I Heard it Through the Grapevine

I Heard it Through the Grapevine

In 2014, Stephen wrote I Heard it Through the Grapevine: Developing a Social Mission Project within the Local Church. Grapevine is a lunch club that was established at Christ Church in 2007 to share God’s love with those people marginalised by society and has rapidly become central to its mission. I heard it through the Grapevine seeks to respond to the widespread uncertainty that still exists within much of evangelical Christianity about the status of such mission by showing the vital role that full theological confidence in its gospel nature plays in both inspiring such mission and the manner of its delivery. Based upon the conviction that Christian mission is about ‘meeting people where they are but not leaving them there’, the book shows how Christians being really clear about our eschatology (ie how God is going to make it ‘all end up’) and our ecclesiology (ie our theology of church) are indispensable for ensuring the clarity, confidence and authenticity of local mission. Central to its thesis is the centrality to the gospel of taking active steps to overcome the unstated social apartheid that often exists within churches.