Category: Church life

They are not coming back

This is the difficult conversation that if we are honest, we don’t want to have.  It’s a long time since I wrote anything about church life post pandemic but following the pandemic I wrote about the long journey in terms of people coming back to church. I’ve not done any measuring of things for a… Continue reading They are not coming back

It’s about more than preaching

Yesterday, I argued that If we wanted churches that are theologically rich and culturally engaged (and I believe we need that), then rich preaching has a big part to play.  However, even if we do the things that I argued for then I still think there’s a lot we need to do. We can’t expect… Continue reading It’s about more than preaching

Church Growth or a battle for market share?

Over the years I’ve come across a lot of material, books, seminars, blogs, podcasts talking about how to guarantee that your church will grow.  Some of the advise sounds to me like practical wisdom, for example if you have a building that is 80% full then you have reached capacity.  Some of it is good… Continue reading Church Growth or a battle for market share?

The toxic danger of gossip for both men and women

I recently engaged with an article that described gossip and slander as “the curse of women.” The article has since been withdrawn, I suspect one if those articles written in haste and frustration at specific circumstances. However, the association of women specifically with gossip is a common misconception. I found that phrasing unhelpful because I don’t… Continue reading The toxic danger of gossip for both men and women

Is it a sin for a pastor’s wife to go out to work?

Occasionally I get mailings or see advertisements for events that the organisers believe will be helpful for my wife. However, she cannot attend them, so they aren’t much use.  Why? Well because those events are set up to run during the working day.  I suppose that some ministry wives might be able to get some… Continue reading Is it a sin for a pastor’s wife to go out to work?

Does conservative theology and practice put off younger people from church?

One of the points of discussion arising from the articles about aging church demographics was whether conservative evangelical theology acted as a barrier, putting off young people especially where it clashed with their social values.  One claim is that people might be drawn into evangelical churches because of the passionate focus on the Gospel or… Continue reading Does conservative theology and practice put off younger people from church?