Hugh Osgood Explained

Hugh Osgood
Birth Date:21 April 1947
Birth Place:London, England
Nationality:British
Spouse:Marion (m 1972)
Religion:Evangelical Christianity
Previous Post:Moderator of the Free Churches Group,Free Church President of Churches Together in England
The Reverend Doctor
Church:Founder of Churches in Communities International

Hugh James Osgood is a British church leader, author, and director.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] He was appointed Moderator of the Free Churches Group on 17 September 2014, following the resignation of Michael Heaney, and was the first President to serve for successive terms.[6] [7] [8] [9] He was also the Free Churches President of Churches Together in England,[10] [11] and is the co-convenor of the UK Charismatic and Pentecostal Leaders’ Conference, and founding President of Churches in Communities International.[12] [13] He is largely known for his work on racial justice, social cohesion and supporting African Christianity in the United Kingdom.[14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22]

Early life and education

Osgood was born in 1947 into a Salvation Army family in Southall, England. Osgood attended The Knoll School for Boys. He studied at St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical School and the London School of Dentistry. He received a Bachelor of Dental Surgery in 1970.[23] In his own words, during the summer of 1965 when reading C. S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity, he discovered his calling as an evangelical Christian leader and pursued local church ministry in parallel to dentistry.[24] Subsequently, he received a Master of Divinity degree through the Full Gospel Assembly Bible College' Lahore, Pakistan, then earned his theological PhD through The School of African and Oriental Studies at London University.[25]

Career

Osgood was accepted as a missionary with the African Evangelical Fellowship in 1971, but was unable to travel to Zambia due to President Kenneth Kaunda's decision to cut aid to medical projects.[24] Osgood then joined a small house church in Forest Hill in London, that was linked to the ministry of George North, before establishing a congregation in Bromley, which he led as Bromley North Free Church until 1991. Osgood gave up dentistry incrementally while pastoring the Bromley church. The elders of Bromley Christian Centre, part of the Assemblies of God in Great Britain, approached Osgood in 1989 and decided to combine their church's ministry with that of Bromley North Free Church. After a year of joint activity, Osgood then planted Cornerstone Christian Centre[26] [27] [28] [29] in 1991 as an independent resource centre church where he pioneered a TV department (which was to become Charis Communications), the staff of which, including Howard Conder and Rory and Wendy Alec, went on to establish Revelation TV and GOD TV. Broadcasting began in 1994 on London Cable Network.

National and international ministry

From 1988, Hugh Osgood worked for Billy Graham's Mission '89,[30] and established the Council of Reference for Morris Cerullo's Mission to London in 1992.

In 1997, Osgood founded Churches in Communities International as an accountability and accreditation body for independent churches and ministries. This was in response to the significant increase in independent churches throughout the UK who were not formally recognised due to their autonomy.[31] Osgood is the current President of Churches in Communities International which had 117 member churches, 86 chaplains and 316 ministers in 2022.[32] [33]

Osgood was elected as the 60th Free Churches Moderator by the then twenty-four Free Church denominations of England and Wales in September 2014.[34] [35] He is well known in the denominations for his non-partisan ecumenical cooperation.[36] In 2017 he stated, "it doesn’t really bother me that we’ve got lots of denominations as long as we all respect each other and love each other as Jesus said".[37]

During Osgood's tenure as Free Church Moderator, he led the Free Churches Group response to the death of David Amess[38] and released a statement along with other prominent British church leaders, including the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, following the murder of George Floyd.[39] In February 2021, Osgood signed an open letter to the Home Secretary calling for asylum seekers to be no longer housed in barracks.[40] [41]

Personal life

Osgood is married to Marion who is also an author.[42]

