The Report - A Mission to the North

Missions is trending again and God is on the move.

People are being stirred to get up and go, or uproot and move to strategic places around the UK and the world to launch new or support existing Gospel initiatives or projects.

Such initiatives include planting new or supporting existing churches, community projects/events, prayer walking/surveying, evangelistic ventures, short missions, and even innovative Online campaigns seeking to share the Good News, disciple, and pray for or with others, virtually.

Technology is a critical tool in this wave of missions.

It enables speed and precision, and like ‘the men of Issachar’ who understood the times, it would serve us well to harness this tool, and do all we can to optimize and maximize it.

God created all things therefore His children should be renowned for innovation, creativity, design and engineering in every sphere. Recruiting, retraining, upskilling, and upscaling our operations will enable us to serve our generation well and inspire the next generation to do the same on an even bigger scale.

Because, the times and the task at hand are critical.

Those leading in this wave of missions include Revitalize Trust of HTB Church, London.

The impact of their work in the first six years of launching is phenomenal. And, the use of digital technology to propagate the message and the mission have contributed to the depth and breadth of the success.

On an individual level, Elder David Hurst an 84-year-old Connect Group Leader at HTB, recently returned from a Mission to Kenya where he used his professional experience in strategic growth analytics and governance to help an established ministry in Kenya navigate the risky path of succession.

Also, an extensive Book Tour and Mission to Europe was completed by a well-known author at the end of March which spanned Macedonia, Serbia, and Germany.

In October, the article, Mission to the North was published.

Below is the full report on the extensive Mission to Scotland that was accomplished by air and by road.

(For brevity, some details have been omitted).

The Mission was inspired in Inverness in 2023, and it took off in earnest in November of 2024, spanning: Helensburgh, Paisley, Perth, Glasgow, Bellshill, Hamilton, Kelso, Aberdeen, Ellon, Collieston, Newburgh, Peterhead, Inverurie, and finally Dyce.

The natural landscape of Scotland is stunning. And, it's different in the north, south, east, and western parts. Though the people are all warm and open, very different from their southern neighbours in this regard.

London, they all told me, is a total mystery and enigma to them!

Over three months, I visited churches, listened to people's stories, stayed in interesting places, met amazing people, and shared God's vision where possible. I even met up with Alpha Scotland via Zoom.

The purpose of the Mission was to walk, pray, and survey the land.

Arriving at Glasgow Airport on a cold winter evening, I boarded the train to Helensburgh, a coastal village in the west by the River Clyde.

After a few days, on the Sunday I attended Hope Community Church and the next Sunday, Bethesda Christian Fellowship.

Bethesda Christian Fellowship is an Evangelical church in the town square that serves the community with its first-class Café. The worship, the preaching and the prayers were very lively and inspirational. And, I spoke at length to people who had relocated from other parts of the country to be at the church. The stories were always similar. They felt called to come and help with the Gospel work.

Hope Community Church (Free) was lovely in a very different way. More traditional but very present and serves the Naval Base nearby. I connected with some naval families, and with a couple (both doctors) who had been serving as medical missionaries with YWAM before obeying the call to relocate to Helensburgh.

From Helensburgh, I took the train to Paisley, Glasgow and visited Power Church. The great international prophetic hub of Scotland.

I was in Perth for Christmas and attended Perth Baptist Church on Christmas Day. It was memorable.

To make it easier to move around a car became available, which was a great help for the next leg of the mission.

After Christmas, I was able to drive to Bellshill and attend the GPA STYR 2025 Conference in Glasgow.

Based in Glasgow is a fledgling online Christian radio station called HeartSong Live . It was a privilege to spend some time with them and help provide some operational strategy, drawing on my experience at TBN UK.

I celebrated my birthday at Bellshill, Strathclyde, and then did the long drive up to Aberdeen. Thankfully, the motorways in Scotland have wide lanes and are not very busy.

Aberdeen, in the northeast is exceptionally beautiful. The weather is much fairer than in the western parts.

One of the most interesting places in Aberdeen is Collieston near Ellon. It is a tiny coastal village on a hill facing the North Sea. The scenery is stunning.

Apart from the Ellon Baptist Church, there is almost no gospel witness in the whole area. The next town, Newburgh has a large population of skilled expatriates working in the oil industry, but again, no vibrant church.

Out of astonishment, I contacted a church planting organization in London to find out if they were doing any work in Scotland, and received this response:

There is much work going on in Scotland and we have a number of people that we work with regularly as part of our National Church Planting Network group. I think the best person for you to be in touch with to start with would be... (he) has a great overview of all that is happening in Scotland and works ecumenically with other Scottish church leaders…

Just in time, as I was planning to be in Edinburgh the next day.

On arrival in Edinburgh, I found the magnificent church building.

I was warmly welcomed by the staff in the church office. Once introductions were done, I was told the mission and various outreaches of the church.

My thoughts were to move to Edinburgh and explore helping with the apparent need. So, I promptly wrote to enquire and received the response below:

... The situation and context in Scotland is very different to England - both in society and in the church. We have much to learn from what God is doing in other parts of the world, including south of the border.

Well, this helped me tremendously.

I began to understand in greater depth the nature of the situation and the purpose of my Mission.

The stage is not quite ready for ALL of what God wants to do. Therefore, the task at hand is to pray, prepare, and share.

Pray and prepare:

That the numerous moving parts essential for a move of God will endeavour to come together, work together and share key information and resources. (across divides).
That the right resources, particularly human will be in the right places, at the right time. (also financial and spiritual).
That the stage will be ready for ALL of what God wants to do, when He wants to do it.

The heart of God for the lost.
The lost are not mainly the materially poor in the global south
The lost in the global north are rich and educated, but lost nonetheless.
The urgent need to be intentional, innovative, and proactive about the Great Commission in Our Generation.

The human resource gaps apparent:

Church pastors - (some churches do not have a resident pastor).
Youth leaders - (there are few youth/young adults in some churches).

The Big Question

Are you (or someone you know) one of the essential moving parts? If so, please stand up and step forward...

God needs you!

The Good News!

I came across an organization also based in Glasgow called Give Us Scotland

This is their story:

We are delighted to say that we are now working with 7 church plants from our pilot year (23-24) and are adding 5 so far this year (24-25). They are a great bunch of folks doing amazing things…

So there is hope…

These and a handful of others are first fruits and signs of things to come.

Considering my mission done at this time, I parked the car and boarded a plane.

Now, to do the real work of praying and preparing for the Great Propel.

Thank You!

I want to thank a few people who were instrumental in keeping me safe and sane during this Mission.

I want to thank my HTB Pastors and Community, their consistency kept me grounded, and the Live Streams and Playlists kept me spiritually fed.
Also, my connect group leader. The first question was always, 'Where are you now?!'
I also want to thank my first-class personal consultant. The Zoom discussions were invaluable.
And, the National Day of Prayer leaders for their prayers.
And, many others, who only God knows who had me on their minds.
Wow, Only God! Only He could do what He did on this Mission. I owe Him my life, and I will worship and work for Him all my days. God Is 'Always Working.' Thank You, Lord Jesus!

Written by

Elizabeth 'Tayo David