During my years at Wycliffe College, I listened to many students wrestling with whether they were called to ordination. They were often surprised when I told them that was not the right question to be asking. The place to start was by asking what their gifts were. Our Anglican system’s three-fold order of deacon, priest, […]
Can Three be Divided by Five? Varieties of Leadership Read More »
Cam Harder is a well-respected, senior Lutheran Professor of Systematic Theology, now retired. I tell you that now because he also has a mischievous sense of humour and, once you read the story I am about to tell, I wouldn’t want you to think, “Who on earth is this irresponsible young maverick?” I was once
Stripped-down church: what can be done? Read More »
Change and tradition sometimes seem like opposites. “We Anglicans have our traditions. We love them and are proud of them,” we hear. But we also hear, “The church needs to change with the times. We need to find ways to be relevant.” I’ve thought about this a lot, and finally stumbled upon one insight which
What makes a church, and why does it matter? Read More »
Business guru Peter Drucker used to advise every organisation to ask itself, “What business are we in?” So what exactly is the business of the church? Are we in the religion business? The business of teaching “values”? The business of adding a spiritual dimension to life? The business of promoting justice? In these days of church decline, we had
Who needs the church? Read More »
As we are apprenticed, we ourselves are changed into the people God always dreamed we could become, and we contribute our small bit to the mosaic that is the Kingdom—and that brings joy. Frankly, is anything else worthwhile?
What on earth is discipleship? Read More »
I remember seminary students who were hoping to be ordained warning one another of the kind of questions they were likely to be asked in the selection process. “It used to be,” they said, “that you had to say something about the importance of the sacraments. But now,” they explained, “you better say something about
Why mission is not the point Read More »