I recently came across this quote from Greg Sheridan, the Australian journalist and author of ‘God is Good for You’, who headed a recent article with – ‘The West cannot survive without a re-energized belief in Christianity’ Sheridan’s blunt, but I believe hard to argue with, observation flows from the fact that the socio-spiritual culture … Continue reading A Crisis in the ‘West’
‘The Church is Dead, Long Live the Church!’ ###### Around five years ago I wrote the following paragraph as an introduction to a booklet I was writing at the time. ‘Up to some point on that icy, dark north Atlantic night in 1912, on the SS Titanic’s fatal journey towards the notorious iceberg, there remained … Continue reading Out of the Ashes of This Present Insanity the Phoenix of a ‘Church That Lives’ Can Arise
For Support, Encouragement, Equipping, Knowledge Sharing- 26th October, 2019 For all those who are already involved in, or interested in developing, Missional Communities and Networks. Looking at some of the (perhaps new) skills for the creation and development of MCs in the 'Live, Work and Play' cultural universes where unchurched people spend their time. For … Continue reading Notice – A ‘SEEK Day’ Missional Community Gathering
The first stage of the Missional Community Process (See the Toolbox Tab on the home page) is ‘Connecting’. Clearly this is essential, because if we don’t ‘Connect’ with the ‘Unchurched/De- Churched’, now an increasing majority of members of society, then there is no possibility of entering into a gospel conversation. Thus the Unbounded Church strategy … Continue reading Connecting With Ron – An Encouragement
‘Go (keep on going ) and make disciples’ ***** The goal of the standard strategy adopted by churches for local mission over many decades has been to draw people into Sunday services. Such a strategy has traditionally involved running special ‘guest’ services or other events that will attract non-Christians into the ‘church’ … Continue reading Mission Pluto
‘Wake up the church and . . . encourage it to strengthen itself, while there is still time’ … Continue reading The Cockle-Picking Tragedy
“You may get what you want, but you won’t like what you get!” ***** History is normally written with the benefit of hindsight. That is, historians describe events that have occurred years, decades or often centuries in the past. However, I wonder if today by using a biblical lens we are actually in a position … Continue reading Something Rotten In the State of the West
On a recent holiday trip we stayed overnight in a small English village. The next morning, as walked around I came across an old Abbey, which I entered and explored with visitor’s eyes. It is an ancient building, large and cavernous, with a history going back over 1400 years and which currently also serves as … Continue reading Encountering Tragedy in the Abbey
Mary was well into her eighties when I was asked to make a pastoral visit by the minister of the church I was attached to at the time. She had been attending the same church ever since her parents took her along to be baptised as a baby. It was there that she had met … Continue reading Mary’s Tale
2 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, ‘If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! 3 Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be … Continue reading The Future is Not Behind Us