Apostolic Networks

Hugh Osgood has been known to associate with leading figures from the radical house church movement of the 1960s such as Terry Virgo of New Frontiers, Colin Dye of Kensington Temple, Colin Urquhart of Kingdom Faith Church, Noel Stanton of the Jesus Army and John Wimber of the Vineyard Movement who have been criticised by some reformed theologians[43] [44] [45] for misusing the term 'apostolic networks'.[46] Osgood has never referred to himself as an 'apostle' and in 2016 he presented a paper to the Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Conference in which he stated, "many Pentecostals, Independents and other evangelicals increasingly see themselves, regarding unity as being more about respect than institutional convergence".[47]

Bibliography

Journal articles

Book chapters

Books

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Osgood . Hugh James . 10 March 2024 . Hugh James Osgood personal appointments . 10 March 2024 . gov.uk.
  2. Web site: Dr Hugh Osgood Author . 2024-03-11 . Premier Christianity . en.
  3. Web site: Social cohesion is for life, not just for crises . 2024-03-14 . www.churchtimes.co.uk.
  4. Web site: Erickson . Melanie . 2022-10-14 . Pastors Inspired, Encouraged at Calgary Summit . 2024-03-14 . The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association of Canada.
  5. Web site: 2014-10-01 . Dare to dream at a church conference in Wisbech . 2024-03-15 . Cambs Times . en.
  6. Web site: Churches Together in England : Free Churches Group elects new Moderator. cte.org.uk. 2017-05-16.
  7. Web site: Free Churches Group names new moderator. Premier. 25 November 2016 . 1 December 2016.
  8. Web site: Free Churches Group. Free Churches Group. 16 May 2017.
  9. Web site: Search for "hugh osgood" . 2024-03-11 . Churches Together in England . en-US.
  10. Web site: The Presidents of Churches Together in England. Churches Together in England. 16 May 2017.
  11. Web site: Two new presidents for Churches Together in England . 2024-03-11 . www.churchtimes.co.uk.
  12. Web site: Meet The Team . 2024-03-11 . CiC International . en-US.
  13. Web site: 2024-02-09 . Tributes to Roger Forster . 2024-03-11 . Churches Together in England . en-US.
  14. Olofinjana . Israel Oluwole . 2019 . Reverse Mission: African Presence and Mission within Baptists Together1 in the United Kingdom . Journal of European Baptist Studies . 19 . 2 . 106 . Jebs EU.
  15. Adedibu . Babatunde . 2016-01-02 . Missional History and the Growth of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in the United Kingdom (1988–2015) . Journal of the European Pentecostal Theological Association . en . 36 . 1 . 80–93 . 10.1080/18124461.2016.1138631 . 1812-4461.
  16. Moyo . Anderson . January 2016 . MISSIONAL STRATEGIES FROM ANTIOCH: LESSONS FOR AFRICAN MISSIONARIES IN BRITAIN . Missio Africanus Journal of African Missiology . 1 . 2 . 42–49.
  17. Web site: Building Back Better Conference: The Church and Social Cohesion . 2024-03-15 . Theos Think Tank.
  18. Web site: https://discovered.ed.ac.uk/discovery/fulldisplay?vid=44UOE_INST:44UOE_VU2&tab=Everything&docid=alma9921355003502466&lang=en&context=L&query=any,contains,0691157103&offset=0 . 2024-03-15 . discovered.ed.ac.uk . en.
  19. Web site: Social cohesion is for life, not just for crises . 2024-03-15 . www.churchtimes.co.uk.
  20. Web site: 2020-07-28 . Call to address racial injustice by CTE Presidents . 2024-03-15 . ctbi.org.uk . en-GB.
  21. Web site: Guildford . Diocese of . Churches across the country unite in prayer for Ukraine - Diocese of Guildford . 2024-03-15 . www.cofeguildford.org.uk . en.
  22. https://www.anglicannews.org/news/2018/12/uk-christian-and-jewish-leaders-speak-against-anti-semitism-and-persecution-of-christians.aspx
