There has been much talk of a “Quiet Revival” this year. But what about those who feel like this “revival” has passed them by? Here’s some thoughts and encouragement
Tag: urban church
The dark side of flags and the left behind
I’ve shared a few articles looking at the summer phenomena of St George’s flags appearing on lamposts and being painted on roundabouts and zebra crossings. Recently I picked up on the link between flag protests and class perceptions. There is a tendency in some quarters to sneer at anything seen as associated with working class… Continue reading The dark side of flags and the left behind
Are you meant to be church planting?
Regular readers will know that my big concern is to see churches planted in the West Midlands, especially in urban priority areas (inner city and estates). I would love to hear from anyone who might be interested. I’m not asking for people to turn up with a definitive plan. Rather, what I’d love to see… Continue reading Are you meant to be church planting?
What if anything does the Bible have to say about class?
When I recently posted some articles concerning class, the church and the Gospel, I opened up comments for discussion. Here is one comment that was posted. “What does the scriptures say about the class system that you are talking about? In which “class” would you put say Peter, Paul, Moses etc. What “class” would you… Continue reading What if anything does the Bible have to say about class?
Is reaching urban Britain “cross cultural”?
In “Hope for the City”, I talk about reaching urban Britain as requiring “cross cultural mission”. But is it? I’ve also wanted to insist in recent blog posts that we shouldn’t be thinking in terms of a minority working class but rather about people who are simply normal ordinary members of the same society. So,… Continue reading Is reaching urban Britain “cross cultural”?
More on class and church
I had some interesting responses to my recent observations about class and the church. These ranged from “Yes there is a working class but it’s a small minority in the wider society, so we cannot really suggest that the church is dominated by a minority culture. The culture that dominates is the culture of wider… Continue reading More on class and church
Resources on urban mission/ class and evangelical church
When reviewing Kirsten Birkett’s book “Class and the Evangelical Church” I noted that she acknowledges that there is already a wealth of work that has been done on the subject. I also expressed disappointment that she doesn’t really engage with that great wealth of work and limits herself primarily to two book with a couple… Continue reading Resources on urban mission/ class and evangelical church
How do you support a church without a pastor?
This was a question raised by Tim Wilson, pastor of Wheelock Heath Baptist church on Twitter. For context, Tim is involved with the Rural Project which is about supporting churches, plants and revitalisations in rural contexts, so similar to the kind of work I’m involved with in urban contexts. Here are my thoughts. I’m assuming… Continue reading How do you support a church without a pastor?
Could you be a church planter?
I’m consistently on the look out for potential church planters to come and join us here in the West Midlands. There is a particular need for people who are willing to go into inner city, council estate and multi-ethnic cross-cultural contexts. Whilst conventional church planting involves gathering together a significant sized core team, often from… Continue reading Could you be a church planter?
Foundational reading for urban ministry: Something from me
If you are contemplating Gospel work in the inner city or on an estate context, then I’d encourage you to have a read of this little e-book I wrote. Hope for the city is a look at applying the approach to missions and apologetics if JH Bavinck and, more recently, Dan Strange to reaching out… Continue reading Foundational reading for urban ministry: Something from me
Faithroots 