Mission – Ministry – Life
Blogging output has been a bit quiet over recent months. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, since February my mother has been unwell with repeated hospital admissions. She has a range of medical issues which now includes a dementia diagnosis. This has made the last six months quite difficult; it isn't easy making... Continue Reading →
I learned some unexpected things in Peru. But what did I learn that might help back in the UK? Of course, I’ve come back to work for Latin Link but if I was going back to lead a local church I think these are some of the lessons I’d be putting into practice. Integral mission:... Continue Reading →
As thoughts turn to the year ahead it’s always with a mixture of anticipation and uncertainty that I think about aims / resolutions. In any case 2014 demonstrated that whatever aims I wrote in January, I had no idea what was to happen! My ability to foretell the future hasn’t improved since last year but... Continue Reading →
It was great to attend this earlier in the week, an annual gathering facilitated by BUGB for team leaders from the Union’s ‘larger’ churches. It’s encouraging to spend time with people who do a similar role to me, who face similar challenges and struggles, without feeling the need to apologise. [It is a strange quirk... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
Whilst being a minister is not that difficult (as my last post indicated) it is also harder than it looks. Over the last few years I’ve come to recognise a few of the reasons why. 1. The demands are relentless. It is not necessarily the volume but the fact that it keeps coming. Emails and... Continue Reading →
My second lesson from my 7 years in my current role (and 14 as a minister) is that being the minister isn’t as difficult as it looks or is made to sound. You need to manage 10 things, the first three need to be done well, the remainder you have a bit of latitude to... Continue Reading →
Distinct Reflections 