In depth | Evangelicals Now

An unhealthy drivenness in churches?

Dave Burke

Someone once said that the purpose of the news media is the manufacture and maintenance of anxiety. I think he was right, but I also think that some churches do something similar.

That famous quotation, 'If Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for him'^[1], is true. But sensitive souls are vulnerable to a dangerous distortion: 'If Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice I make can ever be enough for Him'. I wonder if this explains an unhealthy drivenness in the churches?

Worried about having 'unsound' opinions?

David Shepherd

Throughout my Christian life, I have experienced acceptance and belonging in church by publicly identifying as (what some would call) a ‘card-carrying’ evangelical.

On reflection, I must confess that, among fellow evangelicals, the experience that I have most enjoyed has had little to do with being perceived as sacrificially loving, or exceptionally forbearing. To be brutally honest, neither of those virtues is my strong suit. Instead, as an evangelical, I’ve been choosing the far easier task of focusing on being what I call ‘confessionally sound’.

When considered in isolation, few would object to that focus. After all, for persecuted Christians, such as Martin Luther, Deitrich Bonhoeffer and even 21st century martyrs, confessional soundness has been one of the most conspicuous and admirable hallmarks of Reformed belief.

Nevertheless, there is danger in the pursuit of apparent confessional soundness at the expense of all other virtues, such love and forbearance. For example, it can result in a total lack of remorse over directing sarcastic ad hominem remarks and put-downs towards those people whom most evangelicals no longer consider to be confessionally 'sound.'

pastoral care

What’s the care structure in your church?

Helen Thorne-Allenson

‘Do I have the right pastoral care structures in my church?’ It’s a question I get asked a great deal. It’s a question to which there is no easy answer, because different churches will need different structures.

What’s appropriate will be dependent on the age of the church (church plants and established churches will work in very different ways); the size of the church; the culture of the area; the gifts of the leaders and congregation members; and the theological convictions on matters such as authority, governance and pastoral roles. But there are some questions churches can ask themselves to begin to tease out if their pastoral structure is apt, and here are a few:

Revitalising a dying church: what's the secret?

David Robertson

Of making many strategies there is no end, and many training sessions weary the body.

As I have re-entered the Presbyterian ministry in a small church, Scots Kirk in Newcastle, New South Wales, I have been reflecting on my two previous ministries and on answering the question: how do you revitalise a traditional church, which is nearing the end of its life? It’s a situation I have faced before.

bridging cultural divides

Are you only friends with people like you?

Jason Roach

In my experience, eating fish and chips at the seaside can be a life threatening experience. Not because of the quality of the fish and chips, but because of the flocks of birds trying to eat it at the same time.

On one memorable trip, I was in the process of trying to rescue my daughter's meal from a veracious seagull, when its partner in crime took the opportunity to swipe mine. I think they must have enjoyed it, because a few minutes later they deposited most of what they had digested on my head. In His wisdom, the Lord has ordained that trips to the beach would remind me of that old adage: birds of a feather, flock together.

Why might a church be de-banked?

Paul Houghton

Despite perceptions of persecution discussed in our last article, the real reasons behind churches being de-banked* are more likely to be rooted in regulatory and risk management issues.

Money laundering and terrorism finance will rarely be discussed in church trustee or PCC meetings. However, they now dominate the mandatory account due diligence processes undertaken by UK banks in the 2020s. While being utterly alien to churches, it is these behind-the-scenes processes which are driving a swathe of the banks’ programme of account closures.

Prayer times literally ‘out of this world’

Luke Randall

During the Covid pandemic, Christians had to learn how to engage with church differently because of national restrictions. Now, two NASA astronauts have taken virtual church to a whole new level.

Christians Barry Wilmore and Tracy Dyson, who were among the four astronauts on the Boeing Starliner’s flight to the International Space Station (ISS) in June, are members of Providence Baptist Church in Pasadena, Texas.

safeguarding briefing

Church culture: 'But we've always done it that way'

Jules Loveland

In every church, there is an often unseen influence that can bring life and progress to a congregation or leave it stagnated. This influence is church culture.

Frequently overlooked and under-appreciated, culture is always present. It shapes the way we think, behave, and interact with one another. Understanding the significance of our church culture is essential, for effective evangelism, growth and pastoral care.

bridging cultural divides

Crossing cultures as an introvert

Jason Roach

A common concern around welcoming people from different cultures into the local church is that it is impossible for introverts. I remember one person saying, 'I find it hard enough to speak to my friends, let alone to strangers!'

It’s part of a bigger fear among Christians that we just don’t have what it takes to reach out to those who are different from us. What do we do when we want to communicate across cultural differences, but the bar just seems too high?

What should you look for in a church?

Karen Soole

It is the season when supermarkets and Ikea are filled with young adults and their parents doing ‘the university shop’.

