In 1974, while living in the Cook Islands with my teaching parents and two sisters, I first met Jesus. A friend, Bobby (Rangi) Moekaa, invited me to a Christian group that was run in the school by Brian Chitty (who happened to work with my parents in education). Brian shared the gospel based on the amazing prophetic statue in Daniel 7. Being a logical young lad, I reasoned that if God could predict through the OT prophets the world's empires up to Jesus, I should believe in him. I did and gave my heart to Jesus.
Things turned
sour at home after this. My parents were not impressed, particularly my Dad. It
didn’t help that I immediately tried to evangelise them. When your thirteen-year-old son shares the gospel with you, and you are fiercely antichristian as my
Father was at that stage of life, it never goes well for the evangelizer. Long
story short, my relationship with my Dad was wrecked, and, in tears, on my bed, I
told God I could not follow him as I wanted in such a home and that I would
follow him when I left home. Of course, I could have done so, but I did not have
the capacity at that point.
For the
next ten years, I lived a typical Kiwi boy’s life, seeking glory in sport, desperately
wanting a girlfriend and failing, and getting into booze and other recreational
drugs. When I was twenty-three, some ten years after my experience with Jesus, I began
to experience deep disillusionment and uncertainty about the world and life. I
lived with my girlfriend, had a flourishing sports career, and was a school
teacher. But I began to feel lost. Looking back, I now know God was summoning me to honour my commitment to follow him when I left home. After several
spiritual experiences, one night, it hit me like a lightning bolt—it’s God!
As that
year progressed, I asked my girlfriend Emma to buy me a Bible for Christmas. We
went away for the usual Boxing Day—New Year binge. Then, on New Year’s Day,
1985, I announced to my mates I was following Jesus. They were shocked, but I followed my nose (the Spirit would be more accurate). I found a Church
where I felt God’s presence, St Columbus Presbyterian Church. Emma came along
too, and we both gave our lives to Jesus.
We then
went on the journey that continues today. We got heavily involved in evangelism
with others in the church. We formed a band, Streetlight, which had over thirty people in it at one point. I wrote songs and dramas. We performed and preached in
all sorts of places. We worked for our church in full-time evangelism from
1987–89.
Then, in
1990, painfully aware of how little we knew about Christianity, we followed God’s
lead and went to study at Bible College of NZ (now Laidlaw College). We both got
degrees and loved our studies. During our time at College, we had another
evangelistic band, Won by One.
Then we went
on a ministry journey and further training to be ordained. Since then, we
have ministered in churches together. In 2004 I was offered a job at BCNZ in evangelism and worship, but I did not feel the time was right. Then, in 2005, I left church ministry in the
formal sense and became a NT lecturer at Laidlaw. I have taught the NT always
with the same evangelistic passion I had from the beginning.
A few years
ago, I preached in the Journey Church. Terry Calkin approached me after the
service offering the idea of the Kimberly Trust funding a position at Laidlaw College
in evangelism. We formed a friendship and discussed ideas. He saw in
me the person that would fill it. Over the last few years, Laidlaw and the
Trust have worked together and made this a reality. Now, thanks to the
Kimberley Trust, a position has been established at Laidlaw, which is named “Director
of Evangelistic Leadership.”
As a result,
as of July 1, 2023, I am in this role. It is fascinating to see the journey God
has sent me on. In the eighteen years of biblical study and teaching, I believe
God has equipped me to understand far better than I knew when I came to Laidlaw
what it means to do evangelism in God’s way. I now understand better than I did
the need to preserve the one true Gospel (found in Scripture and in the persons
of our One Triune God) and yet share it in intelligent, imaginative, clear, and simple ways. I feel like God is saying to me, “You are now ready” to
do such a role.
As such, I
am uber-excited about the future. My job will involve establishing a centre for
evangelistic leadership that will work in partnership with the Centre for Church
Leadership. I get to help shape a curriculum that puts evangelism, apologetics,
church planting, and church renewal at the center of the college. I get to research in this space, finishing some books I am writing on evangelism in the
Scriptures and other things. With Emma and other great Christians, we have put together a new band, "Already Not Yet," and I get to rekindle my music career. Other potential ideas include a peer-reviewed yet
accessible journal, podcasts, writings, and new resources in the evangelistic
space. I get to network with other Kiwis doing amazing work and see further
things develop. I am super passionate about NZ’s cultural diversity and rethinking
evangelism for the nation's diverse people. I get to join other Kiwi
Christians pondering how we engage with a world that is less and less
interested in Christian ethics—how do we respond? Then there is the AI future
that is now looming over us!
These are
massive questions, and the church must do its best thinking while continuing the
work of sharing the gospel to the world. And I get to be involved. What an
honour!
This work
will require great support. We need prayer warriors who will make it a priority
to pray for the NZ church to become evangelistically renewed both in a passion
for the gospel and new converts. We require financial support to ensure this is not just a short phase in Laidlaw’s history. We want evangelism,
apologetics, church planting, and the renewal of churches in our DNA! I am
looking for those who are already working in this space to make contact so we
can talk and we can be mutually encouraged by one another and share spiritual
gifts and thoughts together. Hallelujah!
If you want
to be involved in some way, you can contact me through my email mkeown@laidlaw.ac.nz. The Lord bless and
keep you.
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