Like this:

FIEC Leaders Conference, 2011

I was privileged to attend the FIEC (1) Leaders Conference and AGM last week at the Hayes Centre in Derbyshire.  This was my second attendance there and once again it was a blessed event.

This year we filled the place.  There were 400 church leaders there, representing more than 150 churches.   Those who have attended similar events will know how blessed it is to enjoy fellowship with a large number of like-minded Christians.  The singing was a joy, and the ministry of Johnny Prime, Pastor of Enfield Evangelical Church was inspirational.  He gave three talks from Hebrews with the general text of Heb 2:1:  ‘Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.’  John Stevens, the FIEC National Director, gave three excellent talks from 1Timothy, though the last one did degenerate a little into a plea for more money.  However, we should not be ashamed to talk about finance in connection with Christian mission.  The Apostle Paul wasn’t, and maybe the world would be a better place if there was more preaching on 1Timothy 6:17-19.

The most controversial part of the meeting came at the AGM when two new statements were agreed expanding and amplifying the Fellowship’s position on women in ministry and on ecumenism.  In 1922, when the FIEC was formed, women did not enter the Christian ministry.  Today, it is felt necessary to spell out what is seen as the Biblical position.  Churches within the FIEC do not have women Pastors or elders (1Tim 2:12; 3:2), though women may be deacons (Rom 16:1; 1Tim 2:11) and are encouraged to minister to other women (Titus 2:3-5) and to the children.

On ecumenism, the present position was amplified and further explained.  FIEC churches desire fellowship with all other churches that hold to the basics of the faith, but there is no unity outside the Gospel, and specifically, FIEC churches do not become members of the Churches Together organization.  However, the FIEC holds to ‘one-stage’ separation, not ‘two-stage’ and we will have fellowship with individual Bible-believing churches who may themselves be members of C.T.

These two positions were affirmed by overwhelming majorities.  They were controversial only inasmuch as the unity of the FIEC is a fellowship and not a denomination, and there were those who felt that these two statements constitute direction from the centre and were expanding the unity of the Fellowship from a Gospel-based unity to a doctrinal one.  Regrettably, there may be one or two resignations from the Fellowship over these issues, but without them the FIEC would have lost credibility with other conservative bodies such as Reform and the Grace Baptists.

The leadership has exciting plans to encourage and support church planting in areas where there is no Gospel witness, and for the training of young potential Pastors.  This will mean asking the churches to give significantly more, but I believe that for Gospel purposes we should not be afraid to give generously and sacrificially (Acts 4:36-7). 

Note.

1. Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches for the uninitiated.  www.fiec.org.uk

Advertisement