A Future That Is Bigger Than The Past: Catalyzing Kingdom Communities

Rev Dr Sam Wells, Vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields, delivered the 2019 Chalmers Lectures this autumn. Entitled ‘A Future that’s Bigger than the Past’, the six lectures focused on the theology and methods of HeartEdge as a vision for renewal in the Church.

Launched at St Martin-in-the-Fields in 2017, HeartEdge is a membership-based organisation, an ecumenical network of partners and a movement for renewal.

The name HeartEdge reflects the group’s purpose - for those working at the heart of commerce, culture and community, with those at the margins and on the edge.

Through joining the network, churches are supported in finding their stories, share resources and connect with others developing their church and community.

The six Chalmers Lectures delivered at Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh were:

• For Such a Time as This: Locating the UK Church in a global and gospel story – Tuesday 17 September
• Investing in the Kingdom: Taking money beyond the benefactor and the steward – Wednesday 18 September
• Minding God’s Business: Realigning commerce and Church – Thursday 19 September
• Entertaining Angels Unawares: How God renews the Church through the stones that the builders reject – Tuesday 1 October
• Let All the People Praise Thee: How the Church may be part of a cultural renaissance – Wednesday 2 October
• On Earth as it is in Heaven: Towards a vision for the renewal of congregational life – Thursday 3 October

The final three lectures in the series were heard during the HeartEdge Annual Conference. For those who were unable to attend in person, the lectures were recorded and can be watched again https://stream1.churchofscotland.org.uk/chalmers-lecture.

A Future That's Bigger Than The Past: Towards the renewal of the Church is a book comprising his six talks. It shares the vision of the church as imagined by HeartEdge, the growing network of churches established by St Martin-in-the-Fields, with its fourfold focus for renewing the mission activity of the church: commerce, culture, congregation and compassion. 

Six chapters explore the practical outworking of this vision: * For Such a Time as This: Locating the UK church in a global and gospel story; * Investing in the Kingdom: Taking money beyond the benefactor and the steward; * Minding God's Business: Realigning commerce and church; * Entertaining Angels Unawares: How God renews the church through the stones that the builders reject; * Let All the People Praise Thee: How the church may be part of a cultural renaissance; * On Earth as it is in Heaven: Towards a vision for the renewal of congregational life.

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