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Topic: THE NET - By Phil Townend
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THE NET - By Phil Townend
A Vision For The Church At The Turn of The Millennium
By Phil Townend
This vision is based on my own experience and sense of what God seems to be doing in the world today. I do not claim it to be a `prophecy’, although I believe there to be prophetic insight here – much of it gleaned from others. The global perspective is where we start, since I am sure this needs urgent restoration across the Body. In the past certain individuals and groups – especially missionary and parachurch organisations – have carried the torch for world evangelisation. But we are all called to have the world on our hearts. For many of us the first verse of Scripture we learnt was John 3:16, `For God so loved the world…’ God has always had the whole world in focus, although He is active in every part. We too need to see things this way, His way.
From the global context, however, we need to see how these principles work out at the local level. The global and local are two aspects of the one church. If the Body is the sum of the parts, to function effectively all the parts need to work in harmony, allowing the flow of Holy Spirit life through the whole Body that is His home. So as well as having a global perspective, we need to understand what God is doing at local level and become passionate about what local church life could be like if God REALLY had His way there!
There are two dangers to avoid here: firstly, for those networking across the Body to drift into a superficial world of exciting relationships that have no ultimate effect `on the ground’ where most people are. The converse danger, however, is for local believers to get so buried in their own needs and aspirations that they neither see how they fit in the wider picture nor experience the life that flows from the wider Body.
What follows is an explanation of what I believe God is doing in the Church today, in its global and local aspects, with some concluding thoughts. You may not agree with everything I have written, but I hope it will encourage you to think and pray about the issues raised and the significant times we are living in.
GLOBAL ASPECT
The net now forming
At this very moment in history God is beginning to cover the world with a network of interlocking relationships between groups of believers in every place. Although the net is in a very early stage of development, it is forming at a rapid pace. Initially, God is joining key individuals and groups together, making critical personal and geographical connections for His future purposes. But His intention is to involve everyone who is willing to be a part of this net.
Divine initiative
In the process, God is releasing the Body of Christ world-wide from many of its traditional and `neo-traditional’ constraints in order to make room for new developments and allow for the level of joining that is required. This does not mean that old forms are being summarily discarded, but that they are being naturally superseded by new relationships and priorities. This is more a case of evolution than revolution, as God in His mercy increasingly takes `hands on’ control. While many of our endeavours and relationships, new and not so new, are being used by God, He is also overtaking our initiatives with His own in order to achieve His desired outcomes His own way! There will be no doubt in the end that it was God Himself who formed the new wineskin that is soon to appear.
The call to prayer
God has made the success of this joining dependent upon our co-operation with Him, primarily in the place of prayer. This has always been the way God works. It is all the more important now, given the difficult times that we live in and the greatness of God’s present-day purposes. Today God is promoting prayer everywhere. There is an unprecedented call to urgent prayer in and for the nations. Starting spontaneously, many national, regional and international prayer movements are emerging - and already they are beginning to connect with one another. Prayer centres committed to twenty-four hour prayer for the nations are springing up all over the place, and are also being linked. This global network of prayer foreshadows the network of kingdom life that we are talking about. Special seasons of intense intercession are happening somewhere all the time. There is a tremendous increase world-wide in prophetic revelation in the place of prayer. Flexible and mobile prayer teams are becoming a common feature in the advance of the Kingdom. Sometimes these teams are going out to prepare the ground for intensive evangelism. More often they are dealing with unresolved issues from the past through warfare prayer and acts of penitence and reconciliation. These are remarkable developments. Yet there must still be an exponential increase in prayer across the whole Body for the true Bride of Christ to come forth, ready for Christ’s return. There are some signs that this kind of increase is beginning.
The significance of Israel
At the same time, God is restoring some key understandings to the church concerning the place of Israel in His purposes at the end of the age. Israel is, as it has always been, God’s time clock. We are to watch its face more closely than ever, seeking to bless that nation and co-operate in what God is doing there and among Jews everywhere. Above all, we are to pray for Israel – especially for the peace of Jerusalem. Our attitude to Israel and what is happening in the Middle East as a whole affects other aspects of our lives, even though the relevance is often not revealed to us. We need to be prayerful and vigilant. We need to love the Jewish people unconditionally, wherever we find them. We also need to be sensitive as to how they might relate to the global net we are expecting.
