In part 1 yesterday, I highlighted 3 causes of depression that pastors might be particularly prone to because they are high risk factors in church and ministry contexts: social isolation, conflict and abuse. However, these are not the only causes of depression. It’s worth observing at this point that depression and anxiety disorders can strike… Continue reading When your pastor gets depressed (part 2) -a look at some potential risk factors
Posts
Irrevocable gifts and calling – the danger of out of context Bible verses
One of the biggest dangers to healthy life is our ability to rip Bible verses out of context and misapply them. One such example is this verse: 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable[1] I’ve heard this verse used by people to justify continued support for people who seemingly had a gifting or… Continue reading Irrevocable gifts and calling – the danger of out of context Bible verses
When your pastor gets depressed -what might have caused it?
I recently wrote an article for the Grace in the Depths website outlining the common signs and common causes of depression. I did so because one of the challenges we face when talking about church leaders and depression is identifying that someone has depression. The second and related challenge is that often the subject remains… Continue reading When your pastor gets depressed -what might have caused it?
Served by the Gospel… Serving the Gospel Romans 1:8-15
We started Romans by asking “What is it that believers seeking to serve God in our cities need” and I suggested that we would find the answer in this letter, specifically the need for Grace and Peace. This is now reinforced by the next part of the letter. A letter from Paul often seems… Continue reading Served by the Gospel… Serving the Gospel Romans 1:8-15
COVID and Cold Contact Evangelism
I’ve been writing about how we go about building back our outreach as we move out of lockdown. In a recent post, I wrote that I didn’t think we should rush to put back some of of our traditional outreach ministries such as children’s clubs and Toddlers groups. The reason for this is that we… Continue reading COVID and Cold Contact Evangelism
Long COVID and long lockdown
A number of people have reported long term symptoms after suffering from COVID-19. This has led to the term “long COVID” being coined. The symptoms observed include:[1] extreme tiredness (fatigue) shortness of breath chest pain or tightness problems with memory and concentration (“brain fog”) difficulty sleeping (insomnia) heart palpitations dizziness pins and needles joint pain… Continue reading Long COVID and long lockdown
COVID’s long tail and the church
Remember when we thought that the pandemic would be dealt with by the short sharp shock of lockdown and then we would be back to church as normal again. We looked forward to those summer services when would be gathering back, packing in to services with a sense of thanksgiving. Those optimistic days seem a… Continue reading COVID’s long tail and the church
Women teaching men revisited – another look at 2 Timothy 2:12
One of the key verses in the debate about the role of men and women in the church, especially in relation to teaching, preaching and leadership is 2 Timothy 2:12 which says: “12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.” There has… Continue reading Women teaching men revisited – another look at 2 Timothy 2:12
Faithroots Live 17th Feb 2021
This Wednesday, once again we have a programme of live events on the Faithroots Urban Facebook page. The aim of the day is to provide teaching, training and encouragement particularly for Those seeking to serve God in urban contexts Those who want to dig deeper but might not be able to access traditional Theological training.… Continue reading Faithroots Live 17th Feb 2021
We need a way out of costly social distancing measures, not just lockdown (open letter to Boris Johnson)
Dear Boris, I’ve written open letters to you throughout the pandemic. As we approach the end of what we all hope will be the last lockdown, I want to write to you again concerning some of the rumours and hints that are currently going around. Over the past few weeks, the narrative has built up… Continue reading We need a way out of costly social distancing measures, not just lockdown (open letter to Boris Johnson)
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