Much of the first team, as well as several of the backroom staff, crowd together and begin to pray. A peaceful calm comes over them, the overwhelming pressure has been eased and they feel ready for their match.”

The article goes on to identify this development with one particular player who became a Christian a few years ago—Linvoy Primus. He hopes that in the future, he will become a full time worker in mission both overseas and in this country. Linvoy’s decision to become a Christian began when a former player and two other Christians (one of whom now plays for Derby), offered to pray for his persistent knee injury. Not only was he healed but he felt the power of their prayer both in a tingling sensation in his knee and in the fact that he fell over and could not get up.

The fact that ordinary Christians, not clergy or the chaplain to the club, prayed for him made an impact. The demonstration of power also spoke loudly. Its fascinating to see what happens when mission gets out of the pulpit and into everyday life. Linvoy’s story is published in a book called Transformed, Legendary Publishing, £18.99.

I increasingly come across churches that are growing through conversion growth.  Talking to those who have come to faith or who are on that journey is fascinating. Some are de-churched folk who are coming around to faith after a long time away. Others are completely unchurched people for whom faith is a completely new experience. At a functional level there is very little difference between the completely unchurched and those who have been de-churched for some time. Amongst the many observations that one could make, I notice that the old hostility to church is no longer so obvious. Its almost the case that there is so little knowledge of the church amongst the under 40’s that they come with an open mind.

Not every church is able to respond to this new change of mood – it tends to be churches who are connecting widely and creatively with their communities who see people just turning up. In that sense they are not “just turning up” they are the fruit of many multiple connections built carefully and imaginatively over time.