Editor of Ministry Today
Funerals are strange events, and becoming stranger, as the general population increasingly lose their connection with the Christian faith. As a vague Christian recollection becomes increasing mingled with personal philosophies and pre-Christian superstition and mysticism, the demands on a Christian leader become ever more complex as we seek to steer ...
Traditionally, in a Baptist context, the Lord’s Table is for the Lord’s people. The Table is ‘open’ to all who love the Lord Jesus Christ and are seeking to follow him, but the assumption is that those who come to the Table are in a committed ‘covenant relationship’ with his ...
The SPCK Book of Christian Prayer (SPCK London: first published in hardback in 1995, this paperback edition 2009; 490pp; ?14.99; ISBN 978 0 281 06151 8) brings together over 1,200 prayers, both classic and contemporary. It is a truly delightful compilation and is a great resource for all who lead ...
I’ve been in full-time Christian ministry now for 26 years - a mere beginner compared to some. Along the way, I’ve taken my share of brickbats and bouquets - a few of the brickbats were thoroughly deserved and many of the bouquets belonged to others probably more than they did ...
In recent years it has become common for Christian leaders of all sorts to go on retreats, to take time out from the busy-ness of day to day ministry to think, reflect and pray. Many have taken advantage of the explosion in the numbers of retreat houses available throughout the ...
Christmas: The Original Story (SPCK, London 2008; 191pp; ?9.99; ISBN 978 0 281 06050 4), by biblical scholar Margaret Barker, sets the Christmas story in its original cultural and literary context. Sadly, although a Methodist preacher herself, the author does not offer ideas for the hard-pressed preacher at Christmas. Feasting ...
The Spiritual Dimension of Childhood (Jessica Kingsley, London 2008; 160pp; £16.99; ISBN 978 1 84310 602 9), by Kate Adams, Brendan Hyde, and Richard Woolley, argues that “spirituality is an innate and natural predisposition of humankind. All people are spiritual - and children are of course no exception” (p.144). This ...
Introducing Christianity (Routledge, Abingdon 2008; 498pp; £19.99; ISBN 978 0 415 77212 9) by James R Adair, a Baptist professor in Texas, is an amazingly wide-ranging introduction, which takes nothing for-granted. Divided into four main sections, Part I is entitled ‘Introduction to Christianity’ and deals with such basic questions as ...
Short Notes January 08 Commentary on the New Testament use of the Old Testament (Apollos, Nottingham, 2007; 1239pp; £29.99 hardback; ISBN 978 1 84474 196 0), edited by G K Beales and D A Carson, with contributions by some eighteen scholars, is a new type of commentary in which every ...
Back in the 1990s, it was Willow Creek. We all got excited about Seeker Services. They seemed to offer an opportunity for congregations who had access to the relevant skills to put on a form of church which would bring people in. I'm not sure how many followed through on ...
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.
© Ministry Today 2025