A Pioneering Pastor and Prayer Warrior

By Andrew Gardner

Pastor Frank Mitchell, one of the pioneers of the Free Methodist Church UK, went to be with the Lord on Sept. 30, 2023.

Frank’s beloved wife, Jean, often referred to him as “the Reverend Mitchell,” which lent him special grace and dignity, and emphasised the deep sense of calling they shared throughout their lives together.

Frank was a Methodist minister who, along with other colleagues, came to a painful and sad parting with the church of their heritage. The Methodist Church in the United Kingdom had embraced the liberal theology of the early part of the 20th century. However, many evangelical Methodists who had grown up with this liberal theology held fast to their orthodox position on the Bible and their evangelical commitment to serve Christ as their Saviour, Lord and God. But the 1960s saw a resurgence of what some called “Modernism.” This was tragically expressed through Christian ministers and lay preachers who publicly denied the historical resurrection of Jesus and the virgin birth.

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“It was a costly and significant step of faith for them and their families.”

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What to do? Frank, along with colleagues and lay leaders, earnestly prayed for God to show them the right way forward. They concluded that, for the sake of the next generation, they would leave the Methodist Church in order to establish evangelical churches that held to their Wesleyan heritage.

One of their number, Rev. Ron Taylor, had links with Victor Trinder, the then Free Methodist representative in Northern Ireland, who put us in touch with the Free Methodist Church USA.

Together with Frank Mitchell and Barry Walton, this “Gang of Three,” now ex-Methodist ministers, spent hours working through what it would mean to lead the five brand-new churches they had established into the Free Methodist family. In Free Methodism, they saw the opportunity to lead people in an orthodox environment while continuing with their cherished birthright of Wesleyan Methodism.

The ministers who left Methodism experienced short shrift from their mother church. They had to quickly leave their manses (parsonages) and forfeit their pension rights as well as their salaries. It was a costly and significant step of faith for them and their families.

Theologian, Evangelist, Pastor, Family Man

Of the three men, Frank was the theologian. An academic, a Bible teacher, an evangelist and pastor, he led a group of Christians in Heysham, northwest England, UK. (Heysham is a small town with magnificent views of the English Lake District mountains across a beautiful bay.) Initially, the church met in rented accommodation. They then purchased a large house with a meeting room downstairs, and an apartment above for the Mitchell family. The church grew to a community of over 100 people. Eventually they purchased land and built a modern church building, miraculously debt-free. They even got to name the road leading up the hill to the new premises — Emmaus Road!

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“Frank never lost sight of the need to keep his thinking fresh, and he read theology until near his death at the age of 95.”

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Here, Frank was a much-loved, faithful minister for over 25 years, during which time he was one of the patriarchs of the Free Methodist movement in England, serving on ministerial boards, and ethics committees. He, and the other patriarch ministers in the early 1970s, spearheaded a movement in England that today includes more than 40 churches across the nation.

Frank never lost sight of the need to keep his thinking fresh, and he read theology until near his death at the age of 95. During retirement, he had a significant itinerant preaching ministry and continued to be a great encouragement to the pastors he had mentored.

Frank confessed that due to his deep love of his heritage, he “thought in hymns.” At his funeral and thanksgiving service on Friday, Oct. 20, we sang some of his favourites, such as “All the way, my Saviour leads me, what have I to ask beside?” and “All to Jesus I surrender. … I surrender all.”

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“They honoured the great impact of Frank’s wisdom, encouragement, and friendship over many years.”

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At this service, some of the men he had mentored brought tributes. They honoured the great impact of Frank’s wisdom, encouragement, and friendship over many years.

Frank and Jean’s son, Andrew, himself a pastor, described his dad as “a devoted husband, a loving, stern and attentive father, and a fun-filled grandfather” who was ready to roll on the floor pretending to die a thousand dramatic deaths as his “war game” backfired on him and his grandchildren forced him to give in!

Alive in Christ

We are so privileged to have known Frank who, at the age of 95, is more alive than ever in Christ’s gloriously resurrected presence. Paul wrote to the church of the Thessalonians, in 1 Thessalonians 4:17–18, “We will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

Finally, our heartfelt thanks go to Frank for selflessly giving himself to ensure the truth of the gospel could be shared with so many. We pray for Jean that she will know God’s nearness, and that He will strengthen her spirit in these coming days.

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