Bishop Eric Brown.
-Contributed photo
Marcia Dixon, Gleaner Writer
MEMBERS OF Britain's largest black denomination, the New Testament Church of God (NTCOG), meet this week for their 51st national convention. Speakers include American evangelist Dr Jacqueline McCullogh and presiding head of the NTCOG UK, Bishop Eric Brown.
Appointed to the role almost two years ago, Bishop Brown is now one of- Britain's most powerful black church leaders. He heads a church that has 115 UK branches, with a regular Sunday congregation of 30,000 people.
Since his appointment, Bishop Brown has spearheaded the big move, an initiative which aims to train and equip NTCOG ministers and lay leaders with the skills required to meet the spiritual and social needs of the 21st century. The church reaction to this innovative programme has surpassed his expectations. He said: "We have held seven regional seminars around the UK and rolled out the BIG MOVE programme. The response has been tremendous." This year's convention is particularly important as the new National Director of Youth and Education will be announced. Whoever it is will be charged with fulfilling NTCOG's mandate for youth. This has been drawn up for the first time after research commissioned by Bishop Brown.
Conducted by Leriko and Associates, the research found that although young people were generally satisfied with the Youth Department, there was room for improvement. The new director will have the task of revolutionising the church's youth programme and making it relevant to young Christians today.
Relevancy is at the heart of much of what Bishop Brown does. For instance, he wants NTCOG and the wider black Christian community to play a greater role in the political process.
"The voice of the church has to be heard in the areas of policy-making and those areas that affect people's lives," he said. "I wish to see greater dialogue between people, government and institutions and for the church to be part of that."
He continued: "I would like us to work together on an agenda that looks at the social, political and financial needs of our people. The church is not just about working to save people for heaven. We want to help them live a fulfilled life in this world, too."
Bishop Brown admits that leading a church denomination is hard - but only because he doesn't have enough time to fit everything in: "I enjoy my work, but the honest truth is that the only major challenge I face is not having enough time to do all the important things that need to be done, like getting to all the churches and interfacing with all the leaders.
"The challenge for me is to find time to reflect, read and rest. I'm working on it. I am committed to praying for my ministers and seeking God's wisdom to lead His church.
"This role is about total dependence on God - having a prayer life and personal devotion is very important. "What I love about NTCOG is the fellowship in the church, the relationship we have as a centralised church and the sense of accountability we have. "We currently own 86 churches, have built training institutes and have trained ministers who serve people both in the UK and abroad. "Our church is also a global ministry that is represented in 133 countries and has six million members worldwide."
He is keen to help some of the small churches in the regions to grow and feels the wider community needs to acknowledge the work churches do. He pointed out: "Our churches have rescued a lot of people from total hopelessness, prisons and mental institutions."
The church gives its members and the community upliftment, motivation to achieve and hope. "If NTCOG had not been formed 50 years ago, the prisons and mental hospitals would be bursting at the seems."
As NTCOG enters a new phase in its history, Bishop Brown hopes that it and other black churches will rise to the biblical mandate to be a light, particularly in the UK, where the Christian influence seems on the wane. He declared: "Britain is supposed to be a Christian country, and if it is for black majority churches to reawaken those roots, then we must.
"We cannot become so politically correct that we can't challenge attempts to marginalize Christian belief and views. The church must stand up and proclaim God's Lordship." The convention is at Brighton Conference Centre from July 9-11.
Taken from the The Voice newspaper
in Britain.
