Many thanks to all those who made Palm Sunday so special at St Mary’s. (I’ve been ill for a fortnight, so it wasn’t down to me!)
Thanks to Stewart Macfarlane for capturing this pic. A reminder that Holy Week starts with joy.
Kevin, that’s very interesting set of questions. Can I shamelessly steal some for something I am working on in Chichester? Thanks
Feel free to share – please give a link to the website where appropriate.
Very thought provoking set of questions applicable in large part to many walks of life as well as the Church.
I should like to share it with my Baptist masters in Oxford if that would be OK. We’re in process of deciding who we are, before starting to look for a new minister to work with and lead us.
Of course.
76. What role does Jesus play in your preaching/formation/proclamation?
77. Can you wrap your reasons for going to your church into a joyful and inviting “elevator speach” (a speech taking the amount of time you need to ride a lift/elevator)?
78. Do you know what your neighbourhood is looking for, what its needs and desires as much as its joys and hopes are?
79. What would you miss if your church would close? Would you neighbourhood miss you?
80. How does your church get its “hands dirty” with creating a just society and preserving creation?
81. Do you undergird all you do with prayer and worship?
82. Do you willingly and joyfully give of your time, talent, and treasure to your church?
83. What role does discussing your own resources play in the formation of your church? (Stewardship)
84. Do you share details you spiritual and church life joyfully with friends and neighbours?
85. Do you share the concerns and worries of your friends and family with the responsible people in your congregation?
86. Are there church events happening outside your buildings?
87. Are children neither seen, nor heard; seen, but not heard; or seen and heard?
88. Do you pray for growth?
89. Do you pray for your city and neighbourhood?
90. What role does the cross play in your identity and formation?
It seems to me that people can help churches grow with the most varied theological presumptions. I’m not convinced that any particular one leads inevitably to growth.
I’ve received the following comment from Steven in Northern Ireland. It was posted at the end of the long debate about the Gene Robinson announcement. I thought it was worth putting in a new post and keeping the comments separate. Dear Kelvin I would like to compliment you on the quality of the debate within…
It seems that our cousins in the Church of England have voted in favour of bringing in legislation which will result in bishops being consecrated who happen to be female. We debated and voted on this a few years ago. It was quite a good debate, I seem to remember. Charitable and thoughtful and followed…
// UPDATED – this post now visible in Internet Explorer This is the text that I was using, based on the story of Isaac being found a wife in the second part of Genesis 24: We are going back to the Old Testament soap opera this morning. I want to talk about the story…
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