The Seventh Edition of the AWMC 2023 took place at the RCCG, Everlasting Father Assembly, 15-17th Walter Street, Leeds, LS4 2BB, United Kingdom from Friday, May 5th – Sunday, May 7th.
Why advance a missions conference in the West you may ask. After all, the West evangelized Africa.
More than ever, there is a great need to re-evangelize the West because there are signs of decay in the more than 200 – year mission’s model.
According to Apostle Isaiah’ Dayo Lawon, the Convener and International Director, Fullstature Missions International (FMI), there is a decrease in the number of long-term career missionaries from the West and the economic depression in the West has increased difficulties of deputizing and raising funds, while the 9/11/2001 crisis was also a major cause of the reduced funding for charitable causes, especially from the USA.
Also, Apostle Lawon noted that there have been sexual abuses in the Roman Catholic Church and homosexual debate in the Anglican Church while the rise of Islam, Hinduism and other sects of violence and terrorism is closing access to many from the West.
America (Today) ranks third where you can find non-Christians in large numbers.
In fact, the mission fields are 2 percent Evangelical in Australia and 1.6 percent in France. There are 50 million French People who have no real link with a Christian Church and of the 38,000 communes in France, 35,000 have no resident evangelical witness, he added.
He, however, encouraged all to continue to work on other “windows” or “models” God has been using or will use to bring the gospel to the Nations.
The inter-denominational conference, with theme, “Doing our utmost to reach the uttermost” was addressed by the following men of God.
Dr Sola Aina, member, board of FMI, UK and secretary, AWMC UK, spoke on “Understanding the culture of a nation is the gateway for missions”. He said every nation has a culture. And that understanding the culture of a nation is the gateway for missions.’
Pastor Henry Onyirioha, whose topic was “Spiritual warfare in European Missions” noted that as Christians, “We have available to us tremendous resources for spiritual defense and offense, and by putting on the whole armour of God, we can take practical, prayerful steps toward spiritual triumph.”
In his own views, Pastor Joseph Olunloyo, who spoke on “Core preparations for Missions on Multi-Religious and Multicultural Contexts” said “London has the largest number of migrants among all regions of the UK, home to over 3 million foreign – born residents (35% of the UK’s total foreign-born population”, noting that “inadequate knowledge, lack of experience and fear” are often the reasons you cannot share your faith.
He, therefore, urged all to stir their passion to reach the lost, claiming that “You will be equipped, inspired, and released to share the Gospel with confidence.”
Thomas Knight from Bradford, who spoke on “Next Generation Missions (International Youth Ministry)” said “Passing the faith to the next generation is a key concern in global missions. Connecting the next generation is both historically and strategically at the heart of missional ecclesiology. The present generation cannot reject the gospel for the next generation,”
Even as he added that “God loves the next generation and wants to reach them. His submission: “The focus is to help churches and mission organizations to invest in rigorous missions to the youths and in turn invest in the lives of today’s youth by training and equipping them through Biblical discipleship.”
The fifth speaker, Kunle Ogunkolati, a research fellow at the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, UK, handled the topic, “Discipling for a Better leadership.” He noted that “Christianity without Christ… There is trust in God, but no following of Christ,” according to Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
Adding that, Radical discipleship, missing on many of today’s churches, was the norm for the early Christians, even as he highlighted the need for the church to train its members to minister effectively to one another, to their communities, and ultimately to the world in God’s mission.
Dr Alexander Tevi, who has given his life to Christ in 1982 and who is a giant in marketing communications, having worked on campaigns for such companies as Unilever, Nestle, British Airways, Coca-cola, United Parcel Services (UPS), Peugeot and Western Union, spoke on “Strategies for International Marketing of the Gospel.”
He noted that even as the big companies he worked for spent billions of dollars on infomercials, billboards and celebrity endorsements, Jesus Christ “redeems drug addicts, overpowers the unbelief of agnostics and saves church-goers from self-reliant religion. He forgives any and all who turn from their idols and make Christ their Lord and Saviour.”
This is God’s “marketing strategy”. He added.
Speaking on “Handling Hurts, Trauma, Healing and bewitchment,” Pastor Gboyega Olusola of the FMI noted that “Every person who walks planet Earth has been wounded. Some more than others. And the pain has a way of sticking with us and affecting our relationships with others if we are not intentional about getting past it.”
He, added that witchcraft, a sinister operation, requires investigation and a mighty deliverance, submitting that the good news, however, is that Jesus Christ is here to heal broken hearts.
In his handling of the topic, “New Technology and Digital Mission,” Pastor Samuel Sigbeku claimed that “Technology is the fastest growing industry in the world.”
… Somewhere around 80% of the world will have a phone within the next five years, and cell phone owners spend an average of five hours a day on their phones.”
He noted, however, that “Every year, hundreds of thousands, even millions of people are graduating from tech fields, going into tech, and almost no one’s (moved out) from it. And yet there are very, very few Christians.”
Sigbeku, thus, admonished communication leaders, pastors and people interested in improving their online ministry, to have banks of ideas and tips to run and advance God’s mission with new technology in covering areas such as video evangelism, media mission, launching You Tube Channel for evangelism, conducting online Bible studies, recorded mission video stories, design missions websites, create face book events, and etc.
Meanwhile, Abbey Gogo, a Pharmacist, who adopted the motto “Preach as you go” in 2016, spoke on “Missions in Trilogy: Music, Movies and Entertainment,” even as he claimed that “Music constitutes an important pillar of European Culture and is probably the cultural and creative sector with the largest audience reach while Europe has “Festival devoted to music, film or dance.”
He also noted that “Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight.” Adding that the goal, however, is how to respond to the challenges of these trilogy in modern missions.
– Report by Mrs Taiwo Olanrewaju