25Apr 2018 by Nigel Ring

Finance 1. Why is the way that the church handles money important?

Church, Equipping, Finance, New Ground, Newfrontiers
Introducing Stephen Mathews and Stewardship Handling finance is a vital part of church life; it must be done with excellence and complete integrity. It is thus a great pleasure to have as a guest writer for this six-part series on Finance an old friend of mine, Stephen Mathews, who has been responsible for Stewardship’s accounting and consulting teams since 2004. Stephen has also been involved for many years in church leadership, primarily in Newfrontiers churches. (A fuller bio is at the end of this posting). As well as absorbing carefully what Stephen writes I encourage you to look at the excellent resources (mostly free) at the end of each part. The issue Money, sex and power: Three of the most significant and enduring dangers facing churches, church leaders and those…
Read More
18Apr 2018 by Nigel Ring

Newfrontiers in the UK – an Update

Newfrontiers, News
It seems appropriate for the first posting on my refreshed website to be an update of the situation with Newfrontiers. Following Terry Virgo recognising fifteen apostles as the dispersed leadership of Newfrontiers in 2011 a redefinition took place. From being a 'family of churches' Newfrontiers became a 'group of apostolic leaders partnering together on global mission'. As part of this transition Steve Tibbert, leader of King’s Church, London, was invited to facilitate a gathering from time to time of the apostles who have responsibility for churches in the UK. This now happens for two days three times per year, primarily for fellowship and prayer - and lots of laughter! In this way the 'apostolic spheres' have intentionally become both autonomous and inter-dependent. Recently I had the pleasure of sitting with Steve to ask him to…
Read More
08Nov 2017 by Nigel Ring

Around the Newfrontiers apostolic spheres – Christ Central

Christ Central, Jeremy Simpkins, Newfrontiers, News
From time to time I bring a report from one of the Newfrontiers apostolic spheres when I meet up with an old friend who leads one. It is always such a joy to hear what God is doing around the world and how he continues to show favour on us as an ever expanding family of churches. Recently, while at a day with the Jubilee+ team to which Jeremy Simpkins and I had been invited, we were able to grab a few minutes to reflect together. I hope you will enjoy eavesdropping on our conversation. Spheres networking together When Newfrontiers was redefined in 2011 as a network of apostolic spheres we felt it important that spheres were to be both autonomous and interdependent. As a network of spheres we recognised that some of the…
Read More
12Sep 2017 by Nigel Ring

A cycle of church planting

Church Planting, Handing over, Newfrontiers, News, Terry Virgo
For twenty months my wife and I have been meeting in a home with a group of believers in Bath, UK, now called The Gospel Collective. Last Sunday afternoon (Sept 11th) we met for the first time in a public setting – The Beechen Cliff School hall. It is exciting to be caught up in pioneering again! On the same day The Kings Church (mid-Sussex), that was first planted out of our home 40 years ago, celebrated their anniversary – a fascinating coincidence of events on the same day! That church was the first one Terry Virgo planted before the thought of a church family, which became Newfrontiers, even existed. Some of us who were part of that first church met in Terry and Wendy’s home recently to reflect on the early…
Read More
06Sep 2017 by Nigel Ring

Join the blessing of Bible Weeks and Weekends

Andrew Wilson, Bible Weeks, New Ground, Newday, Newfrontiers, News, Terry Virgo, Westpoint
The last few weeks have seen Bible Weekends and Festivals up and down the country in the UK. This coming together for teaching, envisioning and fellowship is now a very important and widely attended activity for Christians. What a contrast to a few decades ago when such things did not happen at all. In those days people looked at you aghast to think that anyone would choose to camp in a field and attend meetings in marquees for a whole week of their annual holiday. Over the years enormous blessing has flowed from these initiatives. I love to meet church leaders who tell me they became Christians or were baptised in the Holy Spirit at one of the Bible Weeks organised within the family of Newfrontiers churches – Downs or…
Read More
16Aug 2017 by Nigel Ring

Happy 40th Birthday TKC

Church Planting, Kenya, Newfrontiers, News, Terry Virgo
Terry Virgo's first church plant On August 21st 1977 sixty-five of us met in the Bar Lounge of Clair Hall, Haywards Heath, at the launch meeting of the Mid Sussex Christian Fellowship, the first church that Terry Virgo planted. House groups had been meeting in five locations around Sussex for the previous few years. These started in Janita’s and my home in Scaynes Hill in May 1973 (photo). Others soon followed in David and Margaret Coak’s home in Balcombe, John and Joan Salmon’s in Uckfield, Ken and Audrey Dalgleish’s in Burgess Hill and Phil and Agnes Ball’s in Henfield. (Sadly John died recently, Joan having died several years ago.) So, in a few days the re-named Kings Church (Mid-Sussex) – there have been several other names en route - celebrates its 40th birthday.…
Read More