How I See It

By Colin Baron

Eighteen years ago our family relocated to pioneer a new church in Greater Manchester. This large multi-cultural population opened up for us an incredible opportunity to dream ... and then initiate multiple church plants around the city.

We engaged a wide variety of people with different giftings, abilities and aspirations to 'have a go' and reach out and build churches in their different communities. Subsequently, not only in Manchester but also in different nations of the world, many people have been motivated to relocate and start new works.

One of the great challenges we now face in Greater Manchester and in many cities of the world is how to plant self-sustaining, reproducing churches in the poorer, often fatalistic, urban areas of our cities, where so many millions of people live. God has spoken to us about bringing the good news of the kingdom of God, with all its intended individual and social transformation, to those who live in these socially deprived areas. For this to happen, we need to have imaginative and expansive dreams, and then take some bold steps.

As I travel and help apostolic men around the world to develop teams and deal with key situations within their sphere, it can often feel a million light years away from the micro-detailed life of pioneering into needy areas. Yet I believe involving the urban poor with the apostolic mission is a major part of God's calling. As well as helping in apostolic team development, I am also involved in serving key sending churches in major transitions that they inevitably have to make as a result of the unique role they have as they reach out to their local communities, and facilitate the sending and receiving of apostolic ministry.

Barnabas, an apostle with a large capacity for encouragement, and Aquila and Priscilla, as influential church planters, have been Biblical role models for how I believe God has called me to work. Like these heroes of mine, ministering alongside apostles when and where they require complementary gifting is going to be a continuing feature of my life.

In recent months, John and his team have been pro-active in finding increasing opportunities to make fruitful contact with other networks based in the USA, a development of growing significance as the profile of Newfrontiers rises in that very influential nation. Colin and Mary Baron also spent two years in the USA, in the Boston area.

Colin has played a unique role in my team. His insights and perspectives are remarkable. He is highly prized and valued among the teams and is particularly skilled in bringing breakthrough perspectives into other brothers’ contexts when they seem to hit log jams. He has great skill in discerning where the root of the problem lies.

Excellent not only in terms of prophetic insight, Colin is also hard-working and selfless in the way in which he labours to serve in very diverse settings. As a true builder he is unafraid to work through difficult detail as well as being motivated by the big picture. He will often travel long miles in order to sit and talk through difficult issues with key players, bringing phenomenal results and fruitfulness.

His personal initiative led to the British breakthrough to the North of England for Newfrontiers and his passion for church planting has seen many works started. He loves hands-on involvement in his home base in Manchester and is highly motivated by work among the marginalised, working for social transformation often in deprived areas.

How I See It

By Colin Baron

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