One could not imagine a more life-affirming person than Jesus. He lived selflessly for others and constantly reached out to them, just as the Gospels tell it: all whom he touched where made completely whole. Christians proclaim a positive message and this adds value to our society as a whole. As followers of Jesus, we do more than preach the gospel. We live it and use all our energy in order to be good news to all people.
Recently, we restated our mission and purpose as a church by affirming our deepest aspiration, which is “to influence our society for Christ and to extend that influence overseas.” We believe that God created us and loves us. When people wander away from him, he is ready to receive them back into his family, welcoming them as lost sons and daughters. We uphold the trustworthiness of the Bible and maintain its moral standards. We have no desire to compromise the authentic teachings of the New Testament on any single issue. Even when that goes against the tide of popular opinion. Our vision is to raise up true disciples of Jesus Christ.
We extend Jesus’ influence throughout London through a network of congregational gatherings and cell groups and through an active membership, effective for Christ wherever they are. This means being prepared to make a Christian difference right where the Master has strategically placed us – in London, the heart of the nation.
Central to our strategy is the cell vision through which every member has the opportunity to be personally discipled as well as be trained to raise up other disciples in line with the Great Commission of Jesus: “Go, and make disciples of all nations.”
We have become a major sending centre of radical Christianity reaching out from the heart of the Capital to the heart of the need among some of the most spiritually and socially deprived nations of the world. Our missions focus is the 10/40 window – the part of the world that sits between 10? north and 40? south of the equator.
This strip of world geography comprises the majority of the world’s unevangelised populations and the world’s poorest peoples. Through the GAP Missions Programme (Gospel to All Peoples), our vision is to train and deploy hundreds of KT members into these nations to make a difference overseas as well as here in Great Britain.
The Triangle of Influence
A number of years ago we attempted to express our vision through a simple diagram. We came up with ‘The Triangle of Influence’ (see above).
The base of the triangle represents the foundational part of our ministry: to build a strong, vibrant, multi-ethnic, London wide church. London City Church (LCC) is the name we give to all that we do in London. It consists of thousands of people networking through central gatherings in Kensington Temple, scores of congregations meeting in the KT Satellite Churches and hundreds of cell groups operating across the length and breadth of greater London. The apex of the triangle represents the central thrust of our purpose: to reach out to London and world through the life-changing gospel in obedience to the Great Commission of Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20).
The two sides of the triangle represent our mandate to be a blessing to the wider body of Christ (churches other than Kensington Temple) and to serve the wider community influencing our whole society for Christ. This balanced and well-rounded approach is now established as part of our vision and values. It expresses who we are and what we are called to do. All that we do is, in one way or another, an outworking of this ‘triangle of influence’.
We serve other churches through our conferences, television programmes and an extensive itinerant ministry in Britain and overseas. The Primary 12, those who head up the cell network, carry out a programme of preaching, teaching and evangelism across the nation as well as overseas, including such nations as France, Mauritius, Brazil, Mali, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Sierra Leone.
The Giants Of Influence
Society is made up of many institutions and distinct areas of influence. Any plan to influence our nation must take these into account. We have identified 12 major ‘giants of influence’ at work in our culture. Members of KT/LCC who are involved in these areas meet in one of the Giant’s Forums to formulate and coordinate strategies of Christian influence.
Already, we have people working in the areas of thought and philosophy, politics and government, media and arts, business and finance, religion and belief, education and training, sport and leisure and marriage and the family. More forums are in the pipeline for this year. We will be holding a major Giants Summit Conference in April.
Penetrating society – taking the giants
- Below is a list of the giants of influence we are taking for Christ
- 1. Business and Finance
- 2. Thought and Philosophy
- 3. Education and Training
- 4. Media and Arts
- 5. Politics and Government
- 6. Law and Order
- 7. Medicine and health
- 8. Religion and Belief
- 9. Ecology and Environment
- 10. Science and Technology
- 11. Sport and Leisure
- 12. Marriage and Family
I encourage every member of Kensington Temple to seize the opportunities that God is giving us every day here in London. Our training programme, both through the full-time IBIOL courses and the regular weekly training seminars on Tuesday evenings, will equip you for your ministry both in the church and in the market place. Your place of work is not just a means of earning your living; it is a calling to be and to bring good news to those around you. You have been strategically positioned to serve Christ and make a mark for him.
Begin by being an active cell member. You will only fulfil your calling to make, mature and mobilise disciples for Christ if you yourself are part of a group dedicated to that task. Through the cells you can penetrate London with pinpoints of light bringing hope, salvation and sanity through the pure teaching of Christ. Our city needs it, our nation is desperate for it and the world is waiting for it.