Mission – Ministry – Life
Recent blogging has been focused on Baptist Futures but church life this term has been notable for a significant increase in spiritual phenomena. As I reflect on spiritual gifts in church life it seems there are 6 things worth remembering. 1. Manifestations of Spirit come through people: Attempting to separate out Spirit activity and human... Continue Reading →
Phil posted a comment on my previous blog (here) that warrants a proper response. At issue is how we understand the decisions made last week by BUGB Council, so if you find the whole debate a turn off look away now. Phil says I fail to understand what the changes are about, that it is not... Continue Reading →
The institutional elements of Baptist life are under scrutiny as evidenced by blogs covering this week’s BUGB Council. Yet alongside some of the difficult stuff I want to point to some reasons for optimism.1. The large number of people who are disappointed there wasn’t something more positive and pioneering means there are large numbers of... Continue Reading →
Council was a difficult affair. This ought not to be a surprise given the outcome means some people will loose their jobs; no one should delight in pain. It was also difficult to see where the future might be and where agreement lay.After some disquiet and soul searching Council agreed to the main elements of... Continue Reading →
Off to BUGB Council again tomorrow; an extra one to progress the conversation about the Futures process. Many people, several of them friends, have invested a lot of work in this yet I go with a heavy heart because I don’t think we have identified the vision and strategy needed. - I don’t see Association... Continue Reading →
In preparation for the next BUGB Council I’ve revisited the published Futures booklet (download). I know several people who have slogged their guts out on this process over recent months (and many more whose livelihoods depend on the outcomes) which makes me hesitate to critique it, but this is not the moment for timidity.Loads of... Continue Reading →
Rev Dr Nigel G Wright who has been Principal of Spurgeon's college since 2000 has announced he is to retire next summer. He has been a good Principal for the college and it will be interesting to see who follows him. Nigel's college biography is here
The BUGB debate about its future moves onward, Council meets again in two weeks to make some decisions about the way forward. I’ll do another blog post about some of the proposals but I remain concerned we haven’t grasped the scale of the challenge we face and the culture change needed to move forward.Whatever structures... Continue Reading →
If discipleship is so important how does this impact ministers and how might it affect how we exercise ministry? How can we ensure we develop disciple making communities?1. Live out your values. If whole life discipleship is important it should permeate your ministry. First, because all of us are disciples and ministers need to live... Continue Reading →
In recent years LICC, Willow Creek and others have done some helpful work on growing whole-life disciples. But as I’ve talked with people about how the church can help, the following have been mentioned.- Creating a culture of honest experimentation; allowing people to be ‘not sure’ as well as encouraging people to ‘give it a... Continue Reading →
Distinct Reflections 