Thy Kingdom Come is a global ecumenical prayer movement that invites Christians around the world to pray for more people to come to know Jesus. In 2016, the movement began as an invitation from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to the Church of England, but has grown momentously since then into an international and ecumenical call to prayer reaching across 85 denominations and almost 90% of countries in the world.
Ahead of the Anglican Communion Office webinar on mission and evangelism, the Anglican Communion Lead for Thy Kingdom Come, the Very Reverend Robert (Bob) Key, reflects on the last 10 years of this united call to evangelism through prayer and what it can teach us about mission and evangelism now.
What is your role in Thy Kingdom Come?
Dean Bob explains his job title as Anglican Communion Lead in Thy Kingdom Come. “It means that my role is to enable, encourage and expand Thy Kingdom Come anywhere in the world outside the United Kingdom. What began as a call to England to engage in 11 days of prayer that people would come to know the Lord Jesus, has now grown to touch over 170 countries.”
How did the season of Pentecost inspire Thy Kingdom Come 10 years ago?
According to Dean Bob, “Thy Kingdom Come runs from Ascension to Pentecost and is based on Acts 1:14, where we read that having been given the great commands to be Jesus’ witnesses throughout the world and the promise of the Holy Spirit, they went back to Jerusalem and devoted themselves to ground-breaking prayer. Men and women praying together, as cultural norms were superseded by the gospel imperative to make Jesus known.”
Why is prayer such an important part of mission and outreach?
“Jesus said: ‘Without me, you can do nothing,’ so prayer is not an optional extra; it’s the very foundation of everything we do in mission. We are workers together with Christ. From Genesis to Revelation, it is God who is the great evangelist. We get the privilege of joining in.”
How have Anglican churches around the world journeyed with Thy Kingdom Come over the years?
Reflecting on the global impact of this ecumenical prayer movement, Bob explains, “Thy Kingdom Come has taken root in the rainbow of different cultures around the world, and I think it works best when churches really make it their own. I was in Trinidad for Pentecost in 2023, and there was the most wonderful blend of Anglo Catholic spirituality and charismatic joy and exuberance. We had a mixture of incense and dancing in the aisles. The greatest thing was that it was all wonderfully genuine. It was real.”
How does prayer help to build bridges and strengthen ecumenical collaboration in mission?
“Churches working together across denominational boundaries should be organic rather than organisational,” says Dean Bob. “Praying together or working together to provide a practical expression of the love of God or to show a way of inviting people to explore Christian faith will do far more for Christian unity than endless committees.
“When I was Dean of Jersey, my Roman Catholic colleague and I were asked why we got on so well. We said that there was so much more that we had in common in the Lord Jesus than things about which we might disagree, showing that unity in how we worked together and prayed together was crucially important.”
Can you share a story about how Thy Kingdom Come has helped churches reach out to their communities?
In sharing a story from Canada, Dean Bob recounts, “In St Michael’s Toronto, a Church with a big heart for those in greatest need, they blend the sharing of the good news of Christ with providing meals for those who might otherwise be hungry and a clothing bank for those for whom high street prices are out of reach. They demonstrate the way in which the kingdom of God changes lives both in the here and now and for all eternity.”
What inspires you about the Lambeth Call on Mission and Evangelism?
“I love the fact that the Lambeth Call reminds us that being a witness to Jesus Christ is the privilege and responsibility of every Christian. It’s not something just for the clergy. It is for everybody!” observes Dean Bob. “In the Acts of the Apostles, Luke uses so many different verbs to describe the way in which people passed on the good news of Jesus. As Christians went from place to place, sometimes as an evangelistic plan, at other times because of persecution, they talked about Jesus as naturally as we talk about the weather or the performance of our favourite sports team. It’s also a great thing that the Lambeth Call speaks of mission as a joy rather than a chore. In so many churches, we need to rediscover that being Christ’s great commission is the most wonderful joy.”
What encouragement would you give to Anglican churches around the world as they share the Good News of the Christian faith?
“My favourite book of the Bible is the last one: Revelation. Saint John tells his readers that he is their brother in ‘The suffering, kingdom, and patient endurance that are ours in Christ Jesus.’ There is only one ‘The’ in that sentence.
“The Christian life is a package deal. Sometimes, it’s hard even to the point of suffering. At others, it’s glorious, and it feels like the kingdom is breaking in at every turn. For much of the time, it is patient endurance. That means keeping on keeping on, and every day, putting one foot in front of the other as we walk with Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit. So my encouragement would be ‘keep going.’ Jesus has promised His kingdom will prevail against the gates of hell. It’s good to know you’re on the winning team.”
What Bible verse or passage inspires you to pray?
“Luke 18: 1 where we’re told that Jesus tells the story so that His disciples would always pray and never give up. The story is of the unjust judge, and the point is that our heavenly father could not be less like the judge in the story, and so we should pray without giving up in the knowledge that the God of love will hear us and answer us in His time.”
Further reflection
Learn more about Thy Kingdom Come.
