Lesson video

Hi, my name's Miss Minton, and welcome today's Living the Christian Life Lesson on The future of the Christian Church.

Now, by the end of this lesson, you'll be able to explain the role and importance of mission, evangelism, and Church growth for the future of the Christian Church.

Now, lots of our learning today will be new to you, but please don't worry because I'm here to guide you through each step of our lesson.

And I'm confident that by the end, you'll achieve this outcome.

So let's get started and take a look at our keywords for today.

We have apostles, evangelism, gospel, and mission.

Now, the apostles were 12 disciples chosen by Christ to preach his gospel and later included the early Christian leaders who were responsible for spreading the message of Jesus.

Evangelism refers to preaching the gospel to other people with the intention of converting them to the Christian faith.

The word gospel means good news and it refers to the teachings and revelation of Jesus Christ.

And finally, the word mission means to be sent out, and it refers to the duty of Christians to spread the gospel.

Now our lesson today will have three parts.

We'll start by looking at mission, we'll then move on to evangelism, and then finally, we'll look at church growth.

So let's get started and take a look at mission.

Now to get started, I'd like you to imagine that you lived during the time that Jesus lived.

And I want you to imagine that you have a really important message that can save the world.

How would you spread this message? So pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me, or have a think to yourself.

Off you go.

So to spread this important message during the time that Jesus lived, you may have mentioned letters, public speaking, or word of mouth.

Now, I asked you that question because for many Christians, the teaching and revelation of Jesus, the gospel, can save humanity.

And this is because many Christians believe that faith in and acceptance of Jesus' death on the cross can lead to the possibility of eternal life in heaven, so eternal life with God.

And for this reason, many Christians want to spread the gospel to as many people as possible.

So just like you had to imagine that you had a message that would save the world and you needed to spread that message, many Christians are trying to spread the message of the gospel in order to save humanity.

So let's check your understanding.

Which keyword refers to the teachings and revelation of Jesus? A, gospel.

B, Bible.

C, mission.

Or D, salvation.

Fantastic.

The correct answer is A.

Gospel refers to the teachings and revelation of Jesus.

Well done.

Now, spreading the gospel message is actually considered to be a mission for many Christians.

So this means that it's a duty.

So it's a duty to spread the good news and the revelation of Jesus.

And this is because it's commanded by Jesus.

And we see this in the Gospel of Matthew, which ends with what's known as the Great Commission.

Now, the Great Commission is the instruction that Jesus gave to the 11 apostles before he ascended into heaven.

The 11 apostles were 11 of the original 12 disciples excluding Judas because by this time, Judas had betrayed Jesus.

So the Gospel of Matthew 28:18-20 says this.

"Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven on earth has been given to me.

Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

'" Now, I'd like you to pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me, or have a think to yourself, what instruction does Jesus give his apostles in this passage? Off you go.

So in this passage, Jesus instructed his apostles to make disciples of all nations and to baptise them in the name of the Trinity, and to teach them to obey his teachings.

I would like you to pause the video again, but this time, I'd like you to consider how might Christians interpret this.

So either talk to a partner, talk to me, or have a think to yourself.

Off you go.

So many Christians interpret this as an instruction to spread the gospel, so to spread the good news of Jesus and therefore increase the following of Christianity.

Now there is also a version of the Great Commission in the Gospel of Mark.

And Mark 16:9-20 is the concluding section of the Gospel of Mark in many Bible translations.

And the passage describes several post resurrection appearances of Jesus to appearances following Jesus rising from the dead after his crucifixion.

And this includes a version of the Great Commission that Jesus gave to the apostles.

We see this in the Gospel of Mark 16:15-16 which says, "He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.

Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

'" I would like you to pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me, or have a think to yourself, according to this passage, what instruction did Jesus give? And how might Christians interpret this? So in this passage, Jesus directly instructed the apostles to spread the gospel, and Christians might interpret this passage as suggesting that they have a duty and a mission to spread the gospel so that people can be saved.

Now as well as this, the Gospel of John also records Jesus commissioning the apostles.

And we see this in John 20:21-22 which says this, "Again Jesus said, 'Peace be with you.

As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.

' And with that, he breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.

'" Now in this passage, Jesus is instructing his disciples to continue his mission.

And we see this when Jesus says, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." So what we can see from these passages from the Bible that we've looked at is that it's very clear that Jesus commanded that the gospel should be spread.

So let's now check your understanding.

This sentence has a missing word and I'd like you to fill in the missing word.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus instructed the apostles to go and make blank of all nations.

Fantastic.