Journalists begin rehashing their annual articles: '24 tips for starting university', filled with sage advice about starting freshers with plenty of cold remedies and bringing chocolate brownies to share with new housemates. Parents are advised to 'let go and remember that their child is an adult'.

the pastor's toolkit

Pastors: one year in and struggling?

Phil Moon

Am I the only one to notice that there seems to be such a thing as a 'first year dive’? It may be my imagination, but I think there's something to it.

I have a number of friends and know of several others who've got about one year in to a first position of responsibility – where you’re the senior pastor or vicar – and suddenly it hits them.

She says out loud what many are fearful to say

Rebekah Brown

Book Review SHE NEEDS: Women Flourishing in the church

Read review

Why everyone should read this re-issued JI Packer essay

Bishop Wallace Benn

A very helpful and powerful essay by the late Dr J I Packer, critiquing and exposing the mindset of the errant Church of England bishops who have acted so dishonourably and unbiblically over sexuality, has been re-issued as a free down-loadable pdf by the Latimer Trust.

In the essay, called Never mind the quality, feel the width: comprehensiveness in the Church of England which was written some time ago, Jim Packer analyses four different kinds of views about 'comprehensiveness' which Anglican leaders hold.

Church: another take

Paul Lusk

Book Review THE NEW ANABAPTISTS: Practices for emerging communities

Read review

Churches destroyed, thousands displaced

Iain Taylor

Christians working in Mozambique are becoming increasingly concerned about the human cost of the wave of violence now sweeping south across the country.

The persecuted-church agency Open Doors reports that over 70,000 people, mostly women and children, have been displaced from their homes in northern Mozambique following a sharp rise in attacks by Islamist militants.

Here’s the truth: our prayers are being answered!

Adrian Reynolds

There are more people training for ministry in the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC) than at any time in the last 30 years. Surprised? So were we, when we did the maths.

And the numbers we crunched need a few caveats: We don’t have absolutely concrete data going back 30 years, so we had to do some asking around. And because we’re independent churches we don’t keep tabs on everyone training for Christian work, so we had to do a little estimation.

Solo travel should make all church members think

Rachel Jones

With Spring almost sprung, it’s high time for small talk to turn to travel: ‘Are you going away this year?’ The real question, though, is are you going alone? 2024 is, according to Forbes magazine, the year of the solo traveller. The Association of British Travel Agents reported that 16% of trips booked last year were solo – up from 6% in 2011 – and the trend looks likely to continue.

I have one old friend who is a serial solo-tripper. He waxes lyrical about the ease of travelling on his own: he can decide where he wants to go, how long he wants to stay there, what to eat, and when. A recent article in The Guardian celebrating the rise of the older female solo traveller picked up on many of the same benefits: ‘It’s a midweek morning and I’ve just woken up in a hotel room in Madrid on the first day of a mini-break. The day stretches deliciously ahead: shall I go first to the Prado, or the Reina Sofía museum? Shall I have brunch and a late-afternoon main meal, or tapas here and there? … The fact is, I can do exactly what I want, when I want, because I’m holidaying alone.’

It isn’t really about coffee, is it?

Ben Slee

Did you see John Piper’s tweet at the end of 2023 about whether we should drink coffee during worship services? (en November 2023).

safeguarding briefing

Supporting survivors of abuse in churches

Jules Loveland

Content warning: This article contains information about responding to reports of abuse which some readers may find triggering. Survivors of abuse in churches face unique challenges when it comes to receiving support. Their experiences teach the church how to respond better and prevent abuse.

We think of churches as safe places, mostly because of their teaching of ‘love thy neighbour’. But history shows abuse can happen in these communities. It’s crucial that the church learns to respond appropriately to abuse. Failure to do so causes further harm to survivors, and puts others at risk.

defending our faith

The church is an apologetic!

Chris Sinkinson

I have been writing this column in Evangelicals Now for many years. The general theme is apologetics – the defence of our faith – using reliable evidence and being aware of contemporary questions.

I have done so as a lecturer at one of our nation’s Bible colleges. Archaeology, Biblical texts, ethical dilemmas and philosophical questions are all familiar territory for anyone studying academic theology.

How Jesus bucks cultural norms with women

Nay Dawson

In these two short extracts from her new book, She Needs – Women Flourishing in the Church, Nay Dawson writes about how women in Christian contexts can often be patronised and infantilised. She cites Jen Wilkin (an author and Bible teacher from Texas who has led studies for women over many years) who speaks of three female ghosts that haunt the church: the Child, the Usurper and the Temptress. Nay writes, concerning the Child:

Many years ago, I was at a conference. I tried to join a conversation with two male acquaintances, but their response was, ‘Go away, silly little girl.’ I felt sick and stupid, and just wished I could disappear. Women are often treated as children; decisions are made for them, and they are patronised and humiliated in conversations.

