I’ve seen a few articles recently about the place of the announcements or notices in the church service. My friend, Steve Kneale’s contribution here is well worth a look. Here’s my contribution to the conversation. I agree with Steve that this isn’t something to be embarrassed about but has a vital part to play in… Continue reading Make Announcements Great Again
Category: Church life
The problem with seeker senstive church
The other day I responded to the question about whether or not we should be making it harder or easier for people to join our churches. I argued that it was both yes and no. In so doing, I mentioned that the “high bar”/”make it harder” approach had originated really in rection to “seeker sensitive… Continue reading The problem with seeker senstive church
Should we really stop calling the church “a family”?
Tim Suffield writes that we should “stop calling the church a family.” There seem to be three aspects to his argument. First, he argues that the Bible doesn’t really talk about the church as a family. Secondly, even where it does use familial language, it isn’t the kind of family that we would think of… Continue reading Should we really stop calling the church “a family”?
The visible church
In Matthew 13:21-30, Jesus tells a parable about a farmer who plants seed, only for an enemy to intentionally plant weeds in among the crop. The owner’s servants ask permission to go and uproot the weeds but the farmer says no because there is a risk that good crops will be uprooted with bad. This… Continue reading The visible church
Prophecy and the excluded middle
Sometimes’ a football team’s strategy is to hit the ball long, consistently bouncing it between defenders and strikers so that the midfielders become passive observers. The middle of the pitch is excluded. There are ways in which we can exclude the middle too. There is a tendency I think for churches to think in terms… Continue reading Prophecy and the excluded middle
The difference
So, that was that, for all the talk of England’s date with destiny, it turned out to be Spain that had the invite after all. The Three Lions managed to pull back level after going a goal behind and only lost 2-1 in the late stages of the game. However, the narrow scoreline and late… Continue reading The difference
Should we make our church harder to join?
“Yes and no” The question is raised by Tim Suffield here. Or rather, Tim answers the question from his perspective with a hard “yes”. He argues that we shouldn’t be too easy to join, that “welcome requires walls” and that this means a church should be clear in communicating what makes it distinctive and what… Continue reading Should we make our church harder to join?
How accurate are our memories?
England are in the Euros’ semi-finals. Apologies to Scottish and Welsh readers but I cannot help but link today’s blog with that fact. Of course, England being England, they’ve not made their route this far easy. Southgate and the team have come under heavy pressure particularly about their performances. Pundits who never made it to… Continue reading How accurate are our memories?
Revitalisation
My first real experience of Christian ministry was in the context of church revitalisation. A little Pentecostal Church between Bradford and Leeds had fallen on hard times, suffered a split and was down to its last half a dozen elderly members. My dad had preached there regularly after they first approached a larger church for… Continue reading Revitalisation
The cost
Jesus famously said that those considering following him should first count the cost. His point was that they were going to face persecution and have to be willing to give up their life. They would lose friends and influence for the sake of the Gospel but the Gospel is worth it. Jesus’ words were not… Continue reading The cost
Faithroots 