Missional-Life

It is a real pleasure to introduce my next Converse Interviewee.

Norman Blows is the lead elder of Kingsgate Church in Bury St Edmonds, which is part of the Newfrontiers family of churches.

Adam Bradley: Please can you tell me a little bit about yourself?

Norman Blows: Well, I’m in my early sixties – but feel about 18! When I got married I looked about 14 – so looking and feeling young now is no great surprise I’m married to Carol ( who is an extremely patient woman) – and we celebrate our 40th. wedding anniversary this year – and that doesn’t seem real either!

We have four daughters who are all married to excellent men who all love God, and my wife and I are the proud grandparents of 10 grand children (although one is not fully arriving on planet earth until the summer – Oh boy! – (or perhaps Oh girl!).

I have done a variety of careers in my time – electronic engineering ; work study (time and motion); secondary school teaching and finally church leadership,- which is about the only thing I would have given up teaching maths for – you just love it or hate it!

Apart from maths I also love sailing and am particularly delighted to now be living in Suffolk where there are so many great rivers to choose from! Surely there will be sailing in heaven – even if John Hosier reckons there won’t be any sea – I like river sailing best anyway!

I also love walking my two black Labradors – Bertie and Loti – which keeps me fit and gives me time to think and pray. I also find that dogs are one of the best means of getting to know people – dog people chat – so if you want to get the world’s noses out of their computers and talking again – buy yourself a dog!

Adam Bradley: Please can you tell me some of the highlights of your testimony?

Norman Blows: I first got interested in Christianity because my music teacher at school prayed for me and started giving me Bible reading notes. Then he asked me one day ( in exasperation I think that I once again was lying through my teeth as to why I hadn’t done any practice during the week) if I went to church, and if not if I would like to consider going to something called ‘Crusaders’. As a result a very large man came round to our house and talked to my mum – whilst I wondered how long the piano stool was going to last under his weight!

As a result of his visit ( the stool survived) I started going to West Dulwich Crusaders – and at a summer camp that I attended – gave my life to Jesus – I was 14 at the time.

For a long time I attended a high Anglican church near to my house – but later started attending an evangelical Anglican church in Beckenham – which had the added attraction of having lots of girls in attendance – one of which ended up as my wife! When we married we moved to an out-of-the-way place called Biggin Hill where we came into contact with charismatic Christians – and a guy called Ray Lowe (both of these experiences were about as scary as each other!). It took me a lot of angry months to sort out whether this ‘baptism in the Spirit’ thing was kosher or not – then one day I suddenly realised that the Holy Spirit was God – and immediately I became convinced that I was going to heaven; that I could trust God with my money and that I could believe in miracles for today! Knowing that the Holy Spirit is God, changed everything – and I’ve never been the same since.

Another big turning point was hearing the message of Grace that Terry Virgo preaches – and reading John Piper’s book on Grace – both revealed to me what a rule-driven person I was – that all took a lot of working through – not easy when you have strong ’achiever’ traits like I have – but more and more I am learning to live by grace – and enjoying it too!

A third big highlight for me was coming across New Testament type prophetic people, and part of the reason I am in Suffolk now is because an invitation to come to Suffolk, that had been extended to me, was confirmed by various prophetic people who had no knowledge of my situation – scary!

Adam Bradley: What church do you lead/involved in? (Background, movement/denomination, philosophy of ministry, etc)

Norman Blows: For the last year and a half I have been leading the New Frontiers church in Bury St. Edmunds – after having led the New Frontiers’ church In Sevenoaks Kent – which we started as a plant out from Biggin Hill Baptist church. The Bury church was planted some six years ago by a guy called Frank Gamble, but sadly he died about 3 years after its start, and so I was invited to come up to Suffolk to take the church forward. As I mentioned above, this whole invitation was surrounded by quite unexpected prophetic input – including that which came by one lady in the Sevenoaks church, who accurately described the town of Bury St. Edmunds – down to the cobbled streets – the river and the bridge. And all that was said six months before the invitation was talked about! She saw me pushing a hand cart through the streets – the cart being full of all the elements needed to produce candles – and told me that God was calling me to a group of people who needed the light of the Holy Spirit – and who would welcome me with open arms. That has all proved to be true – and the church is mow strongly moving forward in areas of spiritual gifts and we are planning to plant out into Stowmarket in the next year or so.

Adam Bradley: What books are your currently reading?

Norman Blows: I am currently re-reading Joe Boot’s book ‘ A time to search’ as I am about to embark on a short series on apologetics. I am also re-reading Rick Warren’s book ‘ The purpose Driven Church’ – growth without compromising your message or mission.

Adam Bradley: What sermons/preachers are you listening to at the moment (the i-pod question)?

Norman Blows: I have recently been listening to three sermons by Tim Keller – .1. Preaching the Gospel 2. The City and 3. Cultural Transformation. and I now want to get hold of a copy of his book ‘Passion for God’. Also, I am trying to listen to anything by Mark Driscoll – I find his approach so refreshing and challenging. Lastly, I am listening through a series called ‘Doubts about Darwin’ by Ken Ham and Dr. David Menton, who both recently spoke at Westminster Chapel in London – very challenging indeed.

Adam Bradley: Why is church planting such a passion for you?

Norman Blows: I suppose it is because I strongly believe that as we train people, and then give them away to a new situation where they can roll their sleeves up and put into practice all that they have learned, we are providing a channel or conduit for the Holy Spirit to flow outwards to others. Also, we have the promise of God that the Holy Spirit always has the ability to turn dry areas into fruitful places, and dead people into those who are alive in God, and excited about why they are alive.

Basically I am convinced that Jesus wants to be at the centre of our communities – and He does that as we plant churches that are vital, practical and Biblical.

Adam Bradley: What would you say are the three most important principles for any young want-to-be church planter?

Norman Blows: First of all, I am looking for servants who are willing to learn how to lead others. You are always be safe with a servant – they have learned that what Jesus said is true “To obey is better than sacrifice”. So, as they put into practice what they have been taught, what they do will be a joy and not a sacrifice – and they will be full of grace and bring joy to all those around them.
Secondly I am looking for those who realise that ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’. Church planting is gutty stuff at times – thus a willingness to ’stick at it’ – perseverance the Bible calls it – is an absolute necessity.
Thirdly, a generous heart is vital in my opinion. When a church plant starts, everyone does everything. But later, the church planter needs to be willing to move aside and let others come through. This only happens if you have a generous heart – otherwise you’ll always be thinking that it’s ‘your church’, or ‘your ministry’ – a disaster in my opinion because the flow stops with you!

Adam Bradley: Here’s your opportunity to say anything else you like…

Norman Blows: One of the things that has kept me going through the good times and bad times is reading the biographies of men and women of God from past ages. They stir me and fire my imagination – and drive me back to my Bible, to once again discover there, for myself, what they have evidently discovered for themselves in the past. I want to learn from others. I think it was CJ Mahany who said that he had never had an original thought in his life (probably an exaggeration). Nevertheless, the day we think we know it all and stop learning – or stop being challenged – we might as well give up. So I regularly read the lives of others and pray that I might also discover in my lifetime what they discovered in theirs.

George Muller has inspired me in prayer and faith; Corrie Ten Boom has inspired me in trusting God; Hudson Taylor has inspired me in mission – to mention only three! And when you have read about others – then dare to ask God to use you in the same way – a scary prayer indeed!