How can we equip our towns for God’s kingdom?
To win your town for God, you need to equip and promote a culture of evangelism, says Elim Community Church Carlisle pastor David Allen
“Our aim is to win Carlisle for Jesus by living like Jesus lived, loving like Jesus loved and giving ourselves like Jesus gave,” says David Allen. “We want to be a community where everyone who comes through the door – no matter their age, colour, gender or situation – understands they are among the ‘whosoever’ in John 3:16 and that we are there for them.”
David and his wife Esther came to Elim Community Church Carlisle two years ago and took over leading it last January when their predecessor retired.
Since then, David explains, they have focused on encouraging and equipping church members for a culture of evangelism. “It’s a great church with a fun, lively multicultural congregation and we want to be a church that focuses on the responsibility each of us has to reach those God has placed in our lives.”
Look at Jesus
David began with a year-long study of the life and character of Jesus. “If we want to win people for Jesus, we’ve got to know who he is,” he says, “so for the whole of 2024 we learned about him, the hope being that we would live out what we learned and draw people to church to discover him too.
“We spent the first six months looking at how Jesus lived, how he loved and how he gave of himself. Then we looked at Jesus as teacher and storyteller. We finished with a four-week series on Jesus and Christmas.”
As these studies took place, a number of other activities also helped foster an outward focus.
The church joined the Further Faster Network – a network of like-minded leaders working together to create churches which unchurched people love to attend.
It was also one of the first to join the Isaiah 61 Movement, which aids faith conversations with family and friends.
Then a month of mission in September, including evangelists Rod Williams and David Beckett, a karaoke night, a “Crystal Maze meets Generation Game-style games night” and an evangelistic gospel mission also created opportunities to invite people to church.
Inviting friends
The shift seen through teaching and activities like this has been dramatic, says David. “People have been openly inviting and bringing their friends to church.
“From July to October we saw nearly 30 get saved, we baptised 19 people and we’re seeing lives transformed.”
This means the church is now investing equal effort in discipleship to support new believers.
“We invite people to do Alpha, then a six-week First Steps course, then a course called Firm Foundations, which our assistant pastor Christine wrote. People are then invited to become church members and join a cell group.
“All this together is not far off six months of discipleship.”
From its mother and toddlers group, children’s and youth up to its young adults and older people’s groups, the church is welcoming and discipling new Christians.
2025 challenge
What’s interesting though, is the challenge this has created for 2025. “We’ve got some great ideas for the year but our big problem is we’ve completely outgrown our building,” says David.
In addition to the church’s two Sunday services – which now attract 300 people between them – David lists its Christians Against Poverty debt centre, CAP Money and life skills groups, its job club, food pantry and men’s and women’s ministries that take place in its traditional former Anglican building. His heart is for an even more ambitious offering.
“I’d love to build a multi-purpose building that will have everything: a 700-800 seater auditorium with kids and youth work; a youth centre; kids’ areas; a mental health suite where we can employ qualified Christian mental health therapists and give free treatment; a food pantry that can serve 250 families a week instead of the 70 we do now, and a clothes store.
“Also, Esther started an organisation in Cambodia called Be Free to rescue girls from sex trafficking. Close to 100 girls have been rescued there and their lives have been transformed, but there is trafficking in the north of England too, so we’d also love to do something here.”
For the church to win Carlisle for Jesus it has to have a building big enough to house all the projects that will work towards this, says David.
But this would be a £2m investment, he adds. And while God is capable of providing what’s needed, any decisions must be rooted in prayer.
That’s why Elim Community Church Carlisle will start 2025 by praying about its future plans.
“We’ll have a two-month teaching series on the Lord’s Prayer, then prayer and fasting so we can seek God together as we look to make some big decisions.
“There are loads of things we would love to do, but it all begins with seeking God.”
This article first appeared in Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.