Dear friend I believe 2017 is going to be an extraordinary year. It’s 500 years since the beginning of Martin Luther’s reformation, and many have been experiencing new adjustments in roles, seasons, purposes and even geography. There is a God-shift going on at this turning point in history! You’ve only got to look at European…
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“Now David was clothed in fine linen, as were all the Levites…David wore a linen Ephod…” 1 Chronicles 15:27-29 King David and his priests (in fact all priests throughout the Old Testament) had to wear the correct clothing to come before the Lord and lead God’s people in worship. I want to ask worship teams,…
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Worship leading is a difficult thing, especially if we are longing for powerful times with God. Glory, passion, intimacy, the presence and the power of God moving among us are things many of us desire in our meetings. As many church services can at times be much less powerful than all that, we can quickly become frustrated,…
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“Master, it is good for us to be here.” Peter said. “Let us put up three tabernacles, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying). Luke 9:33 Many an ageing pastor has informed me, usually with tears in his or her eyes, “We have no…
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“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” Ecc 3:1 Life has many seasons. There are seasons of dreaming, periods of preparation, times of silence and eras of learning. This is true of people, families, organisations and of course, churches. It was even true of Jesus. You can’t fight it,…
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I have discovered the greatest hindrance to a move of God can be quite simply right between my ears! My arrogant senses of right and wrong, godly and secular, acceptable and unthinkable. My religious education. My British culture. They can all hinder the divine, eternal culture of heaven from piercing through the dull temporal culture…
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A brief biblical study on sin, correction and exclusion from membership. Church discipline, in the context of a modern congregation, is one of the most difficult things Christians can face. But every church does have to occasionally deal with difficult toxic issues that will poison and radically alter the culture of a congregation. If not…
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As soon as a church reaches a membership of more than about 150/200, people start to say (or feel) “The Pastor no longer has time for me”. The experienced among them will know that is a literal truth, not a criticism. The classic church, led by one Minister/couple simply will not be able to give…
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Leading an unhappy team is an exhausting thing if you care about people. No leader revels in a grumbling, unhappy, uncooperative work force. If “the joy of The Lord is your strength” then an unhappy environment will surely sap the strength out of you! I’ve been there… Exhausted, drained, weary. You’ve got to get…
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“Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these,…
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“I would attack him while he is weary and weak. I would strike him with terror, and then all the people with him will flee. I would strike down only the king” (2 Samuel 17:2 NIV) Your leaders are a gift from God to you, according to Ephesians 4. Through leadership God intends to…
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This last weekend a friend commented “Sounds like you’re in a purple patch!” Not being acquainted with the phrase, I discovered it is apparently when everything is going great, note worthy, successful – a great season of fruitfulness in an organisation. “A Purple Patch” on an otherwise dreary garment! It took me by surprise…
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A Messiah in my Image? Leadership according to Jesus. Years ago I wrote a controversial little song, where the chorus went: Is your Messiah made in your image? Is your Jesus under control? Is your religion made for your glory, or His? The Bible is, of course, a plumb line for us all of…
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I recently read this simple little blog, and one response to it, and it seemed so natural, rooted, mature. I felt it expressed something of a call to remember simplicity in all our “attractional” platform driven churches. I’m not advocating it as a model…just a reminder: Shaun Groves writes: I’m often asked to speak…
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When ever we set out to build a church building, it must have a great context to for it to flourish. Churches don’t exist to build empires, self promoting monoliths or ego inspired monuments. Neither are they simply “community centres”, no more important than the local gym. But beyond needing to increase seating capacity and…
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“60% of UK churches no longer have a corporate prayer meeting.” When I read that stat I wondered about writing a blog “RIP: The British Prayer Meeting”, or “How to revive prayer in a contemporary church setting” etc etc. My worry was no one would click through to read the blog. Unfortunately, the stat…
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A few thoughts on church growth in a Western setting…. One of the ways we show a love for God and for the people He loves, is to have a passionate, organised, Spirit inspired attitude to reaching lost souls for Christ and growing them into disciples – which means growing our churches. I have noticed…
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British Prime Minister David Cameron’s “Christian Fight Back” speech, made at Downing Street to Christian ministries from across the denominations 3 April 2012. In it he praises what he calls “The Christian Fight Back….”. Remarkable! Here is the full script: “As you know, we have receptions here for Diwali, for Eid, for Jewish New Year,…
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1. I will not obsess about how many people turn up each week. I will aim for a healthy church, and God can grow the church. 2. I will not end up a part-time Christian while in full time ministry. 3. I will remember I cannot do everything, so make sure my “not to do”…
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Lord, can I go to this church please….. I want to be part of a Church that embraces both Spirit & Word, contemporary excellence AND powerful outpourings of God’s Spirit: … where there is an ebb and flow of the Spirit/Word dynamics. One week you might think you’re in a Joel Osteen meeting, the next…
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