The Church Army is an advocate of the “Mission Shaped Church” report published earlier this year in Britain. While it has spearheaded the promotion of the needs of a fresh expression of the Christian Community, it also realises the changing quality that an evangelist has to posses in order to meet the needs of the new community as well as the challenge from the secular world.
Hugh Boorman, the Candidates Secretary of the Church Army, cooperated with trainer and management guru Bill Bolton, author of “The entrepreneur in focus - achieve your potential”, to carry out a two-year study to explore the new selection process.
By using the tools and techniques available, the Church Army is trying to identify the right characteristics for modern evangelism. Bolton shared the interesting findings, “In a recent training seminar I led, church leaders scored higher in terms of entrepreneurial characteristics than business advisers. The question for the church is - to what extend do our current structures engender the entrepreneurial spirit or suppress it?”
Bolton said, “It is clear that Church Army has embraced what the whole issue is about and is seeking to respond positively to the challenge of appropriate selection for evangelism and mission in the 21st century.”
Boorman explained the purpose of the project, “This has involved a total rewrite of both the selection criteria and procedure to ensure that we identify those who God has called and gifted to be creative pioneers- those who can spot opportunities and use them effectively.”
The Church Army described that people were coming to the organisation from an enormous variety of backgrounds. Boorman commented the most important thing is that they all have the drive, desire and ability to make the love of God through Christ known to others - sharing faith through words and action.
Boorman is concerned that some candidates may be discouraged by the terms “pioneer” or “entrepreneur”, however, he encouraged them saying, “they will be surprised by what they can do. It’s our job to identify and help unlock the potential for mission and evangelism that those called to witness for the Gospel have.”
“After all, it is just following in Jesus’ footsteps. He told his listeners that he was just doing what he saw his Father doing. Our pioneers will be going into communities. Seeing what God is up to and working with him. What could be simpler and more exciting than that?” he added.
Boorman is looking forward to the first Church Army selection conference using the new criteria.
Training for Church Army Evangelists is based at the Wilson Carlile College of Evangelism in Sheffield. Evangelists-in-Training undertake a Diploma in Evangelism Studies and also complete vocational training specific to their calling, as approved by the Church of England’s Advisory Board of Ministry. The Church Army has been home to many evangelists in the Church of England. The training provides a bright prospectus for the graduates who want to devote themselves in God’s work.