The destiny of the nations
The relationship between believers in different countries – especially between those in Western and Third World countries - is of particular significance as this net forms, since any barrier obstructs God’s purposes. God has chosen to distribute gifts variously among the nations. The church in each nation needs to give what it has and receive what it lacks, each using its redemptive gift and fulfilling its national destiny, in order that the whole global Body of Christ might be built up. In particular, the church in rich nations must face up to its responsibility to release the practical resources that God has so graciously given to it, in the knowledge that God will give back to us out of the abundant spiritual treasures He has placed within His church in poorer nations. As is true from believer to believer and congregation to congregation, so from nation to nation: we need each other and the gifts that we bring to each other to be complete.
The structure of church
Another important area of new insight is to do with the way we express church. The DAWN (Disciple A Whole Nation) strategy, the Cities for God initiative and the burgeoning cell church movement are just three fresh reflections on what it means to be church at the turn of the millennium. Other ideas about how to be church in the home and in the world, or how to penetrate the profusion of subcultures in Western nations and reach minority or unreached people groups around the world, are being given variously. As has always been the case, the Holy Spirit deposits revelation as and where it suits the Father’s purposes. This increase in revelation itself bears witness that the end draws closer. None of these insights are complete in themselves, but must be seen in the light of the Big Picture of what God is doing and the net that is forming.
The release of apostolic teams
An essential element in the process of change now taking place is a fresh release of apostolic ministry, according to the New Testament pattern. In contrast with some recent models, the emerging apostolic dimension is not so much about setting government in place but about releasing ministry to `go’ in order to bring maturity to the Body of Christ. This `going’ can be to a place, a group or a nation or nations. A key feature of this emerging ministry will be the creation of flexible, mobile apostolic teams that will move from place to place, bringing that which is lacking into local situations everywhere, establishing new churches wherever they are needed. The relationship between the local and mobile will be one of mutual submission, always looking for the leading and anointing of the Spirit. The teams will operate out of local bases, often communities of local congregations already flowing together in God’s purposes. Some will grow within and out of existing missionary organisations and parachurch groups, recognising the significance of their historic role, but embracing new ways of going about their calling. The teams will vary, changing in personnel to fit particular situations. They will function relationally, as the Spirit leads. Often these teams will overlap and interact with one another naturally, as and when appropriate. There will be no set form for them, although we will see prophetic, teaching, evangelistic, healing and other ministries functioning regularly through these teams. What counts will be the gifting and anointing God wants in a particular team at a given time for a specific situation. Many teams will be multicultural and international in make-up. This will express a powerful witness to the world and into `the heavenlies’ of the unity of the church. These teams also strengthen the mesh – representing translocal relationships - which link the knots in the net, so that the whole net can become strong. Some teams are already operating in a limited way. Others are beginning to form. Thousands more are needed in order to see the whole net come into place.
The manifold wisdom of God
It must not be thought that the net or the apostolic teams that operate across the net represent a simple, uniform structure – as the image of a net might imply. In fact, while the principles hold everywhere, the outworking on the ground will be a profusion of many and different expressions of church life as God makes a supreme revelation of His `multifaceted’ wisdom and incarnates Biblical truth in myriad different contexts through His church at the end of the age. In many ways the variety and diversity will be greater than we see now. The wonder of it all will be the strength of the unity, the level of co-operation and the underlying faithfulness to the Scriptures that will characterise this church. What might seem structural chaos to many will, in fact, be the true organism - as distinct from organisation – that is Christ’s Body, the Church.
The preservation of wine
Neither must it be assumed that present denominational and other organisational structures will necessarily disappear. When Jesus used the metaphor of wine and wineskins, he was not rejecting old wine, but simply showing the foolishness of putting new wine in old skins. There is old wine that is good, very good. But it needs the old skins. Perhaps this speaks of the accumulative wisdom of the church that is preserved in, what may seem to many of us, archaic containers, yet has brought us to where we are now and still provides kingdom life for many millions of people today. As long as it is kingdom wine, it is worth drinking. I believe there will be older structures, forms and practices that will be interwoven into this great net of kingdom relationships, becoming part of the rich variety and diversity we have already spoken about.
