We are stepping into a season of consecration

As Elim’s new General Superintendent, Mark Pugh’s vision involves reconsecration, ‘apostolic greenhouses’ and pioneering a fresh season in his own shoes. As he started out in his role he explained all to Chris Rolfe

Hello Mark! We’re catching up with you in your first weeks as General Superintendent. One of the first things you did, at the Leaders Summit, was share your vision for a season of consecration. Let’s begin by exploring this.

We’ve been hearing really sad stories of leaders who have fallen, and of toxic church cultures, and every time we hear of a scandal surfacing we feel a deep sense of grief.

That’s why I believe we are stepping into a season of reconsecration, where the Lord is inviting us to reconsecrate everything we are to him. It’s something I’m carrying deeply in my heart for Elim.

I’ve seen how important reconsecration can be in my own church. When I came to Exeter ten years ago we had a challenging situation and sensed we needed to examine our motivations for everything we were doing.

Jesus said ‘I will build my church’, not ‘I’ll help you build yours’ and we were reminded that our church didn’t belong to us but to God, so we wanted to make sure we weren’t doing anything that wasn’t done to honour and glorify him. We went through everything – our departments, buildings and activities – and dedicated everything to God for his glory.

I see a season for Elim now where God will likewise lift the bonnet of our hearts and analyse our motivations and actions.

I want to review many things in Elim in the months and years ahead, but the most important thing and the starting place is to invite the Spirit to ‘search us O God, see if there is any offensive way in us’ and to reconsecrate our relationships, activities and motivations to him. If we don’t do that, all the other things I’m looking to do won’t have any significance or impact.

You’ve also been talking about Elim as an ‘apostolic greenhouse’. That’s an intriguing phrase! Please, tell us more.

Elim’s strength is in its churches – they’re the frontline of our ministry and lots of incredible things are taking place at local level all around the country – so another focus for me is ensuring we empower these congregations. Greenhouses have Mediterranean warmth that creates the right environment for things to grow. I believe Elim has the right ingredients for growth but also needs a greenhouselike environment to enable our churches to rise and flourish.

That’s something I want to develop. I’m calling it our ‘apostolic greenhouse’. ‘Apostolic’ is about pioneering, innovating, developing, entrepreneurialism and risk-taking. It’s an ability to step into new things with generosity of heart.

Churches can act as greenhouses too – spotting, equipping, empowering and releasing leaders and church members generously into the mission of God.

That’s my prayer for Elim – that we will be an apostolic greenhouse where many people will discover the purposes God has for them and be equipped to rise up in them.

As you focus on this, how will you build on the work that’s been done before?

We’re ready to step into a new era and a new season of faith, but as we take new approaches I thank and praise God for the things that have gone before. Our new work will build on them. Let me give you an example. Church planting has always been important to Elim and is a very significant part of what God’s doing throughout the world now.

That’s because we’re in a place of exile. We’re no longer living in ‘Israel’ but in ‘Babylon’; we no longer live in a Christian culture but are surrounded by people who have very little understanding of Christianity. They haven’t rejected the truth – they don’t know it.

I’ve heard of research which suggests people are four times more likely to accept an invitation to a new church than they are an established one. If that’s true, it gives church plants a really interesting opportunity to invite people to experience something of God.

Church planting is a focus in your church in Exeter. How will your experience there help shape your vision for Elim?

At Rediscover Church we have a vision to plant 100 churches in the South West over a ten-year period. We’ve set up our Church Planting Academy and have had lots of people coming through it who are now actively working to plant congregations.

My question is: if one church in the South West can think about that, what could 500 Elim churches do? With that opportunity in mind, we’re going to roll out the Church Planting Academy in other parts of the country. I believe we’re going to plant hundreds of churches in the years ahead!

The goal isn’t to build big congregations who sit in them as consumers. It’s that our churches would be places of empowerment and mobilisation which release people into God’s purposes so we can touch communities and advance the gospel.

You’ve decided to stay on as pastor at Exeter while serving as General Superintendent. Why’s that?

As I mentioned, I’m keen we do everything we can centrally to equip and mobilise our churches. That was a clear part of my proposal for taking on this role and it includes me continuing to have oversight at Exeter.

I believe it’s important for Elim, as a local church movement, to have a General Superintendent who models that desire to be involved in local church. I don’t want to be remote or detached but to continue rolling up my sleeves and getting stuck in at local level. It’s an unusual set-up, I know, but one we’re going to try.

You’ve innovated and pioneered new ideas throughout your ministry. Can you tell us more about that?

The Lord has been very generous and enabled me to step into situations where he’s called out things and brought them into being. It means I’ve carried a sense of faith that the impossible is possible with God. That’s something we can either have as a soundbite in church or as a conviction.

Can you give us an example of God doing the impossible?

Probably the most momentous one was when I was leading Elim’s youth department. I got a whisper in my spirit about seeing 1,000 young people saved in a day. I’d never seen anything like that before yet I sensed God asking, “Do you believe I could do that?”

I did, so we began to dream. We booked the NEC in Birmingham and toured the country asking people to pray. Then the day came, 8,000 people gathered and 1,137 young people gave their lives to Jesus.

That came from a place of praying and listening, and the lesson from it for Elim is that the measure of our faith is proportional to the measure of our prayerfulness.

If we listen, consecrate ourselves, surrender and deepen our walks with God there will be lots of whispers of the Spirit for Elim, but it will take a faith-filled community of consecrated people to pray and step into that becoming a reality.

It’s risky, because acting on steps of faith can be costly. If God’s in it, though, I advise Elim to buckle up because he’s about to take us on some adventures!

That sounds exciting! How will you prepare Elim for that?

One thing we’ve done at Rediscover Church is help people discern the graces on their lives and how they can orientate them to make a kingdom impact. With that in mind, our theme for ELS next year will be ‘Equipping the saints’.

Everyone has a measure of grace on their life along the lines of the fivefold ministries in Ephesians.

That’s not just leaders; that’s people who sense God’s heart for justice and campaign against injustices like companies over-charging for pre-paid electric meters which impact the most vulnerable. It’s people who innovate and pioneer by running their own businesses.

How can we empower and equip people to rise up and make a difference for God? That thought really excites me! It’s going back to the idea of apostolic greenhouses.

Lastly, as you’re settling into your new role, what’s been the best piece of advice you’ve received?

Years ago I took my first role as a youth pastor. Someone was talking about my predecessor and told me, “You have big shoes to fill!” I believe the Lord gave me a word of wisdom at that moment, though, because I replied, “I’m not here to fill someone else’s shoes – I’ve brought my own!”

We have a legacy of outstanding General Superintendents but even my predecessors have told me, “Mark, be yourself.”

That’s good advice for us all – we need to stop comparing ourselves and trying to fit others’ moulds or fill their shoes. Instead, we should be faithful stewards of what God has put in each of our lives individually. I pray I’ll do that really well!

This article first appeared in Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.

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