Edinburgh, Scotland

Do you feel God's call to join what He is doing in Edinburgh, Scotland?  

This past fall we sent a team to discover what that is!  Watch the video to see this beautiful city and read the report to find out what our team discovered. 

If you are interested in being part of this team or learning more about Christian Associates please fill out the form and specify your interest in Edinburgh by clicking here.

A CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATES REPORT

In November 2011, Christian Associates commissioned a team to Edinburgh, Scotland to study the advisability of beginning a new missional church there.  Our charter was to assess the spiritual climate, get a feel for what God is already doing in the city and discern if the unique things CA brings could be a beneficial part of that.  Following is our report.  We bring a strong recommendation that Christian Associates commence building a team to impact this amazing city with the good news of Jesus Christ.

The City:
Edinburgh is a beautiful world class, historic city.  Old Town is medieval, stretching from the enormous hilltop castle down the Royal Mile to the Holyrood Palace.  New Town (1800’s) is the commercial heart of the city.  West End is viewed as the cultural center of the city, hosting many of the city’s art venues.  Education is prominent, with over 70,000 students and a 45% graduate rate.  The economy is vibrant, boasting a virtual 0% unemployment rate.

486,000 people dwell within the city.  The surrounding communities push that total nearer to 1.3 million.  There are 190 churches in Edinburgh.  A liberal estimate of the number of people involved is roughly 25,000 meaning 95% of the population is presently beyond the reach of the Good News of Jesus Christ.

The Team:
Christopher McKenzie – Pastor/Missionary, Mosaic Church, Glasgow
Carlos Fernandez – CA intern, Saintfield, North Ireland
Peter Atkins – Graduate student, Mosaic intern raised in Edinburgh
Scott Curley – Pastor/Missionary, Mosaic Church, Glasgow
Kevin Johnson – Co Lead, Europe Advancement Team

The Research Trip:
We arrived in Edinburgh the evening of 14 November. Peter's knowledge of the city's history, geography and transit system were invaluable. Over the next three days we met with denominational leaders and local church planters. We also took time to meet with university students, pastors and bartenders. We prayerfully walked the city and engaged in conversation about all things spiritual. Team size made it possible for us to split up for simultaneous meetings.

On the morning of the 15th we gathered in front of the Scottish Parliament building. Arthur's Seat, an amazing geologic feature at the edge of town, loomed in the background as we prayed for the city, its people and our time there the next few days. 

As we walked from Parliament to our first appointment, Peter pointed out the scene in the photo above.  Old Calton cemetery is famous for  hosting pagan festivals and rituals, including the largest of its kind in the area.  We could sense the spiritual impact of such activities contributing to the darkness that prevails.

When CA ponders planting a church in a new city we look for more than convincing demographics, we look for a cooperative spirit amongst those already doing Kingdom work.  Our first meeting was with Neil McMillan who leads church planting for the Free Church of Scotland.  With a welcoming spirit he quickly said, “It’s a good time to come to Edinburgh.”  By that he meant that God is doing some new things here and that he hoped we would come and be a part of it.  He went on to explain that much of the church planting in Scotland is of a more traditional nature and the things CA brings to the table would be a service to all, not just our own church plant.  That is exactly the sort of spirit we look for.  So we walked away thinking out first meeting couldn’t have gone better.

Our next meeting was with Karl Martin, pastor of Morningside Baptist Church.  This vibrant faith community has 20 missional communities ministering in local schools, to the homeless, and many other people.  He was also welcoming to the idea of CA planting in Edinburgh. He said, “Come do something. Edinburgh is a festival city, a city of arts. Reach that community.”

Karl Martin (light blue shirt)spoke to us of the strongholds that grip the city.  Among them, intellectualism, pagan revelry and fascination with ghosts and the occult.

Said one pastor: “The history of Edinburgh is one of Christians killing thousands of other Christians.” That takes its toll on the spirit of a city.

The next day we met with Rupert Ward of Community Church Edinburgh, a church that is trying to explore what church can be in the future. He noted the need for reaching out to areas of urban deprivation and marginalized communities, and the need for incarnational ministry into areas of Edinburgh where no-one is bringing the hope of the gospel.

Later that same day the team split up and met simultaneously with a pair of students with a heart for reaching their generation in the city, and a leader from another church called "Destiny". Both identified more needs and opportunities for ministry, including the loneliness and lack of community prevalent in Edinburgh. One of them said "Every demographic needs reaching here." We continued to develop the sense that there was an open door here that CA was being drawn to step through.

The Edinburgh Festival is a collective name for a number of simultaneous festivals taking place every August.  The Fringe is the largest and is in fact the largest in the world with 2500 international shows across 258 venues  The arts community in Edinburgh is large and shrouded in spiritual darkness.  Might we be able to answer Karl Martin’s call and break into this people group with the light of Christ?

Our sense of call to Edinburgh was further confirmed by our last meeting of the day, with Mark Michael (Forge) and James Petticrew ( a Scotsman church planting near the West End). They highlighted the urgent need for new missional communities, connecting to various pockets of people that are not being reached, such as the arts, fashion industry, legal community, families, and the academic world. These people need to see real Christian community because religion in Edinburgh has a bad name.

As if we didn't already have enough encouragement, the following day dawned bright and sunny. On our last day in Edinburgh we connected with Howard Espie and Scott Brennan  Said Espie: “The need is so great you can come and plant a church right next to mine.  We will partner  I will welcome you. Please come.”  Once again we heard of diverse opportunities, from the needy in the urban core to largely unreached people in affluent suburbs.

The Un-Enlightenment:
A piece of Edinburgh's history is the prominent role it played in the Enlightenment.  Notables such as David Hume, Walter Scott, Robert Adam, David Wilkie, Robert Burns, James Hutton and Adam Smith contributed to Edinburgh becoming known as the 'Athens of the North'.

Lingering effects are noted in the “intellectualism” stronghold that church leaders discussed.   A highly educated society placing such  great value on acquired knowledge finds little felt need for God.  A church planting team in this city will need to grapple with the reasonableness of faith in offering new and abundant life to those who may feel it has already been attained.  Yet in our conversations loneliness and emptiness were said to prevail.

The Conclusion:
We went to Edinburgh to ascertain three things: Is God moving there, will we be welcomed by those already serving Christ, and are there needs we can meet?  Clearly the answer is yes.  Christian Associates International is going to Edinburgh.  When and where is still to be worked out.  The needs and opportunities are great enough that we can determine neighborhood and people groups as a team comes together.  We sense the invitation of God to make an impact on this great city and are now praying and working to make that happen.

How can I help?

• We covet your prayers.  Join us in praying for a team and team leader to come together.  For local team members and possibly even team leader.  For finances.  For clear direction from God on where and when.
• Support this new church plant financially.  Click here to find out how to give to this and other new initiatives in Scotland.
• Be part of the team! To find out more click here and fill out the contact form.
• Refer people passionate about European mission and Edinburgh to the email address above.