Many churches readily admit that they struggle to develop an “evangelistic culture” within the life of the church, although they yearn to see this happen. Often the demands of church life, the pressure on time, and all manner of distractions, mean that taking time to develop an evangelistic thread through all that we are and do is neglected. In 2019, after an approach from the ‘London Baptists’, K180 developed a one-year church partnership initiative known as ’The Journey’.

What does ‘The Journey’ entail?

Ideally, each of the following will be incorporated, but naturally we appreciate each context is different and we aim to ’tailor-make’ our approach accordingly. ​
K180 will...
​
  • Assign a trainee evangelist to work alongside the church for the equivalent of 2 days per week, helping to sharpen evangelistic focus
  • Help bring focus to praying daily for unsaved friends and family, and aid everyday witness through appropriate tools
  • Provide/lead two small group discipleship studies during the year;  ‘Christian to the Core’ focused on discipleship, and ’The Unashamed Course’ focused on day-to-day witness
  • Help start a weekly street evangelism ministry
  • Provide an advanced mentoring opportunity for a selected group, lasting 6 months (meeting monthly) that will include book study, mandate to disciple another, one-to-one mentoring, participating in an evangelistic mission weekend, and planning an evangelistic event for the church

We recognise...

  • We come alongside a church to serve. We understand that each church will have a God-appointed team under whose authority we submit
  • We do not come with all the answers, but are ready to be a partner in the background
  • That the church will already have programmes etc. in place, including evangelistic activity, and therefore a discussion with church leaders would take place at least 3 months prior to understand what the Lord is already doing in that place and what the needs are
  • After 9 months we will discuss with the church the “What next?” question. Sustainability is key. We commit to work through this question with church leadership

Testimonies

A church leader speaks to church leaders
​Pastor Matt Powell, Brentford Free Church 2021
My church formed a relationship with K180 during 2021. Throughout the year we experienced wonderful teaching about what it means to be Christian and how to share our faith with those outside of the church. In addition, we experienced practical help in discipleship and in sharing the Gospel on the streets. This was tailored to the resources of the church and the needs of the local Brentford community and was a wonderful experience. The year with K180 was a blessing to our church, to all who were involved, and to me personally. The teaching, the personal witness and experience of Martin, Scott and Gareth blessed me with a greater understanding of my own walk with Christ but also the confidence to share the Gospel and my own witness with others. It has been a blessing for me to be associated with such a spiritually blessed organisation and with individuals who themselves are so blessed with humility and confidence in their faith. I cannot imagine that any church would not be blessed in a similar way.
​Andrew Hall, church member Brentford Free Church

How are things going 6 months after the partnership officially concluded?

An update from Brentford Free Church...
​It is 6 months since the active involvement of K180 with Brentford Free Church (BFC) ended. The BFC outreach programme that resulted from this relationship is now a core part of our Church activities in the local community and approximately 25% of BFC’s membership participate in this, although numbers vary. The outreach team held several outreach activities over the Easter weekend and followed this up with a presence at the Brentford Canal Festival in June. Our trip to Hungary with K180 was a great success and a blessing to all those involved. Those who went felt that the trip had taken them forward in their faith and desire for evangelism. This was followed by BFC members participating in the wider London evangelism activity organised by K180 during the ‘London GO’ week. 
 
Our future plans include:
  • an outreach presence at September’s Brentford Festival; and 
  • repeating last year’s popular Carol services with services this year

We also encourage other church members to participate in the evangelism by having a time of testimony in our services from time to time.
 
K180 have provided additional training support and resources in addition to the on-going encouragement we receive from Martin and his team. The blessing that K180 brought to our church is continuing, and the Gospel is being shared with the people of Brentford.

For more information...

Please contact Rev. Martin Durham at martin@k180.org