The call to give
All these changes call for a great release of people, time, money and other practical resources into the work of God’s Kingdom . Hospitality will become a commonplace gift, to the point where no-one can really call his home his own. Many practical comforts – especially in the West - will need to be `liquidated’ into finance for the kingdom and more often than not released into the Third World. People will be required by the Spirit to uproot and go to far flung parts of the world. The UK in particular will have a special mandate to send people. Bibles, Christian books and magazines, worship material and other resources will be needed in abundance to feed the coming growth in the church. The many apostolic teams will need to be equipped and supported to do the work they are called to do. All this will be required, despite increasingly adverse economic conditions world-wide. More than ever before we will need to know how to give, how to pray and how to trust the One who holds everything in His hands.
LOCAL ASPECT
Change at local level
Nowhere is the change that is taking place more evident or needed than at a local level. The local church is the microcosm of the global church. However, what constitutes a locality is often a complicated matter. For most believers it is important to be able to identify with some clear geographical region beyond their own group - yet without becoming as ego-centric about that area as we can be about our group! The biblical concept of a `city’ is helpful, if understood to include a town, borough or other administrative area. But it is a fact that unity can be complicated, and many of us are relating to one other at different levels, from immediate neighbourhood to large, urban conurbation. The principle to bear in mind is to pursue as far as we can unity at EVERY level, but discern the main perimeters of local church for us. Some will probably need more wisdom from the Spirit here than others, depending on specific local circumstances.
Defining local church
Bearing this in mind, we can define local church, in its simplest, biblical terms, as the sum of believers in a given area – one body of people irrevocably joined to one another, without barriers of age, race, background - together expressing the life of Christ to the community around them. This definition does not preclude variety within and between local expressions of church, but it does insist that these will be facets of one local entity and that this unity be explicit in terms of identity and vision. This is the local church that the Spirit is working to restore at this very moment in history.
A fundamental shift
While many people adhere to this definition in theory, the practice is often very different. Many still refer to their own congregation as their `local church’ and treat it to all practical purposes as a self-contained, independent structure with respect to vision and mission – even if another one meets directly across the road or operates in the same patch! I believe God is challenging this unbiblical and unwarranted autonomy. Scripture says that we are members of one another. It is only we who often restrict this to relationships and ministry within `our group’, forgetting that most epistles were written to the church in localities, not individual groups. Anyway, there is not limitation on our unity. This principle of interdependence is as true for families as for nations, and needs to be manifest in every arena – including local church, as we are defining it here. I believe that God has this issue - a vision for true local church in true unity for common territory - near the top of His agenda today, and that the winds of change at local level are there for those who have eyes to see it. That is one reason why there is such a restlessness at local church level - certainly in the West. It is a sign of the fundamental shift taking place.
The church now emerging
The fact is that many Christians – including church leaders – are no longer content being cooped up within an independent congregational structure and vision, often feeling restricted by too small a vision with little progress towards stated goals. There are probably more Christians than ever struggling within their local fellowship situation, hankering (probably unwittingly) for a bigger vision to live within. Some are frustrated where they are; others are moving uncertainly between congregations, or out on their own somewhere. Whether this is good or bad, of course, depends on individual attitudes and particular circumstances. But it is happening, and we cannot ignore it.
New alignments
One of the most significant developments locally are the many links that are forming naturally between Christians across congregational fences, usually where a common `heart’ for the common territory is felt, quite often forging bonds that are at least as real, meaningful and fruitful than those experienced within their own respective groups. Some leaders are uneasy about this, because it seems to cut across their own initiatives and agendas. Of course, issues of rebellion, running from personal issues, etc. are part of the mix. Yet this restless tension and spontaneous re-aligning is to be expected when God is changing things. Upheaval of this kind always brings both good and bad elements to the surface. However, whatever negative forces may be at work, the solution is not to be reactive and try to preserve the status quo at all costs, it is to press through into what God has taken hold of us for – whatever THAT costs. When you consider that it is often at the local level that we find most resistance to change - both in human and spiritual ways - then things are bound to get interesting when God starts moving here!
