Off on Sabbatical

Well I start my sabbatical on Sunday afternoon. I must say that I am very much looking forward to it.

What’s in a name?

In the first part of our Leaders Away Day last Saturday we looked at what different ministries and congregations were. What I have begun to realise is that if we don’t have a clear common understanding of what we expect from a ministry or congregation then it is very easy to be pulling in differing […]

Meditation for Holy Week: Maundy Thursday

The great event that so often we associate with Maundy Thursday is the washing of the disciples feet by Jesus which I meditated on last year. This year I am following the Gospel lectionary readings and today we see Jesus before Pilate and Herod (Luke 23:1-25).

Holy Week Meditation: Wednesday

When should we speak and when should we not? What part does our own preservation play in what we say and do? How should we treat those on the receiving end of our anger or frustration?

Holy Week Meditation: Tuesday

There is always so much in each of the daily reading. Today’s reading is Luke 22: 24-53. It is a fascinating reading given the loss of prestige and the loss of status in the past few decades for the church.

Pope Francis I – A new start?

There has been an enormous amount of excitement on the media and twitter about the new pope. Unsurprising when you think that there are some 1.2 billion Catholics in the world (there or there about).

Overlapping Ministries

I have just started blogging occasional articles for the Church Growth Research and Development website.

My first article on the way that overlapping ministries can help churches to grow has just been published: http://www.churchgrowthrd.org.uk/blog/churchgrowth/overlapping_ministries

The Church Growth R&D is a relatively new initiative to look at how the church of England can foster growth. As they say on their website

The Church Growth Research Programme is an 18 month research project exploring some of the factors that might explain church growth in the Church of England. The site includes examples of growing churches, existing literature on church growth and a discussion forum for users to share their experiences and opinions on church growth.

Well worth a general look at for ideas

Why women should be Bishops….

There has been a great deal of fury over the decision of the General Synod of the Church of England to not ratify legislation to appoint women as bishops.

Great article on women’s bishops

I’m off to hear Rowan Williams at the Fresh Expressions conference. I do hope to write more about the women bishops and the theology of it.

In the meantime Ian Paul has written an excellent article:

What does the decision on women bishops mean

Murder in the Cathedral…. women bishops

It was a bad day yesterday for the Church of England. There hasn’t quite been a Thomas a Beckett style murder in the Cathedral but it has been a disastrous own goal for the Church of England. Indeed it was an unforced error. No-one from outside made the Church do this.