In the UK Parliament debate on ‘gay marriage’ I was struck by the negative perception many MP’s had of the way Christians campaigned against the bill; and in some cases with good reason. Which makes me wonder if we need a fresh non-conformist voice in public life that is nuanced and engaged. What might this... Continue Reading →
Challenges of church culture
Reading a little about business cultures recently makes me suspect that paying more attention to culture might help us understand what is going on in church life.Churches vary in size, but each size transition marks a change in culture. Smaller churches, where everyone knows each other gradually grow into churches centred around the pastoral skills... Continue Reading →
Gay Marriage
Since Steve Chalke's article last week a number of people have responded to his article. By co-incidence Poynton Baptist Church's Sunday evening gathering last week had previously planned to talk about 'gay marriage'. Following on from this evening conversation I have produced a short booklet that describes some of the issues. You can download it... Continue Reading →
Steve Chalke hits headlines again
The times reports (here) that Steve Chalke has come out in favour of Gay Marriage. More interestingly, from a Baptist perspective, is the statement that he conducted his first gay blessing a few weeks ago.It has been clear (to me at least) for some while that the BUGB’s ministerial rules were open to challenge by... Continue Reading →
Summer musings – what makes church a sucess?
I’ve pondered various elements of church life over the last couple of weeks, one question is how far one should go to build a ‘larger’ church. First, what I do if numerical growth was the key issue? I would focus on:1. Sunday morning experience: - Preaching to encourage people, helping make connections between the Bible,... Continue Reading →
Women in Church: John Piper
John Piper is a preacher with a world renown preaching ministry so what he has to say about women in the life of the church is influential. I disagree with him. But more than this, I am saddened by the stance he takes. I do not concur with the view that when the Holy... Continue Reading →
#stillacharismaticatheart
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 →
Baptist Futures: reasons for optimism
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 →
BUGB is the future going flat?
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 →
Futures, culture and #Bugb
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 →
Distinct Reflections 