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The Launch of School of Evangelism in Scotland

The Launch of School of Evangelism in Scotland

There is no denying that the world has changed drastically not only over the last couple of decades but even in the last couple of years. In a recent article published in the Spectrum Magazine, Admiral Ncube, a humanitarian and development professional from Botswana, writes “For many in the church who are over the age of 25, the world into which we were born no longer exists, which presents the danger of being out of touch, operating under outdated assumptions, developing products that no one consumes, speaking a language that no one understands, and answering questions that no one is asking.” Many have observed that the past methods of evangelism no longer have the desired impact on people in our communities which leads us to think that perhaps we need to re-evaluate how we evangelise in today’s context. The School of Evangelism, Christ for Scotland, was established with that in mind. Led by Dr Kayle de Waal, the TED Education Director, and Pr Wilfred Masih, the Scottish Mission Evangelism Director, the two-year training ministry consists of five key elements:

  • The value of covenantal relationships built on a desire to know Christ
  • The importance of knowing and living Scripture
  • Confidence in the SDA teachings and Adventist Identity
  • Confidence to share spiritual things in relaxed, easy ways
  • Building a disciple-making culture in the Scottish Mission

The official launch of School of Evangelism took place in Glasgow Seventh-day Adventist church on the 11th and 12th March with the support of Dr Kayle de Waal and Pr Maureen Rock. The weekend event titled ‘Kingdom Living: Partnering with God’ consisted of four training sessions on Saturday and two on Sunday with the focus on discipleship and stewardship guided by the vision of a multi-generational disciple-making movement. Thirty-seven registered students were joined by at least another fifty members from the local church and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

Everything was perfectly organized...We were truly blessed. I felt the Spirit of God calling and asking who will go and work today and my answer is Here am I, O Lord, send me. My prayer is that I may not look back. I am looking forward to the sessions that we will have going forward.” wrote one of the students in an email to us.

In the week following the launch of the School of Evangelism, students have been asked to write their personal testimony and to choose a discipleship partner for support and accountability as they work through the curriculum. The theoretical concepts are reinforced by further virtual and in-person training where the theoretical is also tried out in practice. The initial discipleship partnerships will eventually transition into missional teams later in the year. We pray that the School of Evangelism students find this course meaningful and empowering as they seek to reach out to those desperate for hope, meaning and direction.

Reporter: Hellevi Walker | Photo credit: Jimmy Botha