Category: evangelism and mission

The problem with that Titanic illustration

I want to pick up an illustration which I suspect most of us from conservative evangelical backgrounds have used at some point (or something similar). Andy Prime uses it in a sermon on the Gospel in a new book. He gets us to imagine the scene in the aftermath of the Titanic hitting the iceberg. … Continue reading The problem with that Titanic illustration

Heart languages

When we first started seeing South Americans coming along to our church, they expressed gratitude for the love and welcome we gave them.  They particularly appreciated that we were willing to go out of our way to provide translation but they admitted that they were struggling and needed something more. These hungry people were desperate… Continue reading Heart languages

Why I don’t think we should bring back the Gospel Service

Richard Baxter writes here in favour of bringing back Gospel Services.  Well actually, he doesn’t. He;s arguing for something else. I’ll come on to that a little later.  I thought though first of all, it might be helpful to give a bit of background to the concept of the Gospel service. Back in the 20th… Continue reading Why I don’t think we should bring back the Gospel Service

The danger of desperately seeking relevance

What put the focus on what churches were doing regarding the Women’s World Cup final was probably an article reporting the comments of the Bishop of Derby.  It was in this article where she said that church life could in effect wnork around an event like a football final.  However, people’s attention was caught and… Continue reading The danger of desperately seeking relevance

Do we need to break the Gospel down to make it clear?

Matt Smethurst writes on The Gospel Coalition site: “When it comes to the gospel, we don’t need to dress it up to make it cool. We need to break it down to make it clear.” https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/3-reasons-avoid-evangelism/ The context of the comment is in an article about why we can sometimes struggle with and seek to… Continue reading Do we need to break the Gospel down to make it clear?

What happens when Jews read Matthew’s Gospel together for the first time?

Rabbi Jonathan Romain writes in  the Church Times that his Synagogue congregation have been reading through Matthew’s Gospel together, an exercise in Jewish-Christian dialogue. HE acknowledges the imbalance in the conversation as is caused by the fact that Jews are unfamiliar with the New Testament whilst Christians have read the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament). In… Continue reading What happens when Jews read Matthew’s Gospel together for the first time?

How not to do evangelism at the coronation

We are getting close to the coronation of King Charles III and there’s some discussion going on about whether or not, and how, this might create evangelistic opportunities.  Some churches are planning events and some people have been producing resources to use. Whatever your views on monarchy or republicanism and whatever your views on whether… Continue reading How not to do evangelism at the coronation

How accurate is your nativity play?

The Sunday School nativity is one of the great traditions of Christmas.  Dish out a few carboard crowns and tea towels, find some white tunics and tinsel, then get the children to act out the events of Christmas.  But how accurate are our nativity plays and how much do they rely on tradition rather than… Continue reading How accurate is your nativity play?

Preaching at the carol service

So, it’s Sunday evening in the week before Christmas and the church building is packed.  This is probably the largest gathering you are likely to see all year, even if you pastor a large congregation.  There are lots of visitors. You recognise some friends and family of church members who have come with them.  Then,… Continue reading Preaching at the carol service