As comments to my Home Mission post demonstrate there is some distrust of larger Baptist Churches in the UK. As someone who was previously a minister of a Home Mission supported small church I have some experience on both sides of this; there is something dispiriting about the suspicion that the life of your congregation... Continue Reading →
BUGB Home Mission 2
In a previous post I promised some thoughts on the way ahead so here goes: Home Mission depends on voluntary contributions from churches. In the last couple of years the Union has changed its appeal to encourage each church to give 5% of income to Home Mission. I’m sure this is the right strategy; it... Continue Reading →
NWBA ministers’ conference
I’ve spent the last couple of days commuting between home and the NWBA ministers conference so a couple of reflections. 1. One speaker: the Rt Rev Chris Edmundson Bishop of Bolton drew a distinction between a balanced life and a life with rhythm. Too often we compartmentalise life into different areas and seek to give... Continue Reading →
Religious Studies: A letter to Michael Gove
A number of petitions seem to be doing the rounds at present, encouraging the Government to include Religious Studies in the list of subjects included within the new English Baccalaureate qualification they are introducing. Rather than sign a petition I thought I would write my own letter which follows: Rt Hon Michael Gove MP... Continue Reading →
Fissiparousness alert: Rob Bell makes waves
Rob Bell’s latest book isn’t even published but is already making waves in the US. No doubt this is exactly what the publishers wanted when they wrote this blurb (source Amazon.com): Fans flock to his Facebook page, his NOOMA videos have been viewed by millions, and his Sunday sermons are attended by 10,000 parishioners—with a... Continue Reading →
BUGB Home Mission 1
In recent weeks there have been letters in the Baptist Times concerning the Baptist Union’s Home Mission fund, the size of the deficit and how money is used. So I thought I might write a post or two about Home Mission. This post looks at some questions and another will comment on possible ways forward.... Continue Reading →
Half Term in Shropshire
Last week was half term so we took the caravan away to Shropshire; staying at the Camping and Caravanning Club site in Oswestry (though the site is midway between Oswestry and Shrewsbury). As C&CC sites go it is one of the better ones. Pitch with a view and decent amenities block. The site boasts that... Continue Reading →
Grumpy old man
It is half term so the kids brought the High School’s latest newsletter home today. Usually we have a fun time checking and correcting the grammar. However, just for fun I have reproduced an extract from the front page written by the Head Teacher on the subject of the Government's proposed English Baccalaureate. "......Whilst it... Continue Reading →
Opinionated waffle
Weeks have flown by since I last got to blog though there has been no shortage of things to be opinionated about. And to prove it here are a few random thoughts: Big Society: David Cameron continues to push the Big Society agenda which asks some pertinent questions about the nature, size and reach of... Continue Reading →
Evangelicals
The Evangelical Alliance has produced a survey of ‘Evangelical Christians’. The survey sample was made up of people attending large Christian events and a selection of churches who belong to the Alliance. However, given that 96% of those responding said they attended church weekly and 76% a small group I conclude that the sample is... Continue Reading →
Distinct Reflections 