This coming Sunday represents my last day as pastor at Woodstock Road Baptist Church. For those who have missed the news, from August I’ll be taking over the leadership of the South Central Ministry Training Course alongside my work with Living Out. I’ve been asked a few times how I am feeling. My honest answer […]
Towards the end of his life John Stott, one of the great church leaders of the 20th century, said this: “I am sometimes asked whether at my age I have any ambitions left. I always now reply, “Yes, my overriding ambition is that I may become a little more like Christ.” God’s purpose is to […]
It was my final year at university and I was the secretary of the Christian Union. I served alongside a great committee but there was a point when it became too much for me. That was partly work pressure but also the personal issues I’ve alluded to in the past. Spiritually I felt confused, disorientated […]
Over the last few months I have had the same conversation several times. Sometimes I have been the one listening and sometimes the one speaking. The conversation involves somebody who is active in church- perhaps a pastor, an elder or a youth leader. They are doing good stuff- preaching sermons, seeing Christians grow or trying […]
Earlier this year I was asked to speak on the subject of homosexuality on a pastoral care course down at WEST. I decided that I probably ought to increase my range of reading on the subject so worked my way through Matthew Vines’ book God and the Gay Christian. Vines speaks movingly about discovering his […]
Over the years I have developed a pattern that I have found helpful in keeping going in pastoral ministry: the monthly away day. It was recommended to me back in my days with UCCF. Once a month I travel to somewhere nice (the venues all tend to be near coasts!)where I have a good Christian […]