Gerald Coates (right) who founded the Pioneer group of churches, pictured with Sir Cliff Richard, popular Christian recording artist.

Five young men, five church fellowships and five streams of Christianity

By Michael Ireland
Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

June 2008

Five young men in the 1970’s and 80’s changed the religious climate, not only of London,England, but the entire United Kingdom and beyond.

Disillusioned with traditional British church life they, eventually, started what became known as the "New Churches" in Britain.

Those five fellowships became five streams of Christianity, the influence of which is still being felt worldwide, more than thirty years later.

Those five men were: Terry Virgo, who founded what is now known as New Frontiers Churches, Colin Urquhart, founder of Kingdom Faith Ministries and Churches, Roger Forster, who founded the Ichthus churches, the late Bryn Jones, founder of what is now know as Abundant Life Church in Bradford, England and led by vibrant Pastor Paul Scanlon, and Gerald Coates who founded the Pioneer group of churches.

Now the film and TV production wing of a worldwide evangelism and church leadership training organization has set out to capture the history of these five men and their influence on British Christianity.

Colin Urquhart, founder of Kingdom Faith Ministries and Churches.

Harvest Fields Commissioning International and its film and TV production arm, OLI Productions, recently caught up with the five to discover whether the groups have now become part of the mainstream, like so many other breakaway movements, or whether they are still stirring the "waters."

What they discovered is that the five distinct streams are still a great influence on British and international Christianity today.

In the case of Paul Scanlon he actually "reinvented" what his church should be. Busing in the poor and needy he certainly shook his members out of their comfort zone. Many left in protest but today the church numbers in the thousands and they have "never looked back."

These five filmed interviews on DVD comprise a collection that is being called "Streams in this Desert," part of a larger series of interviews called "Principles of Leadership."

They include New York Times best-selling author Joyce Meyers, international evangelist and author Dr. Luis Palau, best-selling author Brother Andrew ("God’s Smuggler"), best-selling author Jackie Pullinger OBE ("Chasing the Dragon"), The "Vicar of Baghdad" Canon Andrew White, from Cyprus, Canon and evangelist J. John, Operation Mobilisation founder George Verwer, Youth with a Mission’s founder Loren Cunningham, Baroness Caroline Cox and the popular ALPHA program’s Nicky Gumbel.

Harvest Fields Commissioning International is a U.K. Registered Charity with the purpose of assisting in raising up and encouraging churches and leaders in 41 countries and on all 5 continents for work in churches, charities and other humanitarian assistance groups. Its websites are at: www.agapelive.net   and www.hfci.net.

Michael Ireland is an international British freelance journalist. A former reporter with a London newspaper, Michael is the Chief Correspondent for ASSIST News Service of Lake Forest, California. Michael immigrated to the United States in 1982 and became a US citizen in September, 1995. He is married with two children. Michael has also been a frequent contributor to UCB Europe, a British Christian radio station.