Evangelist Roberts Liardon has
been named principal of the
International Bible Institute of
London (IBIOL), the training arm
of the charismatic Kensington
Temple London City Church.
The school, which began classes
Monday, trains Christians to
evangelize throughout Europe
and around the world.
"Roberts brings an enormous
amount of experience in ministry
in general and in training in
particular," said Colin Dye,
founder and president of the
school and apostolic overseer of
Kensington Temple. "We know
Roberts will be a blessing to us,
and we hope to be a blessing to
him."
The appointment comes nearly
eight years after Liardon stepped
down from his Embassy Christian
Center in Irvine, Calif., after
confessing to a short-term
homosexual relationship with
the church's youth pastor.
Dye said he believes Liardon, 43,
has been fully restored to
ministry since his December
2001 confession.
"He went far beyond the
recommendations set for him by
those involved in the initial six-
month process of his
restoration," Dye said. "After two
years of counseling and recovery,
he returned to ministry."
The scandal, however, triggered
an exodus from Liardon's church
and his accredited school, Spirit
Life Bible College. Some leaders
who left complained that Liardon
did not accept initial pastoral
counsel from a leader who
advised him to step away from
the pulpit for one year.
Both organizations closed in
2007, when Liardon relocated
his itinerant preaching ministry
to Florida.
Dye believes the two ministries
will be of mutual benefit. Because
Kensington Temple is part of the
Elim Pentecostal Churches of
Great Britain, Liardon will be
subject to its accountability
structure as part of the church's
staff.
But Dye said Liardon is
answering a Macedonian call by
moving to London, where he
said religious freedom is being
stifled as a result of Islam's
influence across Europe. In
September, a Christian couple
who run a hotel in England was
arrested for talking to a Muslim
about Jesus, he said. Other
Christians have been fired for
saying "God bless you" or
wearing a cross.
"[Liardon's] burden for Europe as
a major 21st-century spiritual
battleground has been
welcomed by European ministers
who see his coming as part of
the ongoing spiritual partnership
between the U.S. and Europe,"
Dye said.
In a statement, Liardon said
IBIOL will emphasize evangelism
to prepare students to reach
diverse communities with the
gospel. "IBIOL is raising up men
and women of faith who can
stand against these challenges,"
Liardon said. "We are training
them to re-evangelize European
nations and to plant new
churches. Much of Europe has no
effective evangelical witness."
Liardon is the author of God's
Generals, a history of Pentecostal
pioneers. He has relocated to
London, but will continue
preaching, writing and leading
his international missions
ministry.
www.charismamag.com/site-archives/570-news/featured-news/6905-evangelist-roberts-liardon-leads-london-bible-college-