Jonathan Bellamy spoke with Ian Cole, the visionary of the World Prayer Centre

Jonathan: Do you think there are any triggers or keys that we've yet to discover to bring about that unity? Do you think that we're too comfortable; not passionate enough, or anything like that?

Ian: Looking at the evidence around the world where there is desperation, then God responds to desperation and I don't think there is a true desperation. I think there is a longing in many people's hearts, but I think basically as a nation we told God we don't need him. We're constantly told there isn't a God. We're constantly being fed unbelief and so that's turned into a very negative thing that I think has crept into the church. I think that we have got to break that and to see a coming together; an agenda list coming together if I can put it that way; where we're not coming to promote or sell something; we've just come humbly before God and we say God, we submit to you and your ways, please will you come and save. I think in that context God will respond to his people's cry.

Jonathan: You are coming to Stoke-on-Trent for a conference. It's a national conference called Transformation. What is it about this conference that resonates with you that you want to be a part of it?

Ian: Well, again, having travelled into several places around the world I've seen that it's important for the body of Christ to come together. That's not just the church leaders; it's the market place leaders; social action leaders and its youth. Everybody needs to realise that they have got a role to play; that there aren't just specific things that only a few people can do, but everybody in society; every Christian in society has got a role to play. When that takes place, we see it bringing changes at governmental level; local authority level and a social level. With Ed Silvoso coming and talking about transformation in the marketplace, that really grabbed me and I thought that's something I'd love to be at, because that's what I've seen and that's what we long for here.

Jonathan: Ed Silvoso's well known for being involved in the Argentinian revival and he's very respected for his teaching on the church in the marketplace. From your experience and knowledge of him, can you explain a bit more of what you anticipate he's going to bring?

Ian: I think he has got such a passion for the marketplace. It's wonderful when you meet somebody who's got that kind of passion and it's quite infectious. I just want to be in something and encourage people to be in something that is bringing life; is bringing a challenge and it's bringing an understanding of God's heart; not just for the marketplace, although that is Ed's real area of concentration, but it's for everybody. The whole essence of discipling nations; of reclaiming the marketplace and understanding the guy who runs the little shop or a factory is as much a missionary as anybody else is. That kind of understanding is so exciting and I believe so liberating to the body of Christ. I used to pray for a guy who's retired now; a business man in the city who had nearly 200 staff and I used to pray for him regularly and phone him up every couple of months. He was so excited that I did this. He said you're the only Christian that ever prays for me and I'm thinking here's a man with a couple of hundred staff he's responsible for; he's got a mission field and we should be praying for this guy and supporting him as much as we would anybody going out with YWAM or OM or anybody else.

You can find out more about the Transformation conference on the Saltbox website.

You can find out more about Trumpet Call 2013 on the World Prayer Centre website.