The front line
When considering what God might be doing at local church level, we need to remind ourselves that it is here at the local level where for most people the `rubber hits the road’ in terms of kingdom life. The local church as it exists in cells and congregations, homes and public places, schools and workplaces, is the real front line of God’s kingdom. This is where the vast majority of believers live out their faith day after day, and it is not so easy here to stay focused and faithful in often mundane situations. We can so easily get side-tracked into secondary issues and petty concerns. I believe it is here that, quite frankly, the enemy gets us most battened down in various kinds of pride, complacency, self-seeking and other ways of preserving what we have – without us really being aware it! Over the generations satan has been largely successful in cutting us off from one another locally, effectively blunting the local church as a powerful force for God’s kingdom in the area. If he can now get us to take the present renewal and focus inwards on our own group and its mission, he will have seriously restricted our ability to disrupt that long held hold over our localities. And if he can neutralise the church at this level, all the exciting movement at translocal level is of little consequence. Remember, just as the whole church is the sum of its parts, so is the local church the main substance of all that makes up the universal church. Because the local church stands on the front line in God’s kingdom purposes, it is imperative that we listen to His voice at local level. In the light of what we have said about local church – and, indeed, the whole sweep of God’s dealing with His people - I think it is entirely unreasonable and unrealistic to ask God to move powerfully in our localities, yet expect Him to leave untouched all our structures and systems – however biblical we think ours are! We really must choose to co-operate with God as He works to set His people in each place free to be all that they were meant to be as an instrument for the advance of His kingdom in these latter days.
The present renewal
I believe that much of what we are reaping now goes back to what happened a few years ago, when a fresh wave of the Holy Spirit broke out and impacted many churches in the Western world – especially in the UK. One of the prophetic ‘slogans’ of the time was ‘Jesus wants his Church back.’ This was clearly a true word from the Lord to His Church. But many people interpreted this within their own narrow mindset of what church, even local church, meant. Leaders preached a half word - `Jesus wants THIS church back’, or even `Jesus wants OUR church back’. Some saw it largely in terms of the renewal of their own stream or denomination. Yet this was not what had been proclaimed. Jesus was after HIS church, ie the WHOLE thing back, the Church he died and rose again for. It follows that, if Jesus wants His Church back, it is so he can manifest his Headship over and his purposes through that Church. Why should we assume He will leave things as they were in terms of the structure of the church locally? Might He not consider the independent ways we operate as belying the unity that He Himself prayed for? There is a strong argument from outside the church that our disunity does more to prevent a lost world finding the saving love of the Father than any other single factor. As the Owner, Jesus has every right to do what he likes with what He owns - including demolishing or reordering as he sees fit - so that he can build what He has in His heart to build. For those who believe in the net now forming and the united expression of local church that is emerging, this is no surprise. We must face up to the fact that much of what exists in our localities church wise will need some radical attention before we see what we are believing for begin to take shape.
A reformed local church
The fact is God is restoring something more akin to the picture we see in the New Testament of local church life in terms of its unity, simplicity and flexibility. He is taking the best of what we have brought with us down the centuries and through more recent decades, adding new forms for the needs of the present time, and connecting the whole thing together. What will emerge is one interlinked network of believers in a given area, together covering that area with many and varied small and middle-sized groups. Older groups will bring the best out of their own particular history and multiply it, but always seeking to further the overall progress of God’s kingdom in the area (and beyond). Many new groups and new types of church life will form. The cell-based church model provides valuable principles as to how we might become much more flexible through its emphasis on small groups (although at present it is heavily postulated towards an independent church structure). Relational unity among recognised leaders is a clear prerequisite for what is coming, as is grass roots prayer across denominational and other lines. United leadership is needed to bring cohesion within the wider local Body. This must work in hand in hand with outside input `into’ the area (not just `over’ individual congregations), bringing what is lacking into the Body and knitting the local into the translocal scene.
An apostolic church
However, the relational connecting that is happening is the starting place for, not the fullness of, what is coming. It is not ultimately about having a strong group of pastors who are bringing their congregations together and flowing together for the sake of the gospel locally – encouraging though this is. Rather, it is about having the right leadership ministries released within the whole local church and surrounding community, in conjunction with appropriate help from outside, so that Ephesians 4 can be fulfilled and maturity might come. For a variety of reasons, we have tended to shy away from the key issue of the role of apostles and the apostolic in the church today. Once we realise that the apostolic is all about the church ‘going out’ and that the reason for having apostles in our midst is so that the whole church might become apostolic, then we can begin to appreciate and covet this ministry. God is restoring the so-called ‘five-fold ministries’ in these days – including the apostolic - in order to complete His mission. But this is about function not title, servanthood not government, and will more likely than not challenge many of our previous notions relating to these leadership ministries. However, if we keep in view a local (and universal) church that is growing ever closer to maturity as a teaching, pastoring, evangelistic, prophetic and apostolic community of believers, we will welcome among us those who are strategic in helping this come about.
