Stephen meets children at an orphanage he supports in India
Stephen Potter reflects on 46 years of ministry
With nearly five decades in ministry behind him, ‘dancing pastor’ Stephen Potter is grateful for the freedom and grace God has blessed his ministry with
When you look back at your time in church, what are the main things God has taught you?
For Stephen Potter, it’s the freedom of the Holy Spirit and the power of grace, kindness and mercy.
Stephen is reflecting on 46 years in ministry as he prepares for retirement, having led churches in Essex and Portsmouth and supported many pastors in India over the past five decades.
“One of the key things that’s characterised my ministry has been an understanding of grace as opposed to law,” he says.
“I’ve tried to teach people to always treat one another with grace. Ultimately, I’ve learned it’s the kindness of God that leads people to repentance and change.”
Stephen’s time as a minister began in 1974 when he and his wife Marie moved to Hadleigh in Essex to lead the Elim church there. In his early years there he first experienced the power of the Holy Spirit.
“Marie and I were very traditional Pentecostals before, quite legalistic. But we both had encounters with the Holy Spirit at Hadleigh Elim which really changed us.
“We’d been quite reserved in our worship, for example, but being touched by the Spirit brought such release and freedom.
“I danced in worship for the first time and was known as the dancing pastor after that. I’ve danced ever since!”
Over the nine years that Stephen and Marie led Hadleigh Elim they saw the church grow from a handful of people to around 120, but eventually it was time to move. As is so often the case, however, things didn’t go as they imagined. Stephen was considering the idea of working as a missionary in France, but God had other ideas.
“We prayed about whether it was right to go and God spoke to me from Ezekiel 3:6 which talks about not being called to ‘peoples of obscure speech and strange language.’”
HOLY SPIRIT
Instead, the couple were invited to take up leadership of Oasis Church in Portsmouth. There, they encountered more of the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s grace and taught this to the congregation.
“A big part of my role has been teaching. I love studying the Bible and the challenge of continuing the transforming of the church culture to being less rule-bound to increasingly more open to the Spirit.”
They also felt prompted to serve the community around them in practical ways. “One of the things we felt God ask us was if the church was to disappear, would the community notice? We decided to act on this and get to know people around us.”
Stephen Potter leading outreach on the Guildhall Steps in Portsmouth during the 1990s
Oasis Church is in an area of Portsmouth called Landport, densely populated and one of the most socially deprived areas in Europe. With this in mind, the church began by launching a lunch club for older people that has developed into a daily place for isolated people to gather.
The church also hosts an advice service and helps people with practical tasks like filling in forms now through Personal Choice, a charity started by Marie and now led by hard-working and multi-skilled staff and volunteers. Other popular activities are chair-based exercises and a computer club.
“We’ve had people in their 90s come in and send their first ever email!” Stephen says.
One of the latest developments at Oasis Church is the launch of a pantry where local people can get around £25 worth of food for just £4.
“It’s a way of feeding the hungry but enabling them to keep their dignity,” he says. “Around 100 people come through the building each week to be a part of these things. Even though they don’t necessarily come to church on Sunday they consider the church to be their church and me to be their pastor. The philosophy behind this work again links back to grace, kindness and mercy.
“We have a theory that people first belong, then they believe, then they behave. It’s not us who change people but the Holy Spirit.” With this work established, it’s time for Stephen to retire. So what’s next for him and Marie?
“I’m going to get a T-shirt printed that says, ‘No, I don’t know what I’ll do when I retire!’,” he laughs.
“I’m staying on at the church for a couple of months to help while they wait for someone new to come. I’m not sure what comes after that, although one thing I’d like to do is learn Hindi and Bengali. I speak a little of both but I’m nowhere near as good as I’d like to be.”
And what have been his favourite parts of being a pastor?
“Learning to hear the voice of God through the Scriptures and teaching what I hear to the church,” he says. “I’ve really enjoyed that. I’ve enjoyed seeing both churches grow and I’ve loved the worship and the presence of the Holy Spirit.”
Developing pastors and women leaders in India
When Stephen first visited India 30 years ago it was at the request of a pastor who had saved one penny a month to buy a stamp to write and invite him.
He admits he was anxious on that first trip: “I remember Marie saying goodbye to me at the airport and as I was going through the departure lounge they were playing the song ‘All By Myself’. I was really nervous!” he says.
But since then the relationship has blossomed. Stephen and Marie now care for around 90 pastors in five states, with their support including monthly teaching, encouragement and financial gifts. Many of these pastors now come under the cover of Elim Global.
A big part of this has been Marie’s work with women. As a business- woman, she has inspired women in India to build good relationships and healthy boundaries within their families and helped them to empower other women.
“We bought sewing machines for women in the villages and the women Marie has worked with have taught others how to become self-sufficient and earn an income for their families through their sewing. They’ve been able to evangelise too.”
This article first appeared in Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.
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