How should parents and Sunday School teachers talk to worried and anxious children about what is going on in the World around us It is many years since we’ve seen such horrific genocidal conflict so close to home and with a level of danger from nuclear conflict hanging oh too realistically in the air. If… Continue reading How might we talk to our children about Ukraine?
Category: Church life
Should I give up on seeing people coming back to church?
It varies from church to church but most churches even if they’ve experienced growth through new people joining appear to have lost some people from in person attendance during COVID. I was arguing back in the Autumn that those who had not begun to re-join your gatherings or at least make active preparation probably would… Continue reading Should I give up on seeing people coming back to church?
Confrontation in church life
The other day, I wrote about the risks of getting a response to trouble and confrontation wrong. I wrote specifically about the challenges facing the West in responding to Vladimir Putin. However, most of us are not involved in major geo-political issues and hold little power over politicians or big business so on one level,… Continue reading Confrontation in church life
It is not always right or possible to remain neutral
In a recent blogpost I wrote about what we might want to pray in response to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. I included this comment: We pray that God will bring peace, that the conflict will end. However, I don’t think we simply pray for peace at any cost. Our desire should be for… Continue reading It is not always right or possible to remain neutral
Post pandemic pastoral conversations – those who haven’t come back
As we return increasingly to normality following the pandemic, I suspect that the vast majority of people who are intending to return to in person church attendance will have done so by now. If the majority of your church are not yet back in person then you may have to have some searching conversations together… Continue reading Post pandemic pastoral conversations – those who haven’t come back
What if this is the end of days?
Some people have been asking over the past few days whether the conflict we are seeing in Ukraine is an end times battle, one of the events that will signal the end of the world. There are understandable reasons for the question to be asked. First, the conflict involves one of the main nuclear powers… Continue reading What if this is the end of days?
COVID update
Here’s a quick update on where we are on UK COVID data as England prepares for the final lifting of all restrictions. Note that there will still be guidance in place and that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have different regulations and guidance in place. I’ve stopped providing regular reporting of case data but as… Continue reading COVID update
PTSD and church revitalisation
A little while back I wrote about how churches can experience a form of PTSD or complex PTSD. You see, a church can experience trauma leading to experiences and responses that affect the life of the church. Trauma for a church might include: A split where members of the church fall out, argue publicly and… Continue reading PTSD and church revitalisation
What is a church in Australia doing with a campus in London?
The campus pastors of Hillsong UK’s flagship Central London location announced their resignation this past weekend, an apparent sign of ongoing upheaval at the global evangelical network co-founded by Brian Houston https://julieroys.com/hillsong-london-campus-pastors-resign-ongoing-upheaval/ Reports Josh Shepherd on the Roys Report. The report picks up on the way, as with a number of high profile ministries, Houston… Continue reading What is a church in Australia doing with a campus in London?
The cost of living crisis and the church
There was an old curse to the effect of “may you live in interesting times.” Well, we’ve certainly been living through interesting times! This is perhaps a shock to the system for millennials. We lived through a period of unparalleled peace, security and prosperity from the 1990ss. Yes, there were terror events including 911 and… Continue reading The cost of living crisis and the church
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