God's Mission, Mobile World (Leaders' Conference 2025)

The 2020 Leaders’ Conference was intended to be on the theme of world mission, but the Covid-19 pandemic meant that it was cancelled.

Five years later, the conference returned to the theme but with an acknowledgement that, though the call to reach the ends of the earth with the gospel continues, the nations are increasingly coming to our own doorstep and need to know the good news of Jesus.

Pastors, elders, women’s workers, evangelists, and other gospel workers joined the conference, which is held each November, and was the largest gathering since the conference began.

Preaching came from the first two chapters of Acts to see the call, power, and goal of mission exampled in the early church, and FIEC National Director John Stevens presented a survey of the growth of the church across the globe.

The conference also heard stories of mission workers sent from the UK to other nations, from other nations to the UK, and from persecuted believers across the world, bringing the theme of the book of Acts to the modern day.

2025 marked the 1,700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed, first approved in 325AD at the Council of Nicaea.

To celebrate and highlight the truths of the creed, attendees spoke its words at different points during the conference in languages from around the world.

Seminars and tracks covered topics including world mission, unreached people groups, and welcoming those from other cultures into our churches.

Alongside the teaching at the conference, there was plenty of time for church leaders to take important time to reflect, pray, and spend time encouraging and supporting one another in their own ministry.

A prayer team offered an opportunity for leaders to share and be prayed for, mealtimes catered for all 1,100 attendees to eat together, and there was a reflective seminar session with space to pray, listen, sing, and reflect aiming to refresh weary leaders.

FIEC National Director, John Stevens, said:

“‘It has been wonderfully encouraging to gather with leaders from our churches across the UK. As we heard how God is at work in the world and were reminded of our calling to take the gospel to people of every culture, our vision of God was enlarged and our confidence in the power of the gospel renewed.

“It was moving and inspiring to hear testimonies of gospel growth even in the face of severe persecution, and to be reminded of the cross-cultural mission opportunities in our own communities. It was thrilling to hear our leaders telling stories of the greater number of conversions and baptisms they have been seeing in their churches over recent years.

“We long and pray that this season of greater gospel openness will continue, and that God’s kingdom will advance in the UK to his glory as it has in the global south in recent decades.”