On 22 October the Senior Pastors’ Council of Co-Mission (the main governing body of Co-Mission, made up of all Senior Pastors from established churches) met in an extraordinary meeting to elect members to the Steering Group for Co-Mission.
Five Senior Pastors were nominated. Members of the existing Steering Group (Rupert Standring – St Peter’s Fulham, Matt Fuller – Christ Church Mayfair, Jonty Allcock – The Globe, and Jason Roach – The Bridge Battersea) were joined as nominees by Rob Newham (Becontree Church).
Following a time of questions and words of commendation from their proposers, the vote was held. All five were elected unanimously to serve Co-Mission on the Steering Group for the coming three years.
The first order of business for the newly elected Steering Group was the appointment of the CEO of Co-Mission for the next five years. In line with the constitution of Co-Mission, nominations were sought from the Senior Pastors’ Council. An extraordinary Steering Group meeting held on 17 November unanimously elected Richard Coekin (Dundonald Church) to the role of CEO.
This appointment was then, again in accordance with the Co-Mission constitution, put before the Senior Pastors’ Council for their formal approval. Once again there was unanimity in the Council and Richard’s appointment was duly ratified.
In accepting the Senior Pastors’ support and encouragement, Richard said, ‘I feel greatly honoured. I count it a great privilege to continue shaping Co-Mission’s development over the next five years as together we continue “to assist in evangelising London by planting and strengthening sixty diverse, reformed evangelical churches … for the salvation of many to the glory of God.”
‘Our current challenges and cultural hostility are significant but so are our opportunities – a godless, global city is the best place to live when we have such a glorious gospel to proclaim … As Christians we seek to love our neighbours in every way the Bible requires, but especially with the gospel. And as pastors we’re called to teach God’s word in his church to equip his people for lives of evangelistic holiness.
‘In the next five years I especially want to give myself more to offering training for pastors and pastoral teams as well as to ministry trainees – both within and beyond Co-Mission … Above all I want to serve our Lord by leading Co-Mission to support you and your churches in the work of the gospel … I am content to walk with you along the path of gospel ministry in London as we are directed by God’s Spirit through his Word and see where he takes us. He is your leader and mine. It promises to be an exciting, if exhausting, adventure. Please pray for me and all who labour with me on the Steering Group and Executive as we pray for you. My godly, recently deceased father pinned a note to himself on his computer screen, which I think was incredibly wise advice for us all. It read, “Pray you fool!”’
