• New Year Predictions 2015

    Here are my New Year Predictions for 2015

     

    1. Those who voted YES in the Scottish Referendum will continue to behave as though they won. This may be unhelpful.
    2. Those who voted NO in the Scottish Referendum will continue to behave as thought he referendum never happened. This may be unhelpful.
    3. There will, I fear, be a Tory Prime Minister at the end of 2015.
    4. The Liberal Democrats will retain 10 – 14 seats in the House of Commons.
    5. Nick Clegg will lose his seat and be Lord Clegg by the end of the year.
    6. The Labour Party will not be led by a Milliband by the end of the year.
    7. The Church of Scotland will begin a new procedure under the barrier act to determine whether to accept ministers in same-sex partnerships who are married (ie not merely in Civil Partnerships).
    8. There will be legal victories for those seeking to extend Civil Partnerships to straight couples.
    9. Elizabeth Warren will become a household name.
    10. (Some) straight liberals will lead the charge (such as it is) for (something less than) LGBT equality, (sometimes). Believe it or not, I’m excited by this and it is an improvement. [Remember that in 2011 I predicted that “No straight liberal in the church will feel the need to sacrifice anything at all for the gay friends they purport to support.” Things are changing a bit].
    11. Advances in e-learning in churches.

3 responses to “The Four Horsemen of Growth – their names and their characteristics”

  1. Christine McIntosh Avatar
    Christine McIntosh

    Good stuff, Kelvin!

  2. Stephen Plant Avatar
    Stephen Plant

    An interesting article Kelvin. However I suspect it may be city centric. Have you any knowledge of these four horsemen galloping out into the Highlands and Islands ?

    1. Kelvin Avatar

      I did name one church in this diocese that is very definitely not in a city. And I certainly do know areas of the Highlands and Islands where there’s a demographic shift going on and particular locales are now repopulating.

      You can get faster internet access on some islands these days than I can in Great Western Road – and that’s a deliberate attempt to put in infrastructure to support new working age populations.

      If there’s another way of growing churches other than the four that I’ve mentioned that I’m unaware of which I’ve missed because I’m based in a city then I’m all ears.

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