Andrew S M Clark

I’m back home from my few days away in Galloway and grateful for two particular things: the privilege of going away, and the joy of coming home! I love the Isle of Arran.

One of my strongest passions that my sojourn to Galloway has deepened is just the desire to see a healthy gospel church deepen and grow in Brodick and around the island. When I moved here and made friends with our local Free Church congregation, I was really enthralled by their current denominational vision to see a ‘healthy gospel church in every community in Scotland’. They certainly don’t imagine they can do all of that themselves, and their vision is clear about their desire for partnership. Amen to that! Likeminded hearts need to unite for Christ and the gospel in our day.

Whilst we may not have expressed it as such, I think this is also the vision of Arran Baptist Church: to be a healthy gospel church rooted in the Word of God, reaching out and seeing kingdom fruit and growth. The Baptist Union of Scotland’s national vision is to see ‘Increase’, and we’ve prayed big into that too.

Why the distinction? Why use ‘healthy’ and ‘gospel’ as descriptors and qualifiers? Now, this might not be a very ‘ecumenical’ thing to say, but I think it is quite clear that we live in an age where Christianity has withered in places where the Christ and the gospel has not been central. We’re seeing massive die-back in many places. The truth is that the ‘unity’ of 21st ecumenism is unity founded on the ideal of ‘unity’, and not always on he foundation of Christ and the truth of the gospel. I’ve said this publically many times and will repeat it again: only Christ and the gospel are the foundations upon which we can genuinely come together in gospel mission. On Christ the solid rock we stand, all other ground is sinking sand.

I was reflecting on St Ninian’s mission in my last post, on how he came to Galloway and established ‘a light’. Did you know, however, that there was a regression back into the darkness after his light was established? Not immediately, but post-Roman empire, there was the emergence of a dark age and Ninian’s mission legacy faltered. We only see the story of Ninian and Whithorn re-established through the passionate monastic missionary Celts and Northumbrians.

The souls of men and women are so precious that we can no longer afford to dim the light of the gospel. It must shine forth, boldly, creatively, colourfully and unashamedly. We, at the end of the day, don’t plant churches – we plant Christ and the gospel, and when that is planted, it bears its own fruit. Christ said he will build his church: our task is to make disciples as we go, teaching them to obey everything that he commanded, and to baptise those coming into the Kingdom of God.

This is not an institution, a congregation or an organisation – this is the unstoppable, dynamic Kingdom of God. In our 21st century, those who have a passion for Christ must join, heart and soul, for this purpose. This is our watch, and we must not let the light grow dim.