Author: faithrootsdw

Perhaps pastors are modelling what work was meant to be like

I’ve engaged recently with a suggestion that pastors do not really have jobs. I’m going to engage further this week with another person who has argued that pastors are paid to enjoy leisure time. However something struck me which I want to focus on first. A lot of the argument seems to assume that pastors… Continue reading Perhaps pastors are modelling what work was meant to be like

What kind of church? A fellowshipping Church 1 Corinthians 11: 17-34 

As someone involved in preaching and teaching, I often get feedback and in fact actively seek it.  How did I do?  Was the talk the right length?  Did I speak clearly but not too loudly?  Was there variation in tone and emotion? Was the application relevant? However, beyond occasionally being reminded that I sing out… Continue reading What kind of church? A fellowshipping Church 1 Corinthians 11: 17-34 

What kind of Church? A worshipping Church (1 Corinthians 11:1-16)

Why do we come together for worship?  What is a church gathering all about?  The key things can be summed up as: To give praise and glory to God To hear God speak to us together To encourage and build one another up This will help us make sense of the next section of 1… Continue reading What kind of Church? A worshipping Church (1 Corinthians 11:1-16)

Yes your pastor does have a job … and it matters

Tim Suffield has written this provocative piece about pastors not really having jobs.  There’s much I would agree with here but I think there are a couple of things to push back against. So, first of all here’s why I agree with Tim.  Yes, it is true that the pastor doesn’t have a job. Our… Continue reading Yes your pastor does have a job … and it matters

A glorifying church (1 Corinthians 10:18-33)

I suspect that many of the questions and concerns from the Corinthian church came from a good place.  We can easily write them off as the bad guys but they weren’t. Paul is not addressing apostates or false teachers but a real, young., alive, messy church that shows signs of having the Holy Spirit’s presence… Continue reading A glorifying church (1 Corinthians 10:18-33)

What is Birmingham’s bankruptcy saying to us?

Yesterday I wrote about our city going bankrupt and what that might mean for us.  As I explained in the article, there’s actually a lot of uncertainty and the honest answer to “what does this mean?” Is that we really don’t know yet.  It is entirely possible that for most of us we’ll see very… Continue reading What is Birmingham’s bankruptcy saying to us?

When the car crash has happened – guilt and shame revisited

In our look at 1 Corinthians 10,  I used the example of someone pushing the boundaries, taking risks with their faith being like a driver taking corners at speed close to the cliff edge. They risk plunging off of the edge into a deep ravine. 1 Corinthians 10 offers a warning against taking risks, falling… Continue reading When the car crash has happened – guilt and shame revisited

Help! My city has gone bust.

This week, Birmingham City Council announced that they had issued a Section 114 notice, the public sector equivalent of announcing bankruptcy.  This means that spending is under severe controls, limited to “protecting vulnerable people and statutory services.”  With all other spending stopping with immediate effect.[1] What exactly does all of this mean for the city… Continue reading Help! My city has gone bust.

What kind of church? A free church (1 Corinthians 9)

We sometimes get into disputes about how Christians are to relate to “The Law”.  Are we under Law or under grace?  Now, for obvious reasons, there doesn’t tend to be much discussion or debate about whether or not we are under any requirement to not murder or steal.  So, the focus when it comes to… Continue reading What kind of church? A free church (1 Corinthians 9)