5 minute read
Planting with Perseverance
Loving Londoners Through Gospel Intentionality
Thomas West, 2017 PhD in Theological Studies, 2011 MDiv in Christian Ministry
Pastor and Church Planter, Redeemer Queens Park, London, England
Where does the call to ministry begin? It starts with faithfulness in small steps of obedience. Jesus talks about this kind of obedience when he tells his followers in Matthew 28:18-20 to “go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations.”
That’s why Southeastern PhD graduate Thomas West is seeking to make Christ known as a church planter at Redeemer Queens Park in London, England. When West thinks back on how he ended up in London, it all started back to his willingness to say yes to the Lord.
He said yes to the Lord when he felt called to pursue his Master of Divinity at Southeastern. He said yes when the Lord called him to go further in his education and pursue a PhD. He said yes to the Lord when he was asked to come on staff at Providence Baptist Church in Raleigh as the college pastor. And in June 2019, West and his family said yes to go to London to plant Redeemer Queens Park (RQP) to lead one of the most culturally diverse teams sent out by the Summit Collaborative.
The call to London came as West studied the works of British missionary and theologian Lesslie Newbigin during his time in Southeastern’s PhD program. In 2016, West traveled to Birmingham, England for a week to do research for his dissertation, and he sensed the Lord stirring a love in his heart for England. With a desire to see churches planted in Western urban centers, West and his wife, Elizabeth, decided to take a vision trip to London.
The Wests began to see confirmation of how the Lord was moving them to plant in London. What started with a desire became a clear calling through the affirmation of the those around them—friends like Daniel and Paige Evans, who served alongside West at Providence, told them they were hoping to move to London and start a business as a way of sharing the gospel. Likewise, West’s in-laws affirmed the passion they saw in he and Elizabeth and their love for the city of London. As the Wests waited for the Lord to help them come to a feasible place of moving overseas, they held onto the promise of Psalm 37:3 -
In June 2019, they moved with their two kids to London and began to lay the groundwork for Redeemer Queens Park. They were joined by Daniel and Paige Evans, and today the church planting team consists of 25 adults and 10 kids from both England and the U.S. West and his team understand that in a post- Christian environment like London, reaching residents with the gospel means creating environments for building relationships that lead to honest conversations. And these honest conversations come from meeting people where they are.
Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Bridge
West and members of RQP are fulfilling the Great Commission through caring for their community. One example of this is through the Queens Park Gardens Hub, an organization that provides activities, classes and meals to underserved children in the area. Through volunteering with The Hub, members of RQP are building genuine friendships in the community with the gospel in mind. “People out here don’t want proofs for the existence of God. Instead, they want cultural apologetics,” said West. “They want to know in what ways Christianity is real and good and beautiful and true.”
Another way that Redeemer Queens Park is seeking to show how God is good, beautiful and true is through Redeemer Sessions. West describes the structure of the church’s Saturday afternoon service as a “church information session,” a non-threatening environment where non-believers can come hear from him as he walks through a 20-minute sermon, or “Bible talks,” as West describes them. Redeemer Sessions are a way to engage the spiritually curious in an increasingly secularized culture. “This place is not ready to come to a church preview service,” said West. “They’ve got to be able to see this thing coming. If they walk into a room and see 30 people singing with their hands raised at a flat screen TV. I mean, they would lose their minds.”
That’s why he’s not only creating safe spaces for spiritual conversations through Redeemer Sessions, but West also began Pub Chats. Think couches, candles and conversations. It’s a low-key environment that West describes as a “social lubricant” in a bustling city where people keep to themselves. The pub is a place where people can let down their guard and have meaningful conversations. Every Tuesday night at 8pm, West and members from his team hang out with locals and build relationships. This is the foundation for gospel ministry in London, where gospel ministry takes longsuffering. On average, it takes between 18-24 months for a Brittish resident to follow Christ after hearing the gospel for the first time.
West compares sharing the gospel in England to pebbles in a shoe. In fact, he keeps a jar of pebbles in his office to remind him of that concept. The idea is that every time he is with a friend for coffee or serving someone in the community or talking to someone at a pub chat, he’s trying to place spiritual “pebbles” in their shoes that they cannot ignore. It’s like spiritual food for thought.
He’s seeking to do this through conversations with friends like Tim, another father at his children’s school. He’s also seeking to do this virtually through outlets like The Public Truth, a blog and podcast targeted at those who he may not have the time to meet with during the day due to conflicting schedules. The Public Truth was born out a heart to enter into a virtual public square and dialogue about the intersection of faith and culture. “What God is doing in and through Thomas West gives us a good picture of what could be all over the country,” said Todd Unzicker, who serves as an associate pastor at The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham. “We have a SEBTS graduate, working with multiple churches across multiple states, being sent out, partnering with the IMB and bringing many with him under the #Go2Years banner. I thank God for Thomas and his obedience to make disciples who make disciples.”
Thomas West is seeking to make Christ known in London, one “pebble” at a time, one person at a time.
Learn more at RedeemerQP.com and ThePublicTruth.uk
