Category: Church life

What are deacons (not)

I’ve just took part in an interesting conversation with other pastors which started out with a question about how we train deacons in the church. This led to further questions about what exactly is a deacon? Fascinatingly there didn’t seem to be a uniform opinion on this.  So, I thought it might be worth thinking… Continue reading What are deacons (not)

Mingling – The Rule of Six and challenges for church

This week, the Government has introduced new rules. It will be illegal to have groups of greater than six gathering for social purposes. Whilst this does not in and of itself limit the numbers that can attend church, it will have some affect on church life. This is because whilst the total number of people… Continue reading Mingling – The Rule of Six and challenges for church

Singing ourselves to death? Really?

I’ve been slow to respond to this one because to be honest, I just wasn’t sure how.  In a recent Evangelicals Now article, Lee Gattis asked “Have we been singing ourselves to death?”  The reason I wasn’t sure how to respond was because, even allowing for the desire to catch attention and provoke a response,… Continue reading Singing ourselves to death? Really?

Does forgiveness need to be expressed to the other person?

RT Kendall’s book used to be considered the classic textbook for Christians on forgiveness.  One of his main arguments was that forgiveness was primarily about the heart attitude of the offended.  One of his key bits of advice was that if someone had offended you and you had truly forgiven them then you would not… Continue reading Does forgiveness need to be expressed to the other person?

Forgiveness and reconciliation may not always mean a return to normal

A boyfriend completely forgets his girlfriend’s birthday and goes out with his mates for a drink instead. It’s not the first time he has let her down.  She decides to break off with him.  At the time he expresses sorrow, buys her flowers, chocolates and concert tickets but she sees through the remorse, this isn’t… Continue reading Forgiveness and reconciliation may not always mean a return to normal

Moving out of lockdown – update

Over the summer we have been opening up the Chapel building every Sunday morning for a few people to come along and watch the service together. We have continued to provide a live stream service from different homes over that time. Today, we had our first go at running a live service from the building… Continue reading Moving out of lockdown – update

Does forgiveness remove the need for church discipline?

In my ten years at Bearwood Chapel, we’ve only felt the need to pursue full church discipline in line with 1 Corinthians 5 on one occasion. However the need to remove membership due to persistent, unrepentant and serious sin will sadly arise from time to time in church life. We’ve been talking about the importance… Continue reading Does forgiveness remove the need for church discipline?

Sabbath Rest -Do we need to keep Sunday special?

When I was growing up, there was still a strong emphasis on keeping Sunday as a special day, the Christian Sabbath.  In a lot of church cultures, the expectation was that you attended church at least twice, wore your Sunday best and that activities during the day were limited to those considered spiritually edifying. Sunday… Continue reading Sabbath Rest -Do we need to keep Sunday special?