Pub chats making disciples among London’s least reached
Ben Greene
Pastor & writer
- Missions
For well over a century, quotes from Shakespeare’s works have been displayed on the walls at The Shakespeare’s Head pub in West London.
But in more recent years, David Morgan shared a more contemporary thought as London School of Economics students dropped in for a pint. He’d start a discussion on the idea that everything you do in life comes from a desire within yourself. Or he’d ask if they thought religion was primarily to blame for the war between Israel and Hamas.
“I want to be part of a team of people trying to bring gospel light to a dark place,” he said.
London is a city of nine million people, including nearly every tribe, nation and tongue on earth. So, when Converge’s Office of International Ministries says it is asking God for a gospel movement among every least-reached people group — in our generation, London is a great place to work toward that vision.
Making disciples among young adults has major potential in England
Morgan came to London with a team from Raleigh, North Carolina, to plant Redeemer Queens Park church. Along the way, Morgan became an apprentice with the Alliance for Transatlantic Theological Training (AT3).
AT3 serves Christ’s mission by partnering American disciples with British churches in a mutually beneficial ministry venture. British churches gain faithful servants and those believers learn to lovingly lead in a post-Christian context.
Related: Read another gospel conversation that happened as God works in the UK.
Morgan has focused on evangelism and discipleship among young adults and university students in Camdentown, a section of Queens Park in northwest London. In four years, he said God has led people to salvation, multiplied Bible studies and made disciples by building relationships with lost, sometimes lonely, people.
Pub chats like the one at Shakespeare’s Head or doing the Alpha Course at Hidden Coffee, another destination for Queen’s Park, have created spiritual progress among the unreached.
“God’s brought people in,” Morgan added. “We’ve just been trying to raise up people to lead and make disciples, and God’s done it.”
Gospel work is desperately needed in this least-reached country
London, and most of the United Kingdom and Ireland, are just about as unreached as anywhere on the planet. Less than two percent of people in London have chosen Christ as Lord and live accordingly.
But Converge has an initiative to start a gospel movement here because there aren’t enough gospel-centered churches. That’s why Redeemer Queens Park leaders planted the church and hope to see congregations multiply.
Related: See the overall effort Converge has developed in the UK and Ireland.
Morgan said people are inching toward Christ through relationships with believers. That’s why pub chats at Shakespeare’s Head and Alpha courses at Hidden Coffee help people overcome sin and all that goes with it by accepting Christ’s grace and truth.
“There’s a huge amount of lostness,” Morgan said. “There’s a huge need here for workers and a huge need here for new churches.”
Converge is asking God for a gospel movement among every least-reached people group – in our generation. Learn how we are playing a role in accomplishing the Great Commission and how you can be involved.
Ben Greene, Pastor & writer
Ben Greene is a freelance writer and pastor currently living in Massachusetts. Along with his ministry experience, he has served as a full-time writer for the Associated Press and in the newspaper industry.
Additional articles by Ben Greene