Dave Newton joins Scripture Union England and Wales in March, following in the footsteps of Myles MacBean. He explains how his life to date has prepared him for the role, and what he hopes to bring to it.
‘Sharing Jesus has been my lifelong passion – I decided to follow him when I was four, and immediately went to tell my brother he should follow Jesus too (only to find that he already did!). In my teens I got involved with beach missions and mission trips and later I did youth and schools ministry in the Wirral. That connected me into Youth for Christ, and I eventually became their National Mission Director. ‘I’m an ordained minister and for the past decade I’ve been Director of Training for Elim UK and principal of Regents Theological College, helping to equip and enable others to share Jesus.
‘So, my new role as SU’s National Director really brings together all that enthusiasm and experience!
"We must take seriously the priority to share the good news with all children and young people, including those far beyond our church buildings."
‘What initially attracted me was SU’s focus on reaching the 95% of children and young people who aren’t in church. Many years ago, I spoke to around 300 young people at a large church – it seemed an impressive number until I discovered that over 18,000 young people lived in the area, most of whom weren’t hearing about Jesus. That’s when it dawned on me that, as the church, we must take seriously the priority to share the good news with all children and young people, including those far beyond our church buildings.
‘The Revealing Jesus mission framework and the development and support of Faith Guides is proving a wonderfully effective way of doing that. I’m excited to see how we can generate momentum behind this vision and build on the solid foundations laid. I’m also really keen to further explore how we make Jesus known to children and young people in today’s culturally challenging and changing landscape – to meet and connect with them where they are, and mobilise ordinary Christians to confidently share Jesus in their language.’
Pray with us
As we approach this new season for Scripture Union, please join us in praying for Dave as he starts his new role, and for Myles too as he embarks on the next stage of his journey.
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