As November begins and we begin to think about how we can celebrate Christmas as an outreach opportunity let me offer three simple ideas which you may well already use but need preparation now to be ready in time. Helping your congregation to send Christian Christmas Cards Giving or sending Christian cards to family and […]
Categories: Church life
In an earlier life I was a teacher of science and computing. I entered ministry in 1986 when personal computers first began to be affordable (anybody else remember the Amstrad PCW8256?) and we were one of the very first churches to be keeping our members’ details on computer. Ever since then, other ministers, churches and […]
Categories: Church life, From CBM, Shared Resources
Encouragement for ministers from CBM Board Member Rev Dr Paul Goodliff I have just received an email from a major DIY chain that announced (in early November, for crying out loud) that “Christmas is Here!” Already? I though Christmas was in late-December, and we have not yet endured that hell on earth that is “Black […]
Categories: Church life, From CBM
From CBM Board member Rev Dr Mike Thornton, minister of Epsom Baptist Church. We will remember them. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, on the TV and on the radio, in magazines and newspapers, in documentaries and at the cinema, at conferences and during weekend enactments, at the Cenotaph and […]
Categories: Church life, Preach/Teach
An article from Rev Dr Paul Beasley-Murray, Chair of CBM, from his blog www.paulbeasleymurray.com Recently the Harvard Business Review published a list of seven ways to have a ‘perfect meeting’: Keep it small. No more than seven people should attend. In a large group it is impossible to pick up body language and subtle […]
Categories: Church life, Leadership
An article from Rev Dr Paul Beasley-Murray, Chair of CBM, from his blog www.paulbeasleymurray.com Meetings are often the bane of a church’s life. They can be such a waste of time. Indeed, I rather like the suggestion that every committee should discuss its own dissolution once a year, and put up a case if […]
Categories: Church life
An Action Group is simply a group of four to six people including Elders, Deacons and Church Members who take responsibility for a particular area of the church’s life. In case they are of interest to anybody, I am sharing below details of the Action Groups we adopted in my previous church as a […]
Categories: Church life
This message was preached by Rev Peter Thomas at a joint service of Churches Together in Brentwood when he was their Moderator. It explains why church unity and ecumenical cooperation are vital, not only for Christians and the church but also for the world. I believe in Church Unity! And I am convinced that working […]
Categories: Church life, Reflections
For four days in 2008 I took part in a conference at the Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg on “Congregationalism, Denominationalism and the Believers’ Church”. This brought together mostly academics but also pastors from the Baptist, Mennonite and other Brethren traditions from Canada and the Northern USA. I then spent ten days experiencing the life of First Baptist Church, Penticton. […]
Categories: Church life
I want to propose a subtle revolution: make church plural not singular. What kind of language do you use when you talk about the church? In the singular or in the plural? North Springfield Baptist Church IS or North Springfield Baptist Church ARE? Do you say “ NSBC HOLDS ITS morning service at 10.30? Or […]
Categories: Church life