The missing word is disciples.

So in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus instructed the apostles to go and make disciples of all nations.

So go and make followers of Christ out of all nations.

Well done.

Now at the end of the passage from the Gospel of John, you may have noticed that it said that Jesus breathed onto the apostles.

Now many Christians interpret Jesus breathing onto the apostles as an indication of the events of Pentecost.

Now the book of Acts in the New Testament describes a miraculous event that occurred 10 days after Jesus ascended into heaven, so after Jesus went up to heaven.

And it describes the disciples of Jesus, including the apostles, gathering together and receiving the power of the Holy Spirit.

And this power of the Holy Spirit enabled them to speak in tongues, which meant that they could speak in languages that were previously unknown to them.

Now, the ability to speak in other languages enabled them to fulfil the mission Jesus had given them.

So it enabled them to go out and spread the gospel far and wide and make disciples of all nations because they could communicate the gospel message with people who spoke in many different languages.

Now, because of this, many Christians consider Pentecost to be the birthday of the Church.

So the day that the Church began.

So let's now check your understanding.

True or false? The events of Pentecost enabled the apostles to fulfil their mission.

Fantastic, that statement is true, but why is that statement true? Well, it's because the events of Pentecost enabled the apostles to speak in languages that were previously unknown to them, and that meant that they could spread the gospel far and wide and make disciples of all nations.

So well done for identifying that the statement was true and for identifying the reason why.

It's now time for you to have a go at a task.

I would like you to explain why many Christians believe that spreading the gospel is their mission.

And in your explanation, I would like you to use these words, mission, apostle or apostles, Pentecost, Great Commission and gospel.

So pause the video and have a go.

Well done for your work during that task.

So you were asked to explain why many Christians believe that spreading the gospel is their mission.

And you were asked to include the words mission, apostle or apostles, Pentecost, Great Commission and gospel.

So let's take a look now at what your answer might look like.

So your answer might be similar to this.

"Many Christians believe that spreading the gospel is their mission following the Great Commission recorded in the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus instructed his apostles to make disciples of all nations before he ascended into heaven.

10 days after Jesus ascended into heaven, his disciples received the gift of speaking in tongues at Pentecost, which enabled them to fulfil their mission and spread the gospel.

This means that many Christians today believe that they have a mission to spread the gospel." So again, a huge well done for your work on that task.

We're now moving on to the second part of our lesson, which is to look at evangelism.

Now, I'd like you to consider the question that I asked you at the beginning of the lesson.

But I now want you to consider it in today's context.

So if you had a message that could save the world, how would you spread that message today? So pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me, or have a think to yourself.

Off you go.

So as part of your thinking time or your discussion, you may have considered that you might spread this message through text, email, letters, social media, public speaking, sign language, or braille.

Now, many Christians today believe that the mission that Jesus sent the early Christians out on still applies to them today.

And fulfilling this mission involves evangelism.

Now, when Christians evangelise, it means they are spreading the gospel publicly.

And this is usually with the hope that non-Christians will hear the message and begin to have faith and belief in Jesus.

Now, I'd like you to pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me, or have a think to yourself, how might Christians evangelise in the modern world? And can you think of any practical examples? Off you go.

So as part of your thinking time or your discussion, you may have considered that methods of evangelism might include preaching in public places, it might include handing out books, flyers, leaflets, or other written materials.

It might include teaching people about Christianity through holding courses at local churches, for example.

Or it might include using media, including social media to spread the message far and wide.

So let's check your understanding.

Which keyword refers to spreading the gospel with the hope of converting others to Christianity? A, initiate.

B, apostle.

C, evangelism.

Or D commission.

Fantastic.

The correct answer is C.

Evangelism is the keyword that refers to spreading the gospel with the hope of converting others to Christianity.

Well done.

Now, evangelism can actually take many different forms, and it doesn't always involve large scale preaching or organising events.

Evangelism can actually also be subtle and it can be done through everyday actions.

So for example, a Christian demonstrating the Christian values of kindness and compassion in their everyday life to everyone they meet can be a form of evangelism.

Now evangelism can also be carried out on different scales, so it can be carried out locally, nationally, and globally.

And we are going to take a look at how this might happen and the benefits of each of these in a bit more detail.

So let's take a look at evangelism locally.

Now, local evangelism refers to spreading the gospel in local areas.

Now, one of the benefits of this is that evangelists can build personal relationships with people in their community that they're spreading the message to.

It also means that the gospel message can be shared in the context of the local area, so it makes it more relatable.

This can be done through local events, projects, prayer groups, and handing out things like leaflets.