Call the elders…
In particular we need to see true spiritual ‘fathers’ or elders take their place amongst us, in our churches and communities. By this I mean those appointed and anointed of God (not man) to provide a spiritual canopy over the territory for the sake of the people who live there – believers and non-believers alike. This is more than and different from simply a gathering of congregational leaders. It is a divinely ordained group of men (and women) sharing responsibility and authority in the Holy Spirit for specific regions. It does not even have to be an explicit group that meets and has an overt function. It may include individuals active in secular fields, exercising eldership and exerting influence there, but all joined by the Spirit towards a common vision. These elders are not necessarily of high profile or active in conventional church leadership. They will want to serve not rule, and the bulk of their ministry will relate to the hidden ministry of prayer. They will discern and build in harmony with the travelling apostolic teams we have already identified. They will release, simply by being in place, a plethora of ministry in the local community. The important thing is that these elders be recognised and honoured by the church and, to some extent, the wider community. We will know when they have come into position because of the new sense of strength, security and freedom in the Holy Spirit that will be evident – as well as the fruitfulness that will follow hard on the heels of their inauguration. This is a restoration of New Testament patterns and a fulfillment of our desire for God’s order. But beware God’s serendipity here! There is little doubt it will all look very different from what we have been expecting!
Local and translocal
It is perhaps important to stress again here the God-ordained interdependent nature of the whole church, local and translocal. As we have asserted or implied a number of times already, there is in reality only one church of Jesus Christ. So even local churches as we are defining them here are no more self-sufficient than an individual person, cell or congregation, and therefore need to be joined to the wider body to be complete and have real success. The purpose of the apostolic teams mentioned earlier is to establish, help and support local churches and their leadership as appropriate, so these churches can mature and multiply, finding their own key ministries from within as well as receiving ministry from outside. In the process, these visiting teams will be making kingdom connections - facilitating the wider networking essential for global church expansion, and also being agents for the creation of specific mutual, life-giving relationships between local churches in different parts of the world, as the Spirit makes such links. Again, this is in contrast to much of the apostling we have known in recent decades. In the past, these apostolic relationships ‘at a distance’ were mainly vertical and functioned within a particular denominational or stream context. Those will have to adapt in a changing situation. Either they will continue as a helpful but less significant support to one part of the local body, or evolve into a significant ministry to the whole local church - or simply disappear. As I mentioned earlier, some local churches (as we have defined them) will become apostolic home bases for traveling teams. However it works in each situation, there will be amazing and strategic links around the world that will mean in a very real and meaningful sense that to be part of the local church is to be part of the church world-wide.
The Flow of the Spirit
How the local church will be organised and express its life will vary from place to place as it does now, according to the history, culture and (hopefully) the present needs of that area. We must never interpret the principles here as representing or determinant of any specific form – like Macdonalds opening another virtually identical restaurant in yet another town. God intends displaying His manifold - i.e. ‘many faced’ - wisdom for all to see. He is a God of variety not uniformity. But there is an essential underlying understanding about unity and priorities which is non-negotiable for the future. We must be ready to die to our own ideas and desires to be part of God’s greater purpose for the locality in which we live – and, indeed, his global purposes. We need to realise that perhaps more than ever before it is true that the river of God’s Spirit flows where hearts are being joined, gulfs are being bridged, vision is corporate and a destiny is being pursued together.
The challenge today
At the present time it is important that each local congregation ask itself a fundamental question about how it views its life and ministry. Does it operate out of an independent mindset, expressing a unilateral vision, with only a secondary or optional regard to what else is going on locally? Or does it seek out fellow local believers, desiring a corporate vision for an area together, looking to find its place in the wider context? The latter situation must become normative for everyone to prosper. Sadly, much of the local linking that is going on today falls short of this principle, reflecting a struggle with issues of priorities. The truth is that until a group (or, let’s face it, the leadership of that group) acknowledges that its own destiny and success is irrevocably tied up with that of all other groups in that area – and, indeed, the whole church world-wide - it will not give the necessary priority to finding and following a corporate vision, and in consequence will not be able to fully play its part in fulfilling God’s highest purposes for that area.