  23. Book: Kay, William K . Apostolic Networks in Britain, New Ways of Being Church . 2007 . . 978-1-84227-409-5 . British Library . 182 . English.
  24. Book: Kay . William . Apostolic Networks in Britain . 2007 . Paternoster . 1 . Milton Keynes . 182.
  25. Osgood. Hugh. African neo-pentecostal churches and British Evangelicalism 1985-2005 : balancing principles and practicalities.. catalogue.libraries.london.ac.uk. University of London. 30 November 2016.
  26. Book: Black Majority Churches UK. 2003. African and Caribbean Evangelical Alliance. 52.
  27. Web site: Leadership. Cornerstone Christian Centre. 6 December 2016.
  28. Book: Perriman. Andrew. Faith, Health & Prosperity. 2003. Paternoster Press. xi.
  29. Book: Edwards. Joel. Lord, Make Us One. 1999. Hodder & Stoughton. 107. 1st.
  30. Book: Pettie. Gordon. Hey Howie. 2013. Fines Creek Publishing. 97.
  31. Web site: History . 2024-03-11 . CiC International . en-US.
  32. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/595b5e8a8419c2e81ee4a3a5/t/638900a34375fd068501ebce/1669923009243/CiC+AMM+2022.pdf
  33. Web site: CHURCHES IN COMMUNITIES INTERNATIONAL - Charity 1139043 . 2024-03-14 . register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk . en-GB.
  34. News: Tibbs. Joy. Free Churches Group names new moderator. 23 December 2016. Premier Christian Radio. 19 September 2014.
  35. Assisted dying: leaders of faith communities speak out against new billThe Observer, 05 Sep 2015: 46.
  36. Mladin . Natan . 2014 . That they all may be one: Insights into Churches Together in England and contemporary ecumenism . Theos . 7.
  37. Web site: 2018-09-25 . Progress of Christian unity witnessed at CTE Forum . 2024-04-15 . ctbi.org.uk . en-GB.
  38. Web site: Osgood . Hugh . 15 October 2021 . Free Churches Group Moderator Revd Dr Hugh Osgood, Offers Condolence on the Death of David Amess MP . 10 March 2024 . Free Churches Group.
  39. Web site: 2020-06-10 . CTE Member Churches Take a Stand Against Racial Injustice . 2024-03-11 . Churches Together in England . en-US.
  40. Web site: 2021-02-11 . Church leaders call for Government to stop housing asylum seekers in barracks – Churches Together in Cornwall infoHub . 2024-03-14 . en-GB.
  41. Web site: Church leaders call for Government to stop housing asylum seekers in barracks . 2024-03-14 . www.churchofengland.org.
  42. Book: Osgood, Marion . Whatever Happened to Kathy Keay? . 2010-05-10 . Roperpenberthy Publishing, Limited . 978-1-903905-47-0 . en.
  43. Book: Scott, Benjamin G. McNair . Apostles Today: Making Sense of Contemporary Christian Apostolates: A Historical and Theological Appraisal . 25 December 2014 . The Lutterworth Press . 9780718893552 . 50.
  44. Web site: Restorationism and the 'house church' movement . 2024-03-14 . The Gospel Coalition . en-US.
  45. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/287589017.pdf
  46. Web site: Scott . Benjamin G. McNair . 25 December 2014 . Apostles Today: Making Sense of Contemporary Christian Apostolates . 11 March 2024 . The Lutterworth Press.
  47. Osgood . Hugh . 23 November 2016 . A unity perspective drawn from Acts 15 . Journal of CTBI . 5.
  48. Osgood. Hugh. Pentecostalism: global trends and local adjustments. Journal of the European Pentecostal Theological Association. 2008. 28 . 28. 62–76 . 10.1179/jep.2008.28.1.006 . 144884336 .
  49. Book: Osgood. Hugh. The Power of Purity. 2016. Charis House Publishing. Bromley. 1.
  50. Book: Osgood. Hugh. Understanding God. 2016. Charis House Publishing. Bromley. 1.
  51. Book: Osgood. Hugh. Myers. Glenn. The Failure File. 1991. Scripture Union.

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