Now, let's take a look at evangelism nationally.

To evangelise nationally means that evangelism is carried out on a larger scale across an entire country.

Now, this means that churches and religious organisations need to work together in order to spread the gospel message on such a large scale.

It also means that the gospel message can be shared in the context of a country, so again, it makes the message more relatable to the people who it's being spread to.

Examples of national evangelism include Christian schools, using social media to spread the message, missionary work and public events.

And finally, let's take a look at evangelism globally.

So to evangelise globally means to spread the gospel message worldwide, so to as many countries as possible.

Now this means that there'll be large scale initiatives to share the gospel to different parts of the world, and lots of different Christians will be involved.

It also means that the gospel message can be shared universally to all people, and this reflects the apostle's ability to speak in tongues at Pentecost.

Examples of global evangelism include international Christian schools, the use of social media, international missionary work, global events, humanitarian work, and interfaith dialogue.

So let's now check your understanding.

True or false? It's only possible to evangelise locally and nationally.

Fantastic, that statement is false, but why is that statement false? Well, it's because it's also possible to evangelise on a global scale.

And this can be done through international Christian education, missionary work, social media, humanitarian work, and interfaith dialogue.

So well done for identifying that the statement is false and for identifying the reason why.

It's now time for you to have a go at a task.

Izzy is explaining reasons why evangelism is important for the Christian Church.

So far, Izzy has said, "Evangelism is important for the Christian Church because it follows the instruction that Jesus gave at the Great Commission.

The Gospel of Matthew recalls Jesus saying, 'Go and make disciples of all nations.

' Matthew 28:19.

Evangelism is a way of Christians following this command, which means that it's an important practise for the Christian Church." Now, I'd like you to add to Izzy's response by writing another paragraph about why evangelism is important in the Christian Church.

So pause the video and have a go.

Well done for your work during that task.

So you ask to add to Izzy's response by writing another paragraph about why evangelism is important for the Christian Church? And your response might be similar to this.

"Another reason why evangelism is important for the Christian Church is because it can help spread the gospel message worldwide.

For example, global evangelism can spread Christianity across different countries through international Christian schools, interfaith dialogue, and international mission.

This shows that evangelism is important in helping Christianity grow globally." We're now moving on to the third and final part of our lesson, which is to look at Church growth.

Now, mission and evangelism play a really important role in the growth of the Church.

And through spreading the gospel, more and more people become aware of Christianity, and it's possible that these people will convert to Christianity, so these people will become Christians.

Now, currently Christianity is actually the world's largest religion, and it's estimated that over 31% of the world's population identify as being Christian.

Now the Church has grown since the time of Jesus and the apostles and the early Church leaders are responsible for the beginning of this growth.

Now this graph that you can see on the screen here shows 10 countries with the largest Christian population from 2010 compared to the predicted figures for 2050.

So we have the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, the Philippines, Nigeria, China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Germany, and Ethiopia.

Now the top bar, which is the lighter blue colour, shows the percentage of the world's Christian population in this country in 2010.

And the bottom bar, which is the darker blue colour, shows the prediction for 2050.

And what we can see is the world's Christian population is expected to continue growing.

According to these predictions, Christianity will continue to grow in all of these countries except for Brazil and the United States where it will decrease, and China where it's predicted to remain the same.

So let's check your understanding.

True or false? Christianity is predicted to grow in every country in the world.

Fantastic, that statement is false, but why is that statement false? Well, it's because there are countries where Christianity is expected to decline.

So for example, the United States and Brazil.

So well done for identifying that the statement is false and for identifying the reason why.

We're now going to look at Church growth in England and Wales.

Every 10 years there's a survey called the Census that's carried out to collect data on the people and households in England and Wales.

We are going to look at the data from 2001, 2011 and 2021.

So what this graph here shows is the percentage of Christians per population in the 2001 census, the 2011 census, and the 2021 census.

Now, I'd like you to take a look at this graph and either talk to a partner, talk to me, or have a think to yourself, what do you notice about the census data from 2001 to 2021? Off you go.

So hopefully you've been able to identify that Christianity has declined significantly in England and Wales since 2001.

In 2001, 72% of the population identified as Christian compared to 46.

2% in 2021.

This shows a really significant decline in Christianity across England and Wales.

Now, Father Jason is a Catholic priest and he explains what this data means for him and his congregation.

Father Jason says, "I'm saddened that Christianity is on the decline in England and Wales.

However, I see this as an opportunity to focus on following Jesus' command to spread the gospel.

