A few years back, I discovered to my disappointment that the label I wanted to apply to our experience of church life had already been taken. If you hear the term “Messy Church” you are likely to associate it with an all age event, aimed at children but including their parents with craft, Bible stories,… Continue reading Messy Church
Tag: urban training
Ministry Nuts and Bolts: What does the pastor need to know
I’ve recently wrote about things that church leaders need to know about and be trained in beyond the narrower limits of theological and even pastoral care education and training. I followed this up with a specific article about finances. This prompted some feedback asking for further articles looking at practical aspects of leadership from safeguarding… Continue reading Ministry Nuts and Bolts: What does the pastor need to know
A new hope
After a lengthy hiatus I’m getting back to rounding off “Hope for the City” which will eventually be an E-book on the resources site. A look at subversive fulfilment and urban mission. Sometimes we describe the affect of the Gospel in terms of seeing Eden restored. From this perspective, sin is forgiven and the consequences… Continue reading A new hope
What competencies should we be training pastors for?
I’ve been arguing for a while that we need to change how we train people for Gospel ministry. Traditionally, we’ve started out with inputs. We’ve thought about the different subjects that we believe a potential pastor should be taught about. At it’s best that does give a systematic and comprehensive curriculum because people have thought… Continue reading What competencies should we be training pastors for?
Why we need to break out of our theological colleges
I’ve been arguing for some time that we need to make some step changes in terms of how we train and equip people for church leadership and paid Gospel ministry. I’ve argued that our methods of identifying potential leaders, pastors and planters exclude far too many and that particularly the traditional seminary route puts up… Continue reading Why we need to break out of our theological colleges
Ministry nuts and bolts – how do we learn about wider leadership responsibilities?
Steve Kneale recently posted a blog article about one of the things that they don’t teach you at Theological College. The specific thing he is dealing with is church finances but there is a wider point I think which is that for church leaders, especially those in paid roles, there are wider leadership responsibilities than… Continue reading Ministry nuts and bolts – how do we learn about wider leadership responsibilities?
Invisible Divides (Book Review)
One of my personal concerns and a significant reason for why Faithroots exist is the desire to see the church and the Gospel reaching into communities and to people where we simply haven’t been very good at reaching. Here in the West Midlands we’ve seen a lot of church planting and some wonderful stories of… Continue reading Invisible Divides (Book Review)
Swifter, smaller, simpler – How can we help?
I’ve mentioned this theme a few times over the past few days. It refers to the current focus/desire of the church we are part of to see a greater impact on our city through planting and multiplication. It resonates strongly with what I’ve been praying for, talking about and seeking to encourage and help with… Continue reading Swifter, smaller, simpler – How can we help?
Swifter, smaller, simpler
Our church family have just been on a weekend away. We are part of a family of churches that originated out of the same plant and are seeking to reach Birmingham with the Gospel. The church holiday brought the three congregations together. During the weekend, one of the speakers talked about our vision as a… Continue reading Swifter, smaller, simpler
A vision for urban West Midlands Church planting
My current focus is on encouraging church planting into the Urban West Midlands. My desire is not to see one church growing big but to see a city that is full of churches bringing Gospel light to needy neighbourhoods. My specific concern is for those areas that are often less reached with the Gospel. This… Continue reading A vision for urban West Midlands Church planting
Faithroots 