Conference Diary


We hope you enjoy our daily diary from Together on a Mission. Please also see Adrian Warnock's excellent live blog from the Conference.

Tuesday 8th July 2008

On day one of the Together on a Mission Conference 2008, nearly 5000 people from the global Newfrontiers family gathered together with anticipation to seek God. Over twenty percent of the world's nations are represented here at the Brighton Centre, with delegates from Albania through to Zimbabwe. The first day of the conference was launched with a stirring preach from Stephen van Rhyn on the sovereignty of God, God as our redeemer, and how we as the people of God might live with moral, spiritual and theological integrity based on the book of Daniel. This was followed in the afternoon by a debut from Mark Driscoll, our guest speaker from Mars Hill Church, who has established a city-changing church of 6000 people in the heart of Seattle. Mark spoke to us on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit based on Luke's accounts of Jesus' ministry. Terry Virgo closed the first day by considering the ministry of Stephen as an example of a man of God who ministered in the fullness of the Holy Spirit, who spoke with wisdom and demonstrated God's power with signs and wonders. During the times of worship, led beautifully by Simon Brading, many prophetic words were brought concerning a season of repositioning for the church and a change in the spiritual climate, particularly of the U.K. Julian Adams spoke prophetically of the acceleration of church plants from the U.K. into Europe, as God enlarges an opening up of the nations.

Wednesday 9th July 2008

The second day of the conference saw the launch of the Mobilise sessions for the students and twenties cohort. Tom Shaw, from City Church Canterbury, addressed the Mobilise delegates, exhorting us to live a life attentive to the voice of God, the Spirit of truth. The Leader's Main Session was led in the morning by David Stroud, from ChristChurch London, on the life of Jonathan.
In the afternoon, Mark Driscoll brought further encouragement to us to embrace more fully the great commission to evangelise and make disciples, ensuring our churches adopt a missional focus in all that we do. The word that was brought to us by Mark, for our churches to be built as a 'city within our cities', was also confirmed prophetically in the evening meeting. Sam Poe and Julian Adams brought prophetic words regarding the opening of new, large doors into new cities, unreached people groups and new nations, as God changes his marching orders and commands his army into new territory. Julian spoke of the 'key of authority' given to us to open doors that no man can open. He saw doors being opened into apostolic ministry, mercy and justice, new nations and a season of reckless faith.
The Mobilisation Zone also kicked into action today, as the U.K. church plant teams set up to their stalls across the Zone to chat to delegates about what is happening in the towns and cities ll across the U.K. and how to get involved in what God is doing across our nation.
The day closed with a session led by Dave Devenish, who reinforced the message brought by Stephen van Rhyn yesterday morning on how to live a life engaged with culture, yet uncompromising in holiness. Dave based his message on the prophet Jeremiah, who prophesied the scattering of God's people into the nations, and the calling we have to engage with our culture in order to bless our nation.

Thursday 10th July 2008


The third day of the conference opened with a Leaders' session led by David Stroud. P-J Smyth, from Johannesburg, addressed the Mobilise delegation on living our lives with an eternal perspective, based on the great heroes of the bible who were able to do great things because they knew that their citizenship was in heaven. The main session in the afternoon was taken by Mark Driscoll, who looked at the history, patterns and pitfalls of movements and exhorted us in the goal of an increased rate of church planting to accommodate the growing numbers of new disciples that we should expect as a result of our missional approach. Mark also offered a gentle encouragement to ensure that the Newfrontiers movement simultaneously honours both the founder and the future of the movement, as this is key in determining the next phase in the cycle of Newfrontiers.
The Prayer evening allowed us to pray into our cities that God has been calling us to love more deeply, and also gave us the opportunity to pray corporately into new church plants into key strategic cities such as Amsterdam, Dubai and Paris. We also prayed for an increase of His government in the nation of India, with a population of over 1 billion people and the largest number of unreached people groups in the world. Scott Marques shared with us the vision of the churches in Zimbabwe amidst this time of political uncertainty and economic crisis. We prayed for the church to bring light into the darkness, for a growing apostolic sphere, a growing influence of the church in policy, education and government, and a heart change of the leaders in Africa. We were greatly encouraged by the Zimbabwean churches' response to their country's trials at this time; Mbonisi Malaba declared that the eyes of the world are on Zimbabwe, because God wants to be glorified in Zimbabwe like never before. Edward Buria shared on the political crisis on Kenya, where there has been great divide between ethnic groups, families and friends turning against one another in a frenzy of bloodshed. Amongst this time of crisis, Edward shared with us how the church has arisen to bring hope and unity in the nation, working alongside the thousands of internally displaced peoples across Kenya. We were able to respond in prayer by asking God to grant the Kenyan churches a voice into the high places of government, that the media may be a channel to communicate the churches' leadership in a time of abdicated leadership, and that there would be a return of glory to the church in Kenya.
Finally, Dave Devenish shared with us about the work of Newfrontiers into the Middle East and Asia, and we were privileged to join in prayer with representatives from Pakistan, Turkey and a closed Middle Eastern nation (identity unknown for protection of the church) in their native languages. The evening was brought to a close with a wonderful time of offering, where delegates brought forward their financial gifts to further the work of Newfrontiers across the nations.

Friday 11th July 2008


The final day of the conference finished with an address by Stef Liston to the Mobilise cohort on human weakness as a gateway to God's power. Many responded to the word by surrendering to our weaknesses and failures, and accepting once again that God loves us in our entirety, recognising that God uses our weaknesses to ensure our humility and guarantee his glory. Terry Virgo closed the conference with a preach based on the ministry of Philip, encouraging us to be a people who do not boast in our skills and gifts, but learn to be servants, to be team players and to release others into their giftings in grace, even when it requires us to step down from the limelight. Prophetic words were also brought on the final day of the conference of the increase in the variety and multiplicity of gifts within our churches, particularly the increase in skilled women and young men whose names have not been known before. Together on a Mission 08 has been a remarkable time of prophetic significance for the Newfrontiers churches worldwide, as God has spoken quite clearly that we must increase in our mission to reach the lost, to plant churches at an ever-increasing rate, to plant in key strategic cities across the world in order to be a people of influence and, above all else, to love our cities.
Beach Chairs