In the face of statistics of the rising average age of UK church ministers, the Evangelical Alliance is launching Slipstream, a brand new resource designed to develop and equip leaders.

"The average age of Anglican ministers is now 52 and rapidly increasing," reports Marcus Honeysett of Living Leadership, who welcomes the new initiative.

The Slipstream: Leaders-in-Formation website, which launches on 1 May, will provide a platform for information on hot topics and will inspire leaders of all ages but particularly encourage younger potential leaders to step forward.

Slipstream will feature regular podcasts, produced by Focus Radio, from key evangelical thinkers, activists and writers including David Jackman, Shane Claiborne and Tom Wright. The first interview will feature Terry Virgo, leader of New Frontiers, who promotes the importance of leadership succession.

Paul Woolley of Theos identifies this as one of three key needs for a new generation of leaders, alongside raising the theological awareness of younger leaders, and avoiding narrow denominational thinking that cuts younger leaders off from the wider evangelical network.

Slipstream aims to address all three of these issues. Other Slipstream resources include a Facebook discussion group, an e-newsletter, events, book reviews and course information.

Krish Kandiah, Executive Director of Churches in Mission at the Evangelical Alliance who heads up Slipstream, said: "There are so many opportunities for proclaiming and demonstrating the Gospel in our society.

"We need leaders from across the generations and across the denominations who are encouraged and equipped to rise to the challenge.

"Leaders who join Slipstream will benefit from wisdom and ideas from across the evangelical spectrum. We hope to create a momentum that will see a growing generation of leaders ready to fill the gap and lead the church forward."



Please visit www.slipstream-uk.info or email slipstream@eauk.org to sign up for the latest updates.