Church that has ignited estate’s love of God

More than two years after celebrating its centenary Elim remains committed to planting new churches. This month we look at the pioneering work of Ignite Church, Lincoln, which is now established as a fully-fledged church.

Even before Darren Edwards began a three-year degree at Regents Theological College, he already knew that he and his family would be moving to Lincoln after graduation and planting a brand new church. Darren had clearly heard from God, not only which city to go to but also about a particular estate called Moorland.

“In terms of high social deprivation, Moorland comes in at number 203 on the list out of 34,000 areas. We moved here with a clear sense that Jesus was leading us to preach the Gospel in this community both in terms of the words we spoke but also by the way we lived our lives.”

The Story So Far…

Four years later, Darren estimates that they are involved in discipling nearly one hundred new believers across two congregations.

The first congregation to be planted meets in the community centre on the estate on Sunday mornings and mainly consists of adults who have come to faith or are still on a journey towards Jesus.

‘Passion’ is a youth congregation usually gathering midweek and has recently seen a surge in new converts and God's supernatural presence being known. Just recently ‘M’, aged 14, went to the hospital to find out that God has healed his totally deaf left ear, and that he doesn't need glasses anymore. His sister ‘L’, has been very successful in her new found healing ministry, and a handful of young people are being baptised in May.

How has all this happened? Some of the principles are clear, such as:

• Incarnational living. The Edwards family live near to where they minister
• Good works. Whether it’s free family fun days, providing free food, sportswear, duvets, pillows, etc, Ignite church have let their light shine in the community.
• Passionate worship and preaching. There is no doubt on Sunday morning that you are in a Pentecostal church!
• Context-driven. Affectionately known as ‘Chav Church’, this plant has recognised who it is reaching out to.

 

The Big Challenge

“Some things haven’t changed in 2000 years,” observes Darren. “The harvest around here is plentiful, but the workers are few. We know that when we serve the community, get close to people and share the Gospel, they are ready to respond!”

“We have the vision to start even more new churches! This comes from a passion for reaching those that might not be able to make it to a suitable or relevant church in their area.”

With this ongoing plan, Ignite Church is now seeking to add to their team. The vision extends beyond the city to plant more churches across the county of Lincolnshire, “… but as you know a man can only be in one place at a time!”

Darren is looking for stable Christians with any level of experience to join a team where they'll be trained and equipped to disciple new believers and win the unchurched for Christ.

“If you're a minister with a passion for reaching the lost, who wants a new challenge, or if you've been a faithful servant in your church for a while and feel passionate about ministry and want to take the next step, we would like you to get in touch with us! All you need is a heart to see people move on in their faith, and a heart to reach communities and people groups that might not think the same way that you do.”

Interested? You can contact Darren at darren@ignitelincoln.co.uk