Ballymoney Baptist Church
Ballymoney is about 45 minutes by car north of Belfast towards the North Antrim coast. The church started in 1984 with just two families. The rooky pastor and wife were Steven and Gail Curry. Before going, comments on the situation from various people were not positive. Within three weeks of arrival Steven received a call to go to another church! But Steven stayed and, starting with a home Bible study with the two families, the fellowship grew. A church was constituted in September 1986 and a building was erected on the outskirts of Ballymoney in 1992. The church has grown steadily and now, with around 140 people in attendance, is looking to add an extension.
EN was able to talk to Steven Curry in May.
EN: Can you describe what is happening in Northern Ireland from a Christian point of view?
SC: Northern Ireland is changing very quickly. There is a decline in the church generally and, simultaneously in some places, as a reaction, a hardening in traditionalism, which is quite negative. In 1957, just 0.7% of people in Northern Ireland identified themselves as non-religious. By 1967 that figure had risen to 2.4%. In 2001 it had become 10.2%. It is estimated that, by the time of the next census, the ‘non-religious’ will be the second biggest ‘religious’ grouping next to Catholicism. So secularisation is taking its toll. In the past, the province has been a bastion of conservative evangelicalism. But I sometimes wonder if there has been too much cold-call house-to-house visitation, which has been insensitive and our evangelism has irritated people rather than actually commended the gospel and the church to people. Whatever we may think of the power-sharing arrangements, in recent years since the end of the troubles, the province has become far more prosperous. Whereas, say, four years ago, houses were comparatively cheap compared with the rest of the UK, houses have now tripled in value and are much the same as many parts of England. On the other hand, there are not too many jobs suitable for graduates, especially in the rural areas, so we tend to lose young people.
