You blink and current affairs become modern history. The lived experience of your youth becomes archival data for reflection and analysis. In chapter fifteen of John Woodhouse’s 2008 commentary on 1 Samuel, he reflects on the state of gospel ministry at Moore Theological College, where he was principal, and in the Sydney Diocese more generally:
As I write these words I find myself living and working in an evangelical theological college that has more students in training for gospel ministry than ever before. Should that give me hope? The missionary society with which I have closest links has a record number of candidates for overseas missionary work. Should that give me hope? In the city in which I live, these are exciting days for the gospel of Jesus. Plans and strategies for gospel growth are being formed and tried. Some of them are working! Church planting is the latest focus. We have Christian leaders with vision and quite remarkable ability. Should all that give me hope?[1]
Young, Restless and Reformed
In 2007, I had been a Christian for ten years, been an ordained elder and unordained pastor (‘home missionary’) of the newly-planted Crossroads Presbyterian Church in Hobart for six and five years, respectively. A number of my Tasmanian friends were studying at Moore College or Sydney Missionary and Bible College. We were reading and listening to material from Phillip Jensen, Steve Timmis and Tim Chester, and Tim Keller about church planting. We had just become aware of Mark Driscoll. Keen young leaders from around Australia and the world were finding one another through blogs and Facebook. Geneva Push and Acts 29 Australia would soon be founded, to be followed by City 2 City Australia. Our peers in America were aptly dubbed ‘the young, restless and Reformed’; I believe the description suited Australia, too. John Woodhouse describes well the sense of growing energy and momentum and enthusiasm and optimism:
Many of the students at our college have come because they have been inspired by what is going on. They are hopeful that the kingdom of God is advancing in our day, and in various ways they have hope to be part of the action. They see the value of giving their lives to this moment.[2]
Yes, that’s what it was like. Since then, I am so thankful to God for the way these church planting networks have facilitated a growing number of evangelistic churches across the country—some of which have gone on to plant churches of their own. The growth in campus ministry, especially the evangelistic powerhouse of international student ministry, as manifest in the doubling of numbers at AFES’s National Training Event over that period of time is wonderful. New generations have continued to be raised up by the Spirit for Christian leadership, including for cross-cultural missionary work.
Scandals and Disappointments
But you know what? Sixteen or so years later, it hasn’t all been simple, easy and glorious. In the early 2010s, as various groups began reflecting on their ambitious, revivalistic efforts to reach 10% of Australia with the gospel, it became apparent that all our efforts were required simply to hold steady, rather than increase in number. Through the 2010s and into the 2020s, evangelicalism (including reformed complementarian Australian evangelicalism) has had to come to grips with waves of moral scandals among global, national and even lesser-known local leaders; these have often been accompanied by substantial institutional failures of governance. More recently, theological colleges have been trying to understand what might have contributed to a decline in enrolment numbers. A broad movement of reassessment of Western evangelicalism, described as ‘exvangelicalism’ and ‘deconstruction’ has contributed critiques ranging from spiritually healthy renewal to theological liberalism and outright apostasy. Political and cultural polarisation seem to have escalated such that they have the potential to cause schisms in our friendships, churches and networks. And then on top of all of that, there has been the enormous disruption and distress brought about by the Covid pandemic.
A Prophetic Prayer
In this context, what John Woodhouse writes next, stands out as so very pastorally wise:
One of my longings for each of these students is this: Without dampening their excitement or cooling their enthusiasm or quelling their delight in the work of God that appears to be happening, I pray that their hopes will be given deeper roots. I long that they will so know God and his ways that their joy will survive—no, thrive—even when or if the numbers in church go into decline, and the strategy turns out to be a failure, and the church plant withers, and the movement that may have inspired them seems, to all appearances, to be over.[3]
What a prayer to pray! And as I look around me, at those who are disappointed or burned out, those who are plodding along diligently, even those who have seen year after year of joyful and fruitful work, I see that John’s prayer has been answered by our heavenly Father in the lives of many, including me. And I find myself praying that same prayer for myself, my peers and for the next generation.
[1] John Woodhouse, 1 Samuel: Looking for a Leader, Wheaton: Crossway, 2008, 181. Presumably these words were first written and submitted for publication a few years earlier, perhaps 2006 or 2007. I came across this quote, during preparation for sermons for the University Fellowship of Christians’ upcoming Mid Year Conference in Hobart.
[2] Woodhouse, 1 Samuel, 181.
[3] Woodhouse, 1 Samuel, p. 181.
