I’m saddened to see the financial problems of IBS-STL who run Wesley Owen, Authentic Media and others. The temptation is to view financial difficulty as a wholly bad thing but it is an opportunity to take a fresh approach and I hope there is a positive outcome. Finding a buyer for the Wesley Owen chain... Continue Reading →
Watching Christian TV makes me grumpy!
Twice in recent weeks I’ve wasted some free time watching Christian Satellite TV; on both occasions someone speaking at well known evangelical Christian events in the UK. The first programme made my heart sink. The speaker, who I hadn’t heard before, talked complete rubbish making comments that are contrary to the Biblical text (how is... Continue Reading →
A radical idea for BUGB?
This week I’m at Baptist Union Council which has, so far, been a positive experience. As I listen to the various reports and discussions I find myself wondering whether we need to create a new role for someone to help the Union move things on. A kind of development officer who would help the Union... Continue Reading →
Perhaps I’m still a charismatic after all.
Years ago I would happily have owned the labels ‘evangelical’ and ‘charismatic’ but these days I’m more suspicious and when asked if I identify myself as either generally want to squirm out of the implied constriction. Nevertheless I continue to believe that God speaks today; I still believe in prophecy (in the charismatic sense of... Continue Reading →
Challenges facing baptists: some random thoughts
ABP in the US are running a series of essays about Baptists asking hard questions (here), thinking particularly about the challenges facing Baptists today. Understandably they have a US focus which got me thinking what are the top challenges facing UK Baptists? So here are some thoughts….. 1. Change. Leaving aside questions about the... 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 →
Trouble with numbers.
Every year we do a church attendance survey for BUGB, this year done in September. We know that on a typical Sunday in January we have about 60% of the regular Sunday congregation present. The recent survey suggests that in the holiday months this falls to about 50% or less. So what are the factors... Continue Reading →
Is big church good or bad?
Most years I try to watch the main party leaders speeches so this afternoon has seen me watching David Cameron’s speech to the Conservative Party Conference. Leaving aside the contrast from last week, dour liberal Presbyterian to new church leader who hasn’t yet mastered hermeneutics, I found myself wondering….. In many church conversations there... 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 →
Distinct Reflections 