We have just had our church AGM, when one group of lay leaders relinquish office, and another come into office. In our church it is possible for leaders to stand again for another three-year term, but once they have served six years, they must stand down for at least a ...
(This article is based on a paper delivered at the Ministry Today Conference at High Leigh Conference Centre on February 29th 2000) The first thing I want to ask is ... What happens when we do not thrive and survive in ministry? The second is ... What causes us to ...
This article has been adapted from introductory teaching shared at a series of Away Days held over 1999-2000 for those in Baptist Ministries. In the 1960s, songwriter Bob Dylan sang: 'If your time to you is worth savin', Then you'd better start swimming Or you'll sink like a stone For ...
Introduction In April 1999, I gave an address to the ministers of the Baptist Union of Great Britain at their annual assembly. The topic was ‘Tomorrow’s Pastors May Not Preach’, and this article is a summary of what I said on that occasion. The title wasn’t my own choice, though ...
As the new pastor enters the church hall. one member of the congregation leans over to another and says, "Isn't she wonderful! That sermon was the best I've ever heard," to which the other replies, "She’s so sensitive. I think she’ll really understand me." We call this the ‘honeymoon’ period, ...
I always look forward to reading Ministry Today. It is a source of encouragement to me in my ministry. However, John Balchin’s article in the February issue, ‘Lessons From Larger Churches’, had the opposite effect. To be fair to him and to check that I was not over-reacting, I asked ...
At 50, I’m actually quite old. I discovered this some years ago when I left Baptist pastoral ministry. I began applying for various jobs, but found that I was barred from many of the jobs for which I was ideally qualified. The problem was not my race or my gender, ...
Pastors can usually pick them at forty paces. It often comes as a hunch backed up by some simple observations. Evasive answers about their last church, a gentle refusal to give away too many personal details, often an absence of personal warmth - all convey a largely hidden agenda. Now ...
Practical Theology Gerben Heitink Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 1999; 358 pp; £28.99; ISBN 0 8028 4294 1 One of the more encouraging aspects of pastoral theology over the past 25 years has been the increasing academic rigour with which it has been taught and practised. No longer would it be fair ...
You are reading Issue 19 of Ministry Today, published in June 2000.
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