Love Your Church - Week 9 - Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8 — SENDING: CONTINUING THE MISSION AND PLANTING HEALTHY CHURCHES

Consider what a grand story you are part of. The unfolding narrative of God gathering a people for himself stretches from Jerusalem through Antioch and Rome and across twenty centuries to your local church. The book of Acts ends with Paul under house arrest in Rome — a cliffhanger. If you were reading a novel with such an unresolved ending, you might think a chapter was missing. You would be right: the story is still in progress. The church today is living out what we might call Acts 29. The same Spirit who moved in Jerusalem and Antioch and Corinth is moving now, in the churches where you live. The same commission — to make disciples of all nations — has not been revoked. Every generation of the church has been entrusted with the same task: advance the mission, plant healthy churches, send workers into the harvest.

The church at Antioch offers an early and formative model. It was in Antioch that disciples were first called “Christians” — not a name they chose, but one given by unbelieving neighbours who observed that these believers identified so thoroughly with Jesus that they seemed like little Christs. That identity produced both mercy and mission. Mercy ministry meets needs through practical deeds — the Antioch church gave generously to believers elsewhere during a famine, demonstrating that the gospel had genuinely transformed their relationship to money and neighbour. The gospel that unites believers across economic lines — that makes rich and poor genuinely one family — produces generosity as its natural fruit. Your church can reflect this same model through ministry to orphans, widows, refugees, prisoners, the sick, the hungry, and the oppressed.

When it comes to sending, the church at Antioch also set the pattern: while they were worshiping and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (Acts 13:2). The church fasted and prayed over them, then sent them off. Missionaries are directed by the Spirit and sent and supported by the church. The sending is as essential as the going. Be a Barnabas — when you see the Lord working through fellow believers, speak words of life-giving encouragement. When you see someone flourish in ministry, say so, tell others, champion their gifting. Get involved in church planting through prayer, giving, support, or going.

Questions - SENDING Read Acts 11 v 19-30; 13 v 1-3

1. How do we see God at work through people as the Antioch church is established (11 v 19-25)?

2. What different roles do Barnabas and Saul play?

3. What attitude do the Antioch Christians have toward other churches, toward Saul and Barnabas, toward unreached people, and toward God himself? What does this teach you as a local church today?

4. How outward-looking are you as a church? What would be one step you could take to grow in this area together?

5. In your church, what could you do to follow the example of Barnabas? How could you encourage others to do the same?

6. What will you pray for your church, your community, and the world in the light of this passage?

01/09/2026

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here.

Planning your Visit

New to church?

Coming to a new place for the first time can be a bit daunting, and at Grace, we want you to feel welcome and secure when you visit us for the first time. As a church, we seek to be and make disciples of Jesus Christ. We aim to be clear and relevant in all we do so that everyone is welcomed, included and helped.

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and When

We meet at the Church Building (details here) for our Sunday Service starting at 10:30am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team who will be wearing a Welcome lanyard.

We serve tea, coffee and biscuits after the service ends. It is a great way to meet people, or simply take time to find your bearings. All refreshments are free.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There are disabled toilets in the main foyer.

Our Service

The main service begins at 10:30am with a warm welcome from one of our team members. Then follows a time of sung worship, led by our band. We typically have 2 songs lasting approximately 10 minutes. Sometimes a person might pray or read a small passage from the bible. At this stage, we usually have a short talk specifically for the children, before they go off to Junior Church. We then share news and notices, usually about what’s going on in the life of the church. One of our leaders will then give a sermon that is bible based and that we can apply to our everyday life. We then finish with a final worship song.

images: Services

What about my kids?

We have a great programme lined up for kids of all ages:

Creche (0 months to 3 years).
Junior Church (years 1-6)
Sunday Ignite (years 7-11)
Young people (15+ years) Stay in service.

Children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service for the welcome and songs. We really value worshipping God all together as a family. At the end of the children's talk, someone will announce that it’s time for the younger members to go to their various groups. You will need to go with your children to their groups and register them as part of our child safety policy.

The kids group activities vary depending on the age but usually there is a friendly welcome, bible stories, testimonies, praying, music, craft, drama, fun games and free play. Please pick your children up as soon as the service finishes.

Getting Connected

Small Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week, some afternoons and some evenings. Check out Home Groups and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a small group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team.

Other Ministries

We also run the following ministries:

Men's Ministries
Women's Ministries
Mission
Youth Work

Get in touch with us to plan your visit

If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you.

Name:

Telephone:

Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.

Leadership


Pastor Simon Percy

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