FIEC Resources for Church Leaders

There are 740,000 students from overseas studying at UK universities: the nations are at our doorstep! Many of these students come from countries where gospel access is difficult or even impossible.In this seminar, Penny (Friends International) helps us consider how we can welcome overseas visitors who are only here for a short while. And she suggests how we can send back students, especially to places where gospel work is very small or even secret.This is a seminar from the 2025 FIEC Leaders' Conference held in Blackpool from 10-12 November 2025.About the speaker: Penny (hidden identity) serves as a Staff Worker for Friends International, growing friendships and faith with international students in the UK.About the Leaders' Conference: The title of the 2025 Leaders' Conference was Church Without Borders, exploring how we can serve God’s mission in a mobile world.About FIEC: We are a fellowship of Independent churches with members of the family across England, Scotland and Wales. Our mission is to see those Independent churches working together with a big vision: to reach Britain for Christ. Find out more: https://fiec.org.uk.

Short-term mission trips sometimes get a bad rep. Others find them wonderfully challenging and life-changing.What part does short-term mission have in the world of mission, and how can local churches maximise this opportunity whilst avoiding the pitfalls?Mike Smailes (Lansdowne Church, Bournemouth) leads this seminar. He is a trustee of a mission organisation and started his interest in mission with short-term mission trips. This is a seminar from the 2025 FIEC Leaders' Conference held in Blackpool from 10-12 November 2025.About the speaker: Mike is one of the Associate Pastors at Lansdowne Church, Bournemouth, with specific responsibility for mission.About the Leaders' Conference: The title of the 2025 Leaders' Conference was Church Without Borders, exploring how we can serve God’s mission in a mobile world.About FIEC: We are a fellowship of Independent churches with members of the family across England, Scotland and Wales. Our mission is to see those Independent churches working together with a big vision: to reach Britain for Christ. Find out more: https://fiec.org.uk.

Our mobile world is more connected than ever. This has profound implications for the work of mission, and also for supporting those who serve around the world.OneHundredFold uses mobile technology to enable mission and works with churches and organisations, such as UFM Worldwide. In this seminar, Ed (OneHundredFold) will energise and enthuse us about this kind of work without overwhelming us.Maybe your next church missionary will be an IT specialist?This is a seminar from the 2025 FIEC Leaders' Conference held in Blackpool from 10-12 November 2025.About the speaker: Ed (identity hidden) is the founder and CEO of OneHundredFold, a missional team focused on redeeming technology, making Christ known, and changing nations.About the Leaders' Conference: The title of the 2025 Leaders' Conference was Church Without Borders, exploring how we can serve God’s mission in a mobile world.About FIEC: We are a fellowship of Independent churches with members of the family across England, Scotland and Wales. Our mission is to see those Independent churches working together with a big vision: to reach Britain for Christ. Find out more: https://fiec.org.uk.

English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) classes are a great way to connect with the world on our doorstep. Lots of churches are finding these are manageable ways to make friends in the communities where our churches are located.David and Maura Baldwin (2:19 Teach to Reach) have many years of cross-cultural experience and will help us see how ESOL classes can form a significant part of a church’s mission strategy.This is a seminar from the 2025 FIEC Leaders' Conference held in Blackpool from 10-12 November 2025.About the speakers: David the CEO of 2:19 Teach to Reach, a ministry that seeks to serve local churches as they reach out to the nations living in their own communities.Maura is Director of Operations at 2:19 Teach to Reach, a ministry supporting and equipping local churches to meet the needs of their international communities.About the Leaders' Conference: The title of the 2025 Leaders' Conference was Church Without Borders, exploring how we can serve God’s mission in a mobile world.About FIEC: We are a fellowship of Independent churches with members of the family across England, Scotland and Wales. Our mission is to see those Independent churches working together with a big vision: to reach Britain for Christ. Find out more: https://fiec.org.uk.

We have moved from the classic mission agency model of detached mission to seeing the value of leader-to-leader and church-to-church connection.What is the value of us as leaders building relationships with church leaders in the mission field? And how can those connections be truly two-way?Leonardo De Chirico (Reformanda Initiative) and Emanuel Tundrea (Romanian Christian leader) will show how they have been helped by such connections and give ideas for how churches can maximise connections. This is a seminar from the 2025 FIEC Leaders' Conference held in Blackpool from 10-12 November 2025.About the speakers: Leonardo De Chirico is pastor of the Church Breccia di Roma, and a lecturer in historical theology in Padova, Italy, and the director of the Reformanda Initiative, seeking to resource Evangelical leaders to understand Catholicism.Emanuel Tundrea is an Associate Professor at Emanuel University of Oradea, the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Ethics in Entrepreneurship and Technology, and is leading the Romanian Christian Academic Network.About the Leaders' Conference: The title of the 2025 Leaders' Conference was Church Without Borders, exploring how we can serve God’s mission in a mobile world.About FIEC: We are a fellowship of Independent churches with members of the family across England, Scotland and Wales. Our mission is to see those Independent churches working together with a big vision: to reach Britain for Christ. Find out more: https://fiec.org.uk.