Don't keep the gospel secret

We can’t let the gospel be the best-kept secret

We need to get back to basics and empower disciple-makers, says Elim New Zealand National Leader Boyd Ratnaraja

Boyd, you lead the Elim New Zealand network and pastor a church in Wellington. Tell us about the spiritual landscape Down Under at the moment.

Well, we’re speaking at a time when we’ve just had a new prime minister, flooding in Auckland, a cyclone that has brought devastation to many people in the North Island of New Zealand and – just like the rest of the world – Covid has affected the way we do church.

But in the midst of this shake-up good things are happening too. We had a prayer gathering in Auckland recently where more than 5,000 people came together, and we’ve got one coming up in our capital city where we’re expecting thousands more to attend. In this unusual season I’m praying for hunger for a move of God in New Zealand and to see the nation reached for Christ.

What should the priorities be for the church right now?

Pandemics and crises are not pleasant but they do bring opportunities for change. One thing Covid did was shorten the gap between the pulpit and the congregation, for example. People often think it’s the pastor who does the ministering, but actually we’re all called to minister.

Something I’m really stirred up about right now is empowering people and finding new ways to reach more people, because we can’t let the gospel be the best-kept secret within the four walls of the church. That means the church needs to prioritise making disciples and equipping people to make other disciples too. Look at the early church – what did they do?

Church can easily become a case of congregation members going and watching others minister on a Sunday, but it’s not about having a few superstars who do incredible things for God while everyone else watches. Instead, it’s about realising God wants to use all of us wherever we are – in our workplaces, our schools, our homes. If you’re a stay-at-home mum it’s about empowering you to invest in your children, for example.

Ministry isn’t just something that happens on a Sunday. We gather on Sunday but we are the church 24/7 and we need our congregations to take ownership of that.

Another thing the pandemic has changed is the way we do certain aspects of church and we need to take this opportunity to find alternative ways to reach people who don’t know Jesus. Online church, for example, is a great way to reach those who aren’t in our buildings yet. How can we best use it as a bridge to help people find Christ, freedom and purpose and, as a result, see God use them to make a difference?

What is your church focusing on this year?

My wife and I took responsibility for Elim International Church in Wellington in 2021 and we’re absolutely loving it! It’s a multicultural church with everyone from Africans to Asians to English and South Americans. We have so many different cultures in our church. Interestingly, it was the first Pentecostal church to be planted in New Zealand after Smith Wigglesworth’s visit here, and we’ve just celebrated our centenary too.

In terms of priorities I’m praying for us to be faith-filled rather than fear-filled. The moment we are full of fear we give the enemy access and an opportunity to take over, so we need to keep speaking faith into our congregations, because I really believe our best days are ahead.

What is the Elim network in New Zealand like?

We’ve got close to 40 churches in a population of five million people (and 34 million sheep!). Our Elim churches are spread throughout New Zealand – they’re all sizes, multicultural and multi-generational.

We’re a growing network, but we’re not growing as fast as I’d like us to be. That said, we’re seeing generational transitions where spiritual fathers, sons and mothers in the movement are becoming spiritual grandfathers, fathers and grand- mothers. These are leadership transitions too, which can be challenging but are ultimately a good thing.

I’m really grateful to God for what he has done in the life of the church in New Zealand in the past 100 years and in Elim too. But for me now, I don’t just want to read about revival – I want to see it with my own eyes, and for our children to see it too. So that’s what we’re believing for in Elim.

We don’t just want to be another denomination. We’re here to make a difference in our nation and shift the spiritual climate.

Defining moments

Born and raised in Sri Lanka, where his parents ran an orphanage, Boyd dedicated his life to Christ at the age of five.

“It was a significant moment for me because it was then that I knew God was calling me to be a pastor,” he says.

“Me, my brothers, cousins and friends were all having fun and playing cricket, but I was crazy about serving God too. That was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

“My family moved to New Zealand and joined an Elim church and I went on to follow that call to pastorship.”

Fifteen years later, Boyd had the surprise privilege of returning to Sri Lanka, visiting the orphanage and standing in the spot where he had first become a Christian.

“It was such a defining moment to have that reassurance that it hadn’t just been me as a little kid cooking this whole thing up, but that God had opened the door and brought things to fruition.

Boyd with his wife Sharon

“What’s interesting is that the orphanage was actually called Elim, and here I was back there as an Elim pastor all those years later!” Rewind a few years, and at the age of 18 Boyd had another encounter that would shape his future ministry.

“A worship leader in my church called Deanne said she could see the call of God on my life. I started to be given opportunities – I began leading worship, then preaching, then eventually leading a church.”

This experience, he says, taught him the importance of investing in and empowering the next generation.

“We often think they’re not ready but the reality is that no one is ever ready. We just need to empower and release them.

“Look at King David: when Samuel came looking for the next king Jesse brought out all his amazing sons but forgot about David. It was David that God was after, though. Jesse just didn’t realise there was a king in his house.

“Often, we underestimate who God has entrusted us with in our congregations and don’t recognise the potential in our youth groups and children’s church. But we have kids in there who will one day do great things for God.”

An honour and a privilege

Boyd Ratnaraja was a guest speaker at Elim’s Leaders Summit in May. We asked what this year’s theme meant to him.

“I hear the word ‘co-missioned’ and I think what an honour and privilege it is that God has invited us to work with him in partnership. It’s absolutely amazing that we are on this mission with him,” says Boyd.

But whether we’re talking about the UK or New Zealand, no single church or denomination can or should try to do it on their own, he warns. It’s going to take everyone – it’s not like God will give it to one group and the rest will watch. That makes unity so important. If ever there was a time for the church to model unity it is now, because when we are united we are unstoppable.”

The most important thing, he says, is to stay on mission and not get distracted.

“At the end of the day it’s about making disciples. Think of Reinhard Bonnke’s statement: ‘I want to see hell empty and heaven full.’ What a great mandate to live by!”

Watch Boyd Ratnaraja at ELS23

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