As Council moves towards a close it has been an odd few days. In many ways it has been a good council; well organised, gracious and getting through the agenda on time. However, two of the items of business have shown why denominational life can be slow going. First, the debate about women in... Continue Reading →
Images in preaching
As someone who routinely uses images as a backdrop to my preaching I was pleased to come across this site. The site isn't simply a collection of pictures but designed to use images as a means of spiritual reflection. Like other sites it will only be as good as the contributions made to it but... Continue Reading →
Is there anything that every minister should know?
I intended by earlier post about books to be followed by one which listed five books that every Baptist Minister should read. But I can’t decide what should be on the list not least because no book is so important that every minister should read it. There is a certain baseline of knowledge that... Continue Reading →
Books which influence me
Challenged to name some books that have influenced me I’ve pondered a few book lists over the last couple of days. So here is a list of books, that don’t require a degree in theology to understand, which influence how I do ministry. Stanley Hauerwas Resident Aliens. Hauerwas’ approach to ethics and the task... Continue Reading →
Interactive church?
I’ve been thinking recently about the ‘interactive’ option that we sometimes have as part of our morning services; an option where people get opportunity to discuss a topic over coffee & croissant whilst the rest of the church prays, sings and listens to my preaching. The feedback is very positive (which may simply be a... Continue Reading →
Building a ministry team
We are searching for an Associate Minister, a more stressful task than I anticipated. I’ve been through the Baptist settlement process twice as a candidate and once as a church moderator but looking for someone to join the team here brings out different questions. Some while ago I came across Bill Hybel’s 3 C’s for... Continue Reading →
Your ministry age – how old are you?
I came across this in Leadership Journal a few months ago and am pleased to say that an on-line version of the questionnaire is now available (here)I was thinking of giving a prize for the person who correctly identifies my age (according to this I'm a younger leader) but wouldn't be easy in blogosphere......
Consumer ministry?
A thought crossed my mind in a discussion yesterday: to what degree should a minister resist giving people what they want in favour of giving people what is good for them? Both ends of the spectrum are easy enough to rule out. First because it is patronising to believe that I always know better than... Continue Reading →
Positive intent
Maybe I keep the wrong company but I sense that ministers often find it easy to lapse into cynicism, to allow grumpy to become a stock in trade. But ordination wasn’t a call to grumpiness but a call to manifest grace, it wasn’t a charge to negativity but a charge to holiness. In a... Continue Reading →
Tired out
I promised some further reflections on ministry and I’m often struck by the way ministry makes me tired. This may say more about me than about the nature of ministry because the things that enthuse or energise people vary, as do the things which drain you. Neither is this to suggest that ministry is more... Continue Reading →
Distinct Reflections 