The 2023 Drysdale Lecture

Lord Elorm Donkor: “Virtuous Influence: Towards a Missional Pastoral Theology for the Next Generation of African Diasporan Pentecostals in the UK”

Dr Lord Elorm Donkor is the National Head of The Church of Pentecost-UK.  He is the former Principal of the Birmingham Christian College. Lord is a scholar practitioner whose research and teaching cuts across the fields of missions, practical theology, and theological ethics. He is the author of Christian Morality in Ghanaian Pentecostalism (Regnum, 2017), the co-editor of African Pentecostal Missions Maturing (Wipf and Stock, 2018) as well as a passionate preacher and conference speaker.

• Date: 21st February 2023
• Time: 7:30pm – 9:00pm

You can view recordings of several previous lectures on our Public Lectures Playlist.

Past Lectures

• 1998 – Dr Martin Goldsmith, All Nations Christian College – Pluralism: What is our Attitude to Other Faiths?
• 1999 – Dr Michael Griffiths, Regents College, Vancouver – British Students Envision World Mission: An Historical Account
• 2000 – Richard Tiplady, Associate Director, Global Connections – From Pillar to Post: Generation X, Modernism and World Mission
• 2001 – Dr Chris Partridge, University College, Chester – The Disenchantment and Re-enchantment of the West: Reflections on the Religio-Cultural Context of Contemporary Western Christianity
• 2002 – Patrick Sookhdeo, Barnabas Trust – Past September 11th: The effects of Islam on Church and Missions in Britain and Overseas
• 2003 – Dr Makonen Getu, International Programme Director of the Christian Transformation Resource Centre – Micro-enterprise Development: a response to HIV/AIDS in Africa
• 2004 – Dr Tony Campolo, Professor of Sociology Emeritus at Eastern University in St. Davids PA USA – Revolution and Response: Post-modernism and Evangelism in a University City
• 2005 – Bishop Hwa Yung, Bishop of Malaysia, Methodist Church – Does Christian Mission Lack Integrity Today?  An Asian Perspective on Key Trends and Issues in 21^stCentury Christian Missions
• 2006 – Gustavo Crocker, Eurasia Regional Director, Church of the Nazarene – Towards a New Missiology: Responding Creatively to the Global Changes without Changing the Great Commission
• 2007 – Joel Edwards, General Secretary of the Evangelical Alliance, UK – Respect: a Prescription for Tolerance
• 2008 – Revd Dr Chris Wright, International Ministries Director, Langham Partnership International – Addressing the North-South Divide in Global Theological Education
•  2009 – Dr Dewi Hughes, Tear Fund Theological Advisor – The Church as Transformed and Transforming Community
•  2010 – Dr Lalsangkima Pachuau (Asbury Theological Seminary) –  Religion, Christianity & Indian Nationalism: The Impact of Nationalist Ethos on Indian Christian Missional Thought in the 20th Century
• 2011 – Revd Arlington Trotman, Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe –  Meeting Challenge, Embracing Opportunity & the Politics of Fear: New Diverse Communities encounter Historic Christian Expression in 21st Century Europe
• 2013 – Professor Andrew F.  Walls, Professor of History of Missions, Liverpool Hope University –  ‘The Song of Moses and the Lamb’: Africa’s first Methodists
• 2014 – Dr Philip Lewis, Principal of Bradford Churches for Dialogue and Diversity –  A Road Less Travelled: The Challenge to Mainstream Mission and Ministry to Muslims in Britain.
• 2015 – Bishop Laurie Green, Chair Urban Strategy Consultative Group –  Mission Upside Down: What if the poor really are the ones who are blessed?
• 2016 – Professor Howard Snyder, Visiting Director, Manchester Wesley Research Centre; Former Professor of the History and Theology of Mission, Asbury Theological Seminary – Christian Mission, Creation, and New Creation
• 2017 – Professor Kirsteen Kim, Professor of Theology & World Christianity at Leeds Trinity University –  Missio Dei or Missio Spiritus? Reflections on the mission theologies of The Cape Town Commitment (Lausanne Movement, 2011) and Together towards Life (World Council of Churches, 2013)
• 2018 – Rt Revd Graham Cray, former Bishop of Maidstone and Archbishop’s Missioner and Team Leader of Fresh Expressions, author, theologian, and speaker. Church Rediscovered.
• 2019 – Professor Hugh Goddard, University of Edinburgh, Centre for the Study of Islam in the Contemporary World – The State of Muslim-Christian Relations
• 2020 – Dr Stuart Murray Williams, self-employed trainer, lecturer, consultant and writer, operating under the auspices of the Anabaptist Network – Singing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Land
• 2022 – Loun Ling Lee, Editor of Lausanne Global Analysis. Previous roles include Lecturer in Mission at Redcliffe College, UK, Training Director of AsiaCMS based in Malaysia, Mission Mobiliser with OMF, and Pastor at Grace Singapore Chinese Church – Future of Mission: Strategic Role of Asian Mission in Global Christianity.

More about the Drysdale Lectures

In 1916 Scottish evangelist, John Douglas Drysdale settled in Birkenhead and gathered around him a following, which soon became Emmanuel Church in Claughton Road. His fervent preaching challenged young people to be trained in reaching out to the needs of people worldwide. Emmanuel Bible College began training missionaries on November 11th 1920 with three students.

In 1997, Emmanuel Bible College, Birkenhead, ceased operation and became an integral part of NTC, and in 2004 the Emmanuel Centre – a new library and classroom unit – was opened, to mark that transition.

The mission interests of EBC were carried at NTC first by the Emmanuel Centre for Mission Study, and then The Centre for Evangelism and Church Development led by Momentum UK. Currently, the missional studies and practice at Nazarene Theological College are embedded in the overarching Practical Theology department. The annual ‘Drysdale Lecture’ began in 1998 and is designed to allow an opportunity for critical reflection on key areas in contemporary missiology.