Roger Marshall is a Bible study leader for his community and church.
When did you trust Christ?
I was brought up by Christ-loving parents. It seemed to be the most natural thing in the world to choose to trust Christ as a child and to invite him into my life (Revelation 3:20). After nearly 60 years (and many wrong turns), I still want to follow Christ. My difficult marriage and subsequent divorce were a setback as regards my discipleship and confidence in God (and in my self-esteem). But by God's grace, through the invaluable help of Christian friends (some of them also leaders), I have found my way back onto the path of following Christ and helping others who have been through similar experiences.
What do you hope to gain from participating?
I expect to benefit from the experience of seasoned leaders working in challenging contexts in different parts of Europe. I have got to know David Brown through conversations prior to ELF, and have felt that there is a lot of common ground between the context he is working in and my own. I have also read and found his book on church revitalisation, so I feel that being part of a network on the subject would help me to understand my own context better. I also expect to be challenged to apply what I am learning.
What is your ministry?
My current church's project is to prioritise small groups as the main catalyst of church growth and discipleship. I also lead a small group meeting at my home on Monday afternoons. My role has always been leading small groups and creating opportunities for both Christians and non-Christians to engage with faith-related topics. I have been involved in many discussions relating to apologetics and have read widely in this area, and I have concluded that evangelism and discipleship must be more anchored in Scripture than in apologetics. I also run an English language conversation group, mainly for non-believers, where we have the opportunity to discuss spiritual matters and questions relating to the meaning of life. I have the intention of starting weekly Bible studies and specifically faith-related conversations on Sunday afternoons.