The statistics show that it's more important than ever for Christians to evangelise and grow the church in England and Wales, as well as other parts of the world.

This is a great opportunity for myself and my congregation to think of new and creative ways to reach out to the community and spread the good news of the gospel.

It's a time for us to be challenged in our faith and I'm hopeful for the future growth of the Church." So what we can see here is that although Christianity is on the decline in England and Wales since 2001, many Christians will see this as an opportunity to fulfil their mission to spread the gospel.

Now alongside Christianity declining in England and Wales, there's also been an increase in people who identify as belonging to another religion or having no religion.

And this means that interfaith dialogue is particularly important now.

Now, I'd like you to pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me, or have a think to yourself, why do you think interfaith dialogue might be particularly important now in England and Wales? Off you go.

So interfaith dialogue is particularly important because it helps ensure effective communication between Christians and leaders, or members of other religions.

And because other religions are on the increase in England and Wales, this means that this communication is particularly important today.

So let's check your understanding again.

True or false? Christianity is declining in England and Wales.

Fantastic, that statement is true, but how do we know that this statement's true? Well, it's because census data from 2001 to 2021 shows that the number of people identifying as Christian in England and Wales has declined.

So well done for identifying that the statement is true, and for identifying the reason why.

It's now time for you to have a go at a task.

Sam and Alex have each written a paragraph as part of an answer to the evaluation of the statement that, "It's more important than ever for Christians to evangelise." Now they've been asked to include a point, a source of wisdom and authority, an explanation, and an evaluation of their point.

I would like you to read each of their paragraphs and find where they meet this criteria.

So Sam has said that, "Some Christians may agree with the statement because Christianity is declining in some parts of the world.

In England and Wales, the percentage of Christians has decreased from 72% in 2001 to 46.

2% in 2021.

This demonstrates that evangelism is more important than ever to prevent further decline.

As many Christians view Jesus' command in the Gospel of Matthew as their duty, this is a particularly compelling argument because it highlights the need for and importance of the duty to evangelise." Alex's paragraph says, "Some Christians may disagree with the statement because Christianity is growing in places like Nigeria and the Philippines.

This suggests that Jesus's command to spread the Gospel in Mark 16:15 is already being fulfilled, demonstrating that evangelism is no more important today than it has been previously.

However, whilst this may be a strong argument for Christians living in these countries, it has also been shown that Christianity is still declining in other parts of the world, meaning that this argument is not true for all parts of the world." So pause the video and have a go at identifying where Sam and Alex have included a point, a source of wisdom and authority, an explanation, and an evaluation of their point.

Off you go.

welcome for your work on that task.

So you are asked to identify where Sam and Alex have included a point, a source of wisdom and authority, an explanation, and an evaluation of their point within their paragraph.

So let's take a look at where and how they've included these things.

So Sam had said that "Some Christians may agree with the statement because Christianity is declining in some parts of the world.

In England and Wales, the percentage of Christians has decreased from 72% in 2001 to 46.

2% in 2021.

This demonstrates that evangelism is more important than ever to prevent further decline.

As many Christians view Jesus' command in the Gospel of Matthew as their duty, this is a particularly compelling argument because it highlights the need for and importance of the duty to evangelise." Alex's paragraph said that, "Some Christians may disagree with the statement 'cause Christianity is growing in places like Nigeria and the Philippines.

This suggests that Jesus's command to spread the Gospel in Mark 16:15 is already being fulfilled, demonstrating that evangelism is no more important today than it has been previously.

However, whilst this may be a strong argument for Christians living in these countries, it has also been shown that Christianity is still declining in other parts of the world, meaning that this argument is not true for all parts of the world." So a huge well done for identifying where Sam and Alex had included a point, a source of wisdom and authority, an explanation, and an evaluation of their points.

We've now reached the end of our lesson, but before we finish, let's take a look at some of the key things that we've learned today.

So we've learned that the Gospel of Matthew recalls Jesus instructing the apostles to go and make disciples of all nations.

And that many Christians interpret this command as the Christian duty to spread the gospel.

We've also seen that fulfilling the mission of spreading the gospel involves evangelism.

And evangelism is when Christians spread the message of the gospel in the hope of converting others to Christianity.

We've seen that evangelism can be carried out locally, nationally, and globally in a range of different ways, including preaching, social media, and hosting events.

And we've seen that the church continues to grow in many parts of the world, but is declining in England and Wales.

And finally, we looked at how the decline of Christianity in England and Wales shows that the Church mission is still important.

A huge well done for all of your work today.

It's been wonderful learning with you.