It is perhaps helpful when thinking about how we would handle a complaint from an adult about abuse within the church to remember that we have some starting points. Much of what we should do is covered in the policies we tend to have for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. I think the key things… Continue reading How do we handle #ChurchToo allegations? Supporting the victim
Category: Church life
Flourish – Valuing women in church life
Here’s the video of our later After Eight which includes a helpful interview with Sophie Killingley based around Aimee Byrd’s book “Recovering From Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.” We want this to be the start, not the end of the conversation.
“The process itself was the punishment”
Yesterday I wrote about the accusations against an unnamed Conservative MP. Steve Kneale has written an excellent article today helping us to take our thinking further for church life. I would encourage you to read both articles and if you are part of a church leadership (or leadership of a local or national network or… Continue reading “The process itself was the punishment”
Communion at home and in private
Steve Kneale has written again about taking communion at home. This is one of the few issues where Steve and I disagree. In terms of our views on essential doctrines and mission priorities we have a lot in common. This is a reminder that it is okay for friends to disagree on big issues in… Continue reading Communion at home and in private
local lockdowns and the local church
When Leicester went back into “lockdown” the Government explained that their strategy would be what they referred to as “whack-a-mole” acting quickly with local lockdowns to supress new spikes. Last night, we saw the most significant example of this yet as parts of West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester had new restrictions imposed. This is something… Continue reading local lockdowns and the local church
Recovering from Biblical manhood and womanhood – a review
I finally sat down to read Aimee Byrd’s book Recovering From Biblical Manhood and Womanhood today (birthday present). You may recall that a few weeks back I had written in defence of Aimee following some rather unpleasant goings on in an online facebook group. Well I thought it was important to sit down and read… Continue reading Recovering from Biblical manhood and womanhood – a review
Stopping a virus from spreading
As churches we have made every effort these past few months to prevent a virus from spreading. We have self isolated, we have washed our hands, we have closed down our buildings for a while and when we have reopened we have been so careful to socially distance and wear masks. It is good that… Continue reading Stopping a virus from spreading
What if the vaccine never comes?
There have been encouraging signs over the past few weeks. We are hearing reports that trials with vaccines are having some successes. Meanwhile, we appear to be over the peak here in the UK and cases of COVID-19 have continued to decline even as society has started to open up again. However we continue to… Continue reading What if the vaccine never comes?
Are Christians meant to feed themselves?
A couple of years back, a US church surveyed its members to get a better understanding of retention issues. They discovered that a major problem was that a lot of members, especially those who were mature Christians felt that they were not being properly fed. The church’s response? They began to look at how they… Continue reading Are Christians meant to feed themselves?
I don’t feel fed (part 2) – how do we feed the church?
Yesterday I wrote about the problem when people don’t feel fed in church. I highlighted that 30-40 years ago, many churches would have provided quite a programme in the week for teaching including services, adult Sunday schools and midweek ministry. Given that feeding has a wider dimension than just intellectual content, we might add to… Continue reading I don’t feel fed (part 2) – how do we feed the church?
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