Senior Minister of Central Baptist Church, Chelmsford<br>and Chair of Ministry Today
Over the years I have experimented with a variety of ‘strap lines’ for our church in Chelmsford. At one stage, for instance, stated on church publicity were the words, Central Baptist Church – going Christ’s way and making disciples. Perhaps for church people this constant reminder of our mission statement ...
This sermon was preached at Central Baptist Church, Chelmsford, in July 2011 at a service of infant dedication. Geoff and Amanda, I wonder, what kind of parties your Zachary will be into in future years? Our children have particularly liked pirate parties. The first pirate party was years ago when ...
Our Chairman, the Revd Dr Paul Beasley-Murray, was privileged to be able to take a two week retreat during 2011. During that time, he relied on readings from the Revised Common Lectionary as the focus for scriptural reflection and meditation. However, he wondered whether other Christian leaders might benefit from ...
To love Jesus is to love his bride “Christ loved the church and gave his life for it” wrote the Apostle Paul. Indeed, Jesus loved the church so much that Paul went so far as to describe the church as the bride of Christ (Ephesians 6.22-33). Inevitably, therefore, if we ...
I love New Zealand. It is a wonderful country – blessed not just by great scenery, but also by great people. A year ago, I was privileged to pay my fourth visit, and yet again I found myself challenged by the vision and energy of this country of just some ...
Weddings are becoming increasingly expensive. The other day I Googled and discovered that the cost of the average UK wedding is now over £20,000. · The most expensive item is the wedding reception - averages £7,724 · The honeymoon costs £3,220 · The engagement ring costs £1,400 - while the ...
Leadership at a time of uncertainty As I write, I find myself in a dilemma: should I be encouraging my people to get involved in another building project? Ten years ago I led my church through a massive redevelopment of our premises, which cost us just under £2 million. At ...
Once a term I meet on a Sunday afternoon with the thirty or so people in our church responsible for pastoral care. We always focus on a relevant topic - sometimes I invite an outside speaker, but mostly I tend to lead the session myself. Last Sunday I took ‘ageing’ ...
(From time to time couples getting married specify the passage of Scripture they would like me to preach on at their wedding. I am normally happy to oblige, because this enables the service to become more personal. However, I was not so happy about the last request I received, because ...
On 10 October 2010 I shall have been a Baptist minister for 40 years. Forty years in ministry these days is a long time, for, unlike many ministers today, I have had no other ‘career’ - my life has been ministry. And unlike many of my peers of yesterday, I ...
You are reading Ministry Today.
Ministry Today aims to provide a supportive resource for all in Christian leadership so that they may survive, grow, develop and become more effective in the ministry to which Christ has called them.