Category: pastoral-care

Throwing people under the bus

In a recent article I mentioned the “Rise and Fall of Mars Hill” podcast.  The Christianity Today series tells the story of Mark Driscoll and Mars Hill Church, Seattle.  Driscoll became well known as a church planter and mega-church leader succeeding in an area regarded as hard to reach. He went on to head up… Continue reading Throwing people under the bus

Questioning gender

This question has come up in the context of the conversation about transgender issues. Some people have commented that they struggle a little with when people say that they have a clear sense of their gender.” I think they are particularly referring to when people consider themselves different to the gender on their birth certificate.… Continue reading Questioning gender

Bullying and abuse – do you know what is happening and what to do?

From time to time I write about bullying and abuse. I started tackling this subject a few years back as I not only became aware of some concerning stories surrounding significant ministries but observed first hand how Christians talk to each other on social media. In the last couple of years, some serious scandals broke… Continue reading Bullying and abuse – do you know what is happening and what to do?

Can we talk about ugliness?

John Piper hosts a podcast called “Ask Pastor John”. Recently he was asked: ““Pastor John, why did God make some people ugly and unattractive? How can I accept the fact that God, though capable of making me beautiful or at least average looking, chose to create me in an unattractive manner?” Now I guess, Piper… Continue reading Can we talk about ugliness?

How can we help?

The conversation you rather wouldn’t be having “I just don’t think we can go on. We’ve tried everything. It’s time to go our separate ways.”  With those words, you are asked to give your blessing to divorce.  Or, you’re sat talking with a young member.  They’ve recently started dating someone who is not a Christian. … Continue reading How can we help?

How Do You Know? -For Starters

A dirty word for a messy world This blog is for people living in a messy world (those were the opening words on the original faithroots site. I’m now reproducing those original articles).  The evidence of the mess is all around us.  I grew up towards the end of the Cold War and remember the… Continue reading How Do You Know? -For Starters

Pastor: Preach grace to yourself

It was just after I’d preached my first placement sermon whilst studying at Oak Hill and the pastor of the church, Joe Kapolyo came over to me to give me a little bit of feedback. “Well I’ve got some good news for you.  It wasn’t perfect.” My initial mental response was “Well if that’s the… Continue reading Pastor: Preach grace to yourself

When did you last hear a pastor talk about heterosexual ethics?

In my survey about what pastors talk about I asked when was the last time you heard a pastor address the matter of sexual ethics. I divided that into ethics concerning heterosexual relationships and same-sex relationships. The results are interesting because among those taking part, sexual ethics were highly likely to have been addressed in… Continue reading When did you last hear a pastor talk about heterosexual ethics?

When did you last hear a pastor talk about mental health issues?

In my recent survey about application and what pastors talked about, I asked respondents to indicate whether or not they’d heard pastors address particular issues within the last 5 years. One issue concerned mental health. This is such an important subject to address within our churches because as we preach and pastor we are so… Continue reading When did you last hear a pastor talk about mental health issues?