Today is my 51st birthday meaning that I’m closer to 100 than I am to the day I was born. It’s a good opportunity to pause and reflect. The Israelites set up a stone that they called Ebenezer, a stone of help. This recognised both that they could look back on what God had done… Continue reading 51
Category: News
Is the ministry pipeline broken? Starting to get some data
As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ve been looking at the question of ministry pipelines. This was sparked by reading a number of comments back in 2024 to the effect that the pipeline had dried up and that churches were struggling to recruit people into Gospel ministry whilst traditional seminary style training schemes were… Continue reading Is the ministry pipeline broken? Starting to get some data
Is there a shortage of new pastors/church leaders? A discussion about recruitment and training
Last year, I picked up on some discussion about whether there was a problem with the ministry pipeline. Were we struggling to recruit people into church leadership, especially pastoral positions. I thought I’d do a little further digging. First I sent out a short survey (I’ll share results form this in a further article. Then… Continue reading Is there a shortage of new pastors/church leaders? A discussion about recruitment and training
John MacArthur 1939-2025
News broke overnight that John MacArthur has died. He was pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California. MacArthur was perhaps most known in recent years for two major controversies, first there were question marks about significant pastoral and church discipline issues in his church, second his resistance to Covid restrictions. I’ve written about… Continue reading John MacArthur 1939-2025
Getting involved in church planting and training
How can you get involved with what we are doing? Training and church planting in the urban West Midlands
An important appeal for somewhere precious to me
I’m using today’s post to make an appeal on a church that is very precious to me. Sunbridge Road Mission is the church where I grew up. I spent most of my first 18 years there. It’s where I put my faith in Jesus as a five year old. It’s where I grew in my… Continue reading An important appeal for somewhere precious to me
The Quiet Revival and moral & social reformation
David Robertson, in his article about the so called “Quiet Revival”, includes as a marker of true revival, moral and social reformation. This is one reason for his insistence that what we are currently seeing is not a revival. Now it is worth noting three things. Firsy, that David also argues that this particular phenomenon… Continue reading The Quiet Revival and moral & social reformation
Responding to the Wee Flea on “The Quiet Revival”
There’s been some discussion recently about whether or not the UK is experiencing what has been termed “The Quiet Revival”. For those of us involved in church leadership whether paid or voluntary, there is a benefit in learning to engage with data and learn from it. So, given that one of my primary audiences is… Continue reading Responding to the Wee Flea on “The Quiet Revival”
Iran and Israel
We won’t up this morning to reports of a massive military attack by Israel on Iran. Israel’s declared intent is to neutralize a potential nuclear threat from Iran. How do we respond? First of all, some Christians are tempted to support Israel “right or wrong” regarding the country as the fulfillment of God’s promises, God’s… Continue reading Iran and Israel
Selden College: What about the curriculum?
I’ve already observed that there’s some significant vagueness around aspects of what Selden College will offer students. What we do know is that it is seeking to offer a Liberal Arts course. Liberal Arts courses are offered by a few UK Universities and also by a number of US institutions. The liberal arts tended historically… Continue reading Selden College: What about the curriculum?
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