CONCLUSION
The end is in sight
We have looked at the net that God is making, His fishing net. As in the parable Jesus told, God is building a net for a great catch of fish (people) at the end of the age. Looking back we can see that He has visited His church in recent years to encourage us and restore many things to us. And now its time for Him to build the end-time net. God is always moving things forward, according to His own schedule. We cannot afford to stand still or miss His timing. As the 90’s started, many prophetic voices were predicting the transformation we are talking about here. One particularly respected voice prophesied that the church at the end of the decade would be almost unrecognisable from the one at the start. Yet this profound change has not yet happened: so were the prophets wrong? I don’t think so. In my opinion the prophetic insight was correct, it is the church that has been painfully slow to respond to the Spirit. We are far more entrenched in our familiar surroundings and resistant to change than we think we are, and that has kept us, I believe, behind God’s schedule. However, in many ways the 1990’s have been a watershed for the church. We have certainly seen more failure of past methods and structures than we have success with our new ones. But most believers are agreed that there is no turning the clock back now. The scene is set for a fulfilment of the hopes of the early 90’s, and, indeed, of the biblical expectation of a glorious church before the end comes.
The last great push
So where is it all going? Where does it end? Many people are talking about revival today. Others speak of great harvests of souls to come. Yet God has more in His heart than even these wonderful things. The Scriptures are clear: we know our mission mandate is fulfilled when we see Jesus return in glory. It is my firm conviction that we are entering the final stage in history and that the present stirrings in the church and the world – particularly events in and around Israel - are the beginnings of the final great `push’ of God’s Spirit, in partnership with God’s people, that will ultimately usher in the return of Jesus. However, He will only come back to a spotless Bride in a fully evangelised world. The net represents both the Bride of Christ in its global completeness, as the body is joined together, and the Church’s mission fulfilled, as it spreads over the face of the whole earth. We are all called to be part of this great enterprise.
A final warning
In all this change, we need to watch ourselves carefully. It is vital we remind ourselves constantly that it is God who is at work right now bringing about this great transformation. Rebellious, divisive and critical attitudes and behaviour on our part with regard to God’s people and any existing church structures are never justified, and will seriously hamper, if not severely undermine, what God is doing at the present time, if given the space to do so. We must watch our heart attitudes, preserving the unity of the Body at all costs, following the footsteps which lead to the Cross. We need more grace than ever to stay right with God and right with one another through this time of change, looking to God to lead us forward and for us to simply find the grace to follow. Out of an undying love for the world God sent his Son to die for all people. God will only work His purposes out through those who will share in that same heart of love and self-sacrifice, and share the same vision to see the whole world netted with living Church, bearing witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ, so that the end might come.
As each part does its work…
As you have been reading this article concerning the Church at the turn of the Millennium, I hope you have been listening for what the Spirit might be saying to you through it. It is time for all God’s people to be seriously asking Him to take from us all that obstructs His highest purposes through us. We then need to ask Him to fully include us in what He is doing today - both in the nations and down our street - rather than ask him to simply bless what we are doing. Expressed in different words, there is a need for sincere and radical repentance, ie. turning from that which is not lined up with God’s will to that which is. We must then ask in simple sincerity: show us, Lord, our part in Your great scheme of things and we will do it. For the whole Church is built up as each part does its work. Ultimately, the church on earth boils down to you and me and every other Christian seeking to do what God tells us to do in the power of the Spirit. Let’s ask God for the grace to do it!
Phil Townend
phil@thebridge.f9.co.uk
Revised & released, June 1999
Copyright Notice
While Phil has no interest at all in maintaining 'ownership', he would like to maintain the integrity of the whole piece. If you use extracts, would you refer clearly back to the whole article at this web address and include Phil's name, e-mail address, and this copyright notice. Phil can be contacted directly at phil@thebridge.f9.co.uk.
About the Author
Phil lives in West Yorkshire, England, with his wife, Lynne, and two children. For 15 years he led a local church fellowship from which base he sought to build links for unity and prayer at every level. He continues now to be active in networking, though increasingly finds himself 'outside the camp' of structured church and more engaged relationally across the church, blessing the new alignments for God's Kingdom that seem to be emerging in the UK.
Phil has for a number of years been part of Building Together in the UK, facilitated by Roger & Sue Mitchell of Passion. He is also involved with an initiative from the Evangelical Alliance in the UK linking prayer leaders from towns and cities across the whole of England, and is a Trustee of Go to the Nations Link, a missionary network linking Brazil and the UK in world mission. Phil also has close ties with the prayer revival in Uganda through his relationship with key prayer leader Deogracious Musoke.
Phil is increasingly active in the sphere of education locally, seeking to live out God's calling to being positioned for the territory, not just the visible church - a personal outworking of some of the principles he espoused in 'The Net'.
Phil Townend
phil@thebridge.force9.co.uk
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