What’s Wrong with the Irish Church?

The most famous Irish event in our calendar is ‘St Patrick’s Day’, where we celebrate a cheerful, cleric in green robes.

Patrick became a follower of Jesus, and sought “that through me, many people should be born again in God and brought to full life”.

This mission cost him dearly, as he gave up wealth and security to evangelise a country that persecuted him.

From his ministry, Ireland gained a reputation as the land of saints and scholars.

Less than a hundred years ago, Sydney looked to Ireland to get quality teachers of the Bible, including T. C. Hammond, who as Principal, transformed Moore College into what it is today.

Yet now the Irish church is only a shadow of its former glory, and Ireland has become the least-evangelised country in the English-speaking world.

In fact, only one percent of the Irish are now Evangelical Christians.

There is a great need for gospel ministry in the Republic of Ireland, and that’s why Cameron and Alex Jones are planning to evangelise an Anglican church into existence in the Dublin Docklands, the ‘Silicon Valley’ of Ireland.

Fourteen years ago, Cameron and Alex travelled from Australia to minister in the UK, then three years later they moved to serve in Northern Ireland, from where they intend to move to Dublin with Irish Church Missions.

Now they’re asking their Aussie friends to help them raise funds to cover both a place to live and their living costs.

The Irish church has drifted a long way from the gospel heart of St Patrick, and now it’s time for gospel-strong churches like ours to share our resources with a land that was once strong in the gospel but now desperately needs the faithful, Bible-based ministry Cameron and Alex seek to share.  

JODIE McNEILL