Category: evangelism and mission

2022, COVID or a post COVID world and the church

I thought it might be helpful to say a little bit more about what we might expect to happen with COVID-19 over the next year or so and how this might affect our approach to church life.  I’ve seen a few people setting out some potentially scary scenarios recently. For example, in one very bleak… Continue reading 2022, COVID or a post COVID world and the church

Christmas Eve

You know how they say that a picture is worth a thousand words? This is that picture. Eve who with her husband brought death into the world became the mother of life. She was brought under the crushing curse of sin and death but her descendent the promised seed crushed the serpent’s head. Here in… Continue reading Christmas Eve

Xmas and Christmas revisted

I want to expand a little here on one of the points I made in my article about preparing for Christmas carol service sermons.  In that article I warned against trampling on the connection points that might exist with those attending.  I referenced an essay by CS Lewis called Xmas and Christmas which imagines Herodotus… Continue reading Xmas and Christmas revisted

Preparing the Christmas Carol Service Sermon

Over the next few weeks we are going to be doing something that we’ve not had the opportunity to do for the past couple of years, inviting people to come along to a Christmas Carol service.  It’s one of the few times of year when it’s reasonably easy to invite people along to a traditional… Continue reading Preparing the Christmas Carol Service Sermon

Christmas, hospitality and Muslims

A few years ago, a friend of ours invited us for an evening meal with their family. It was no ordinary dinner party, the clue was that we were going to be eating far later in the evening than I would normally. We were being invited to an Ifkar which is the meal Muslims eat… Continue reading Christmas, hospitality and Muslims

Using social media as a shop window into your church

Churches put a lot of effort into the appearance of their buildings, particularly taking time to create inviting entrance foyers that enable people to see in and feel able to come in. We know the effect of a church building with closed, heavy, austere doors.  We know the impact of walking into a building which… Continue reading Using social media as a shop window into your church

Is anyone thirsty? (John 4:1-25)

Were you there in the petrol queues panic buying fuel the other week? I wonder how you would have reacted if someone promised you access to a secret stash of petrol or diesel? What if they could guarantee that once you filled up, the fuel wouldn’t run out.   It’s a relief that the crisis has… Continue reading Is anyone thirsty? (John 4:1-25)

Evangelism and the local church (3) Events

In this third article I wanted to say something about running special events as a church. How does this fit with an approach where we make evangelism about our day to day lives in a local community?  I don’t think it is a good thing if the sum total of a church’s evangelism is running… Continue reading Evangelism and the local church (3) Events

Evangelism and the local church (2) cold contact

In part one, I said that my approach to evangelism is: “We live in an area and get to know people and we go and knock on some doors.” You will also have picked up through the article that I envisage this happening in the context of being part of the local church.  Now, whilst… Continue reading Evangelism and the local church (2) cold contact