For well over 30 years Nigel was full time administrator to Terry Virgo and the Newfrontiers apostolic team. He is passionate about serving those who are poor or in need and helps churches to develop ‘best practice’ ministries using a tool he has developed: The Ministry Health Check. This results in an Action Plan to help a church improve its ministries. Currently he is involved in planting a church in Bath, UK, and also encouraging and advising both locally and internationally ministries who are helping people in need.
Trained as a professional Rehabilitation Engineer Nigel led a research team from 1967-81 in a specialist paediatric hospital, Chailey Heritage, seen by many as a ‘Centre of Excellence’. Initially he designed limbs for Thalidomide-affected children who had been born with severe limb-deficiencies, and later worked with a wider group of physically disabled children.
He and his wife Janita first met Terry in 1968 when he spoke at the first meeting of a Bible Study group in their home which they started with another newly-married couple living in the same village. From that first meeting started a life-long friendship. In 1977 a church was planted out of this Home Group in Haywards Heath – now The Kings Church (Mid-Sussex) – out of which a further three churches were subsequently planted. This church has since relocated into its own premises in Burgess Hill to accommodate growth.
In the summer of 1980, Terry invited him to join a newly formed team as his administrator. This team represented the beginning of what is now Newfrontiers, although at that stage it took the name Coastlands, taken from a verse in Is 41 ‘The coastlands (ends of the earth) wait expectantly for your instruction’. From the start they had a vision to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.
Nigel’s experience in administration began with organising Leaders’ Days and public Celebrations for Terry in the mid- and late-70s. He was also one of the organisers of the Downs Bible Week, launched in 1979 at Plumpton Racecourse in Sussex, UK, and held for ten years. Then, after a 2-year gap, the Stoneleigh Bible Week was started. This grew to 28,000 over a further 11 years.
From 1981-2014 Nigel served the Church of Christ the King (CCK) in Brighton (now Emmanuel Church) both as an Elder for over 20 years and Chair of the charitable trust for 30+ years. He then moved to Bath.
Through the postings on this blog he shares some of the skills and experiences that God has taught him over the years. There are two main thrusts, Biblical Administration and Ministry with the Poor. These are encapsulated in the title ‘Feeding 5000 is no picnic…’ His hope and prayer is that this blog will better equip members of the body of Christ to contribute to the Great Commission to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.