The leader impacting young people’s lives

One modern church leader who embodies the spirit of the Windrush Generation is Pastor Peter Nembhard, founder of ARC Global. He is also living proof of how the gospel message can totally transform an individual’s life. Pastor Nembhard got saved whilst serving time in prison. When he came out of prison, he joined a church, received spiritual mentorship from a church leader from the Windrush Generation, and became an evangelist, before launching ARC Forest Gate, east London in 1997. Pastor Nembhard now presides over nine congregations and has experienced great success reaching Millennials and Gen Z. He spoke to Keep The Faith about his life, mentoring young leaders, and his plans for the future support and guidance to pastors. You preside over young ministers. How have you dealt with the generation gap and different approaches to leadership?

PPN: I think ARC has always been youthfocused by God’s grace, so we’ve had to pastor a lot of young people over the years. To now see some of our pastors now pastoring the next generation, I fully support and get it. I think as a leader, you have to always be transitioning and redeveloping yourself and your thoughts. This is something I’ve always strived to do through attending conferences and seminars, both in the UK and abroad.

KTF: Not many people know that prior to planting your first church in the UK, you planted two congregations in St Lucia, where you were based for five years. What were the key lessons you learned about God and church leadership during that time?

PPN: The first thing I learned about God is that you can trust Him to provide. Carris and I went to St Lucia initially unsupported financially, but we saw God provide in amazing ways. I would say I cut my teeth in leadership in St Lucia, made a lot of mistakes (which I still do) but my major leadership lesson was that leadership is influence not position. I grew up in an organisation that was very positionally leadership orientated. In St Lucia, I learned that it’s not always the people who are in position who are leaders, but the people who have the most influence don’t always have a position.

KTF: You planted ARC Forest Gate on your return to the UK in 1997. Now 26 years later, ARC FG is known across the UK, especially because of its success in attracting young people. Why do you think ARC FG experienced success in this area?

PPN: I think we have always invested in youth work, and I believe that our investment was/is financial investment from the early days. Then, when 15-year-old Charlotte Polius, a member of church, was brutally murdered that was a pinnacle moment for our ministry. We had hundreds of young people flocking to our church, which we had to comfort, love and pastor. We have seen lots of those young people become adults, get married, have children and now serve in leadership in some of our churches.

KTF: In your view, what should churches that want to reach young people, be doing?

PPN: Churches need to question whether they put process over people. We also have to question what level of importance we have put on our traditions and what sacred cows we’re prepared to kill, in order to reach the next generation. On top of that, I recommend reading books about Millennials and generation Z.

KTF: Can you tell me a bit about your childhood? How many siblings did you have? What did your parents do and what role did faith play in our life when growing up?

PPN: I am the youngest of three children and I have two older sisters. My father was a London transport train driver, and my mother was a station manager for British Rail. I would say, I was one of those young people who was dragged to church by their Caribbean parents. My experience wasn’t a positive one, however my mother whilst being very superstitious was very prayerful.

KTF: You’ve been very open about how you got involved in criminal activities as a teenager and was sent to prison. What made you go down that road, and what happened in prison that made you commit your life to Christ?

PPN: This is my story, and I will share this wherever I go and always give glory to God. From the age of 13, I found myself going down the road of crime and went to a detention centre at 14 and prison for two and half years at 16. What made me go down this road? Well, there are many factors, but a few would be, I enjoyed the riskiness and adventure, I was getting affirmation from my peers and lastly, I loved money and gold. David Hughes, the prison chaplain, was God’s instrument in introducing me to Christ, and I came to faith after watching the film The Cross and The Switchblade.

KTF: How did you go about rebuilding your life and following the Christian pathway on your release from prison?

PPN: I came to faith in prison but experienced conversion after my best friend was stabbed to death and died in my arms. After this, I was marvellously discipled and fathered by Bishop H. C. McFarlane and grew in my faith in the Bibleway Church.

KTF: When did you realise that God wanted you to be a preacher and evangelist, and how did you go about pursuing that calling?

PPN: My pastor was such a dynamic preacher and I wanted to emulate him, he inspired me as a preacher and a lover of souls. I quickly began to bring my friends and people to Christ and evangelised and shared my faith and story wherever I went. I raised an evangelism team in my local church and went out on the highways and byways every Saturday.

KTF: You’ve publicly stated that the late Bishop McFarlane, founder of Built on the Rock (formerly in Bethnal Green) was like a father to you. What impact did he have on your life?

PPN: Away from Christ and my late mother, Bishop H. C. McFarlane was the epitome of a pastor and spiritual father to me. He modelled Christ to me, he showed me what a Christian pastor and minister should look like. He believed in me and gave me opportunities to grow in my calling and ministry very early. I needed a strong male presence in my life and he was that for me.

KTF: You’ve been married for more than 30 years. How did you meet your wife and what role has she played in your ministry?

PPN: Yeah, one of my proudest achievements is being married for 34 years now to Caris. We met at a church conference called APU the same year I got saved and became friends and got married two years later. Caris has been the perfect partner in life for me. She has allowed me to be myself, she trusts me to be adventurous and risky for Christ. She has followed me into whatever God has called me into without fuss and loves me unconditionally. I would never have been able to fulfil my call without Caris by my side.

KTF: You recently stepped down from leading ARC FG to plant a new church in Dagenham. Some people might consider you ‘crazy’ to leave a successful and established church to start a church from scratch. What inspired you to do so, and how are you finding church planting in 2023?

PPN: I believe in succession and holding onto things lightly. After 25 years of leading ARC FG, planting congregations, surviving COVID and a triple heart bypass operation, I needed a fresh start. I needed a new adventure and the call to Dagenham came. I now see how crazy at my age and physical health it is to plant out again, but I love obeying God! I love seeing what God is doing at FG without me. Both ARC Forest Gate and ARC Dagenham are growing. I have an amazing team and God is sending us amazing people. I’m finding church planting hard and challenging but I’m loving the adventure.

KTF: What should we expect from Pastor Peter Nembhard in the next few months?

PPN: Having now established ARC GLOBAL, we are developing it to become a catalyst moving for church planting and radical discipleship. Look out for the growth and expansion of ARC GLOBAL, evangelism and community impact. Watch out for new and fresh young ministers emerging. I believe we are going to expand more internationally as well.

KTF: Finally, what message of hope would you like to leave with Keep The Faith readers during this Black History Month?

PPN: I want to encourage your readers to focus on the positive impact many past and present Black-majority led churches have made on British society. I want us to be encouraged by what God is doing in raising up Millennials for such a time as this. Let us not forget or lose our legacy or throw out the baby with the water. Let’s try and rediscover some of our roots, i.e., choirs, holiness and love for the church.

Well done, Marcia and team, for a splendid job! God is using you all through Keep The Faith!

Visit www.arcglobalchurches.com