In Depth:  Roland Clarke

Dear Sir,

Paul Hinton (en letters, December) makes some valid points about church planting. I agree that if mission drives church planting, we shouldn’t just look for a ‘quick win’ by planting churches likely to appeal to students and professionals … whom we know to be on the doorstep! And yes, there is no excuse for establishing churches merely to further our theological ‘brand’ or to expand the latest ‘network’ of churches. To these concerns I would add the depressing trend among some contemporary church plants of resistance to accountability by the leadership. Too often, there is a failure to make the transition from the ‘solo ministry’ of the church planter to a fully functioning church.

Dear Sir

Bill James encouraged us to adopt historic confessions of faith in our churches in April’s en. But he seems to conflate evangelical orthodoxy with doctrinal uniformity. He suggests that such confessions help us to ‘maximise what we stand for’. He correctly points out that a systematic statement of faith does not contradict the principle of Sola Scriptura, and helpfully explains why clarity is vital to guard against ‘downgrade’ and ecumenism.