Dearchurch Leader in Wales

May 2011

DearChurch Leader in Wales

We hope that you will have heard of Waleswidealready, and may even have attended the Newtown Consultation in November 2005 or more recent conferences. Waleswide is a registered charity withvarious leadership teams.

Our website gives background details. Please ring the number above, or any of the working groups listed below who you may know personally, if you have further questions. If these developments somehow passed you by, the text of the booklet Waleswide can be obtained from the website, and there are introductory leaflets available free on request in English and Welsh.

A Questionnaire is attached. We are asking that the leadership team of each Bible-believing church in Wales spends time to consider the situation in Wales, the implications, and their church’s response. If the issues can also be raised and considered by the whole church then all the better! Please discuss the issues and return the questionnaire as soon as possible.

We want you to consider your church’s response to the current needs of Wales. The first four questions [A] ask for your general attitude. There are notes to explain what we mean by the questions. The second four questions [B] ask you to begin to consider your response in terms of people, teams and possible finance. If you are able to give fuller details of what you would be willing to offer for each section then please give them on a separate paper.

Members of the Working Groups will be happy to meet with the leaders of a church, or with leaders regionally, to explain all about Waleswide. It would help us greatly if you could arrange such a meeting.

When we receive your reply we will respond as fully and as quickly as possible, and keep your details on file for future correspondence.

In anticipation of great grace

David OllertonDave NorburyElfed GoddingJulian Richards

Rhun MyrffiHywel EdwardsMarc OwenRob Jones

Meirion MorrisNigel JamesIfor Williams

[Members of the Working Groups]

Questions for Churches and Church Leaders

A. Commitment and Connections

1. Does your church make ‘mission to Wales’ a priority alongside local and overseas mission? Are you willing to give Wales a similar priority? [note 1]

1. Through which network / denomination are your current efforts / resources channelled? [note 2]

1. Are you willing to give help to other Bible-believing churches outside your stream, especially in isolated and Welsh speaking areas? [note 3]

1. Will you encourage Welsh-speakers in your church to give expertise and time to help in Welsh areas and churches? [note 4]

Note 1

We are encouraging all evangelical churches [by which we mean all Bible-believing churches regardless of differences on secondary matters] to have a similar concern for Wales as they currently have for local and overseas mission. This will mean regular prayer, and promoting the opportunities to be involved, as well as a financial involvement. The website will give regular information for prayer and involvement.

Note 2

Most churches have a denominational or theological link with other churches [Anglican, BUW, AECW, AoG etc]. We want to encourage involvement through these networks that directly benefit Wales. Offers of help and finance can be designated for one network or another if a church does not feel able to work closely with evangelicals generally.

Note 3

There are parts of Wales where few networks currently reach [e.g Harlech, Dolgellau, Newcastle Emlyn etc. ]. Various streams will need to cooperate if we are to see a viable evangelical church established there. The same applies to Welsh language areas, especially where there is currently no gospel witness at all.

Note 4

To a large extent only Welsh speakers can really help in Welsh areas, beyond the level of advice, and then only if there is a very clear grasp of the particular issues being faced in Welsh areas.

B. Resources

As a church are you willing to encourage and enable :

1. People with needed skills to serve other churches? [note 5]

1. Full-time staff to give a day or two each month to helping other churches to grow? [note 6]

1. A team from your church, or members to join another team, to give a week for mission each year to help plant a church or strengthen an existing one? [note 7]

1. A proportion of your church’s mission giving to be invested into Wales so as to resource areas untouched by existing networks, including Welsh speaking areas. [note 8]

Note 5

We hope that expertise, when needed, can be shared across streams. Help on child protection, tax, buildings, legal matters etc., can be made available without compromising theological integrity. Actually working with a church to help plant or strengthen it will require closer alignment of vision and values.

Note 6

Half days each week could be put together for a monthly trip to travel to help a particular church or churches in an area. It would benefit not only the receiving church, but also raise vision in the sending church and an awareness of the needs of Wales in the church.

Note 7

Churches currently send teams and aid all over the world. A larger church that has linked with a church plant or strengthening situation could send a team to do a children’s holiday club, evangelistic outreach etc. Smaller churches could provide individuals for another team. This would do much to spread enthusiasm for mission in Wales in the serving church.

Note 8

Some areas of Mid and West Wales, including Welsh speaking areas, are currently outside the reach of most networks. If we are going to see new churches planted, or existing strengthened [in places like Harlech, Dolgellau, Corwen, Llandysul, Builth Wells etc.,] we will need to gather time and resources from across the networks. We are asking that all churches give at least 2% to Waleswide for such needs, in addition to what is given within their own networks or directly to specific churches they are helping. Without such funding and effort these areas will decline further with no gospel witness at all.