Soon Beefeater will be no more. A few years ago, this would have perhaps generated more grief for us. For much of the early days of our marriage, the restaurant chain provided a convenient, reliable dating option. Although a little more expensive than a Weatherspoon’s or Harvester, it wasn’t too expensive and as Sarah has… Continue reading Goodbye Beefeater
Category: Church life
Lessons from Butlins
We are recently back from what feels like it is becoming an annual expedition to Butlins. We find that it offers a safe, reliable holiday with everything onsite that suites our family well. For me, there’s also a touch of nostalgia as I used to go with my parents and sister to a Christian holiday… Continue reading Lessons from Butlins
Encouragement for children’s workers in church
A lot of churches give their Sunday kids group leaders and helpers a break over the summer and run with all age gatherings. So, if you are one such leader, I hope you are enjoying a bit of a break and will feel energised for September. I also hope that you are feeling encouraged as… Continue reading Encouragement for children’s workers in church
How do leaders help the church family to work through differences?
Any church can expect to have people holding to a range of views in it. You might expect people from different theological backgrounds, there might also be specific disagreements on issues from when and who to baptise, what songs to sing accompanied by what instruments and then there may be a range of ethical and… Continue reading How do leaders help the church family to work through differences?
Holding tightly or holding lightly
Pick up something that is valuable to you. I worry that at this point many of you have reached for your mobile phone. Whatever it is, grip it tightly in your hand. What would happen if you were to hold onto it that tightly for a long time? Well, I expect two things would happen. … Continue reading Holding tightly or holding lightly
What unites us?
It is rare to find a church that is completely homogenous in terms of beliefs and traditions. My own experience of leadership has been in churches where people have come from all kinds of backgrounds, reformed, Baptist, Brethren, Anglican, Pentecostal, charismatic, cessationist, young earth creationist, old earth/theistic evolution, egalitarian, complementarian etc. There’s a good chance… Continue reading What unites us?
Don’t disappear in the summer
“Where did everyone go?” asked the new Christian. They had come along to the church earlier in the year, accepted Jesus as saviour and got involved in the life of the church. Then we came to the summer holidays. Quite a few of the younger families headed off on holiday. Youth clubs, ESOL classes and… Continue reading Don’t disappear in the summer
Pastoring a church through the question of men and women in leadership
Perhaps one of the greatest challenges for local churches right now is navigating potential controversies around how to understand the role of men and women in the local church. This reflects, a polarising between those holding to complementarian positions and those holding to egalitarian ones. How in practice can we address this in a way… Continue reading Pastoring a church through the question of men and women in leadership
Among the gleanings
Recently a visiting preacher at our church picked up on the story of Ruth. He particularly applied the message to those who might identify with Boaz in the story. At our life group, we broadened this out and asked people who they identified with in the story. In fact we discussed who we might want… Continue reading Among the gleanings
He is risen… He is risen indeed, alleluia
So goes the traditional Easter Sunday greeting. I love Easter and all it represents. As with Christmas, I’m a bit of a traditionalist on this. I think this is an incredible opportunity to sing great, joyful hymns, rich in the truth of the resurrection. It does seem that slightly older, more traditional hymns do this… Continue reading He is risen… He is risen indeed, alleluia
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