Today is the first day for the BUGB’s new General Secretary Lynn Green. Lynn is someone of great ability and I’m confident she will make a good impression in an often impossible role. Her experience of Union life, being a Regional Minister, as Senior Minister of Wokingham Baptist church and before that working for the... Continue Reading →
Annual holiday blog
This year’s caravanning expedition was to the Spanish Pyrenees, a longer journey but worth the extra drive. We’d visited the French side (Col de Tourmalet / Luz St Sauveur) a few years ago but, with the younger members of the family doing GCSE Spanish, and the older ones trying to learn a bit of the... Continue Reading →
Holiday camping – the nerdy details
For those who are interested here are some of the nerdy camping details of our holiday, with route planning, site reviews and supermarket details. Crossing the channel: we used Eurotunnel because it is a great way of using Tesco vouchers. Whilst Eurotunnel is 1.5 times the cost of the ferry if you book in cash,... Continue Reading →
Lessons from ministry: who am I?
My journey through ministry often feels like a life long quest to discover what sort of minister I am. I’ve now been the minister of two churches, one smaller (by UK Baptist standards) and one larger, each with their own set of challenges and demands. In many respects the first was tougher; looking back it... Continue Reading →
learning about myself: a charismatic at heart
My formative Christian years were as part of Charismatic, Evangelical churches; either Baptist or ‘New Church’. The sense that God was doing a new thing, the kingdom of God was near was the dominant culture. There were strains of course, and I emerged as someone on the side of being ‘biblical’ rather than just ‘spirit... Continue Reading →
Lessons from ministry: me, myself and depression
My recent posts have looked at things I’ve learned from my 7 years at PBC (and the 7 in Nottinghamshire) about being a minister. So to round the picture out a bit here is the first of a couple of posts on things I’ve discovered about myself: The first warning sign was the overwhelming feeling... Continue Reading →
Easypastor.com. Sundays are an event
Sunday worship is in essence a simple affair; a gathering of believers who meet in Jesus’ name. Of course, this desire to meet in Jesus’ name requires more than simply turning up, it suggests a meeting that embodies the character and intentions of Jesus; so when we meet we want to put Scripture at the... Continue Reading →
Lessons from ministry: church meetings don’t work
When I first worked this out it felt like a guilty secret; but over the last six months I’ve seen several comments and articles which show I’m far from alone. Yet, I’m a Baptist Minister so surely I should be committed to this distinctive pillar of Baptist life? But what is it that Church Meetings... Continue Reading →
Easypastor.com. It takes a team
If I’ve learned nothing else from my years in ministry it is that I need a team. Who you need around you varies depending on your own gifts / skills but I need someone (or people) - Worship leader: someone with musicality who can lead the band, lead the congregation in song, choose songs and... Continue Reading →
Lessons from ministry: death of the hunter-gatherer
Early humans were hunter-gathers, a way of life that gave way to agriculture and settled modes of living. But whatever the advances this had for human history, it marks an unfortunate tendency in church life. Bluntly, most churches structure for comfort and stability. We like each other and like what we do, so developing an... Continue Reading →
Distinct Reflections 