Ruth Perry, Ofsted and church processes

Stephen Kneale

A coroner’s report concerning the head teacher, Ruth Perry, determined that her final Ofsted inspection ‘lacked fairness, respect and sensitivity’, stated that at times the inspection was ‘rude and intimidating’ and ruled that it ‘likely contributed’ to her death. Mrs Perry took her own life whilst waiting for the Ofsted report to be published.

The death of Ruth Perry sparked a public debate about the role of Ofsted and how school inspections work more broadly in the UK. BBC News reported: ‘Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman said last month Mrs Perry’s death had been used to “discredit” the schools watchdog. Referring to these comments, Ms Connor [the senior coroner] said this suggests a lack of learning from this case.’ She stated that there was a marked difference between the evidence of the council and Ofsted, suggesting the council was open and accepting with a clear desire to improve matters.

FIEC: new steps to support behind-the-scenes church work

FIEC

The Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC) has launched a new partnership with a ministry called The Church Office to help independent churches with policies and procedures to serve their work and ministry.

In November, the first tranche of essential document templates were released on the FIEC website, and this will gradually be developed in the months to come to create a whole suite of resources for churches to make use of. In addition, FIEC has recruited a new member of staff to serve affiliated churches by helping them to develop the template policies to serve the needs of a particular church.

Unity? This spurious unity is sinful and deadly

George Crowder

In the aftermath of November’s General Synod, there has been a lot of talk about unity, whether the lack of it or the form of it.

When asked about division in the House of Bishops, Sarah Mullally, the Bishop of London, has been quoted as saying: ‘What we’re trying to model is how do you, despite the fact we may have different views, seek to try to find a place we can occupy together.’ Justin Welby, reflected: ‘Archbishops of Canterbury must always work for the maximum possible unity in the Church, however impossible that may seem and however deep our differences.’

First pastor for 50-year-old church

Milla Ling-Davies

Ferniehill Evangelical Church in Edinburgh finished the year praising God for two big encouragements in 2023 – they moved back into their renovated building and employed their first pastor, Alistair Chalmers.

For over 50 years, Ferniehill Evangelical Church has been faithfully witnessing to the local community in Gilmerton, Edinburgh.

Ex-Muslim leads church of 80 converts

Slavic Gospel Association

Ismoil was a radical Muslim in a Central Asian country, who attended the mosque every day. For 12 years he rebelled against his family, who were Christian believers.

He regarded it as unclean to eat with them, one of the reasons he spent much of his time in the mosque. His sister faithfully witnessed to him and told him about God’s salvation, but his reaction was fierce, almost violent in opposition. Then God stepped in and the ‘impossible’ happened! Ismoil suddenly felt a deep need to repent and to come to Jesus for forgiveness. It was clearly a powerful divine intervention, creating in him a desire to tell everyone of his new allegiance. Soon his wife was converted and together they began missionary work.

The fastest-growing church? Maybe not what you think

Milla Ling-Davies

A new report from the Bible Society has revealed that the fastest-growing church in the UK is the Chinese Church.

In just the last two years, there has been 29% growth in the Chinese Church in the UK – a large jump from the 7% growth they’d seen in the previous ten years. This is largely due to people emigrating from Hong Kong to Britain.

Serve your church - learn to play a musical instrument

Matt MacGregor

‘Your choice of career is the biggest ethical decision you’ll ever make.’ So says 80,000 Hours*. ‘All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us,’ says J.R.R. Tolkien in The Fellowship of the Ring. ‘A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil,’ says Ecclesiastes 2:24.

What is evangelical unity? Does it even matter?

Graham Nicholls

What is evangelical unity and does it matter? And anyway, who’s to say what an evangelical actually is, and even then, what would visible evangelical unity look like?

That was part of our discussion at the autumn meeting of the Affinity Council – a group of leaders from churches and Christian organisations that help guide Affinity as we set our priorities.

Church growth? ‘That’s putting the cart before the horse’

John Woods

en Reviews Editor John Woods talks to David Brown, an experienced church ‘revitaliser’ in France.

en: Thank you for speaking to us and thank you for writing Re-Connect Your Church: a practical handbook for church revitalisation. One of the words you use a lot in your book is ‘healthy’. What do you mean by healthy, and why is that such an important term for you as you think of the church?

Piping hot?

Luke Randall

John Piper has questioned whether it is appropriate to drink coffee at church in a tweet which has had over 2.5 million views.

His message on Twitter/X read: ‘Can we reassess whether Sunday coffee-sipping in the sanctuary fits.’ This was accompanied by a quotation from Hebrews 12:28, which reads, ‘Let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.’

Armenia: churches help refugees

Iain Taylor

The world looked on helplessly a few weeks ago as about 120,000 people fled the Nagorno-Karabakh region after it was seized by neighbouring Azerbaijan in a lightning-fast military campaign.

The region is situated between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea, just north of Iran. This means that almost the entire population of the ethnic Armenian enclave has now left, to try to rebuild their lives in Armenia.

The Malta plan: training 50,000 leaders in three years

Christians in Sport

This November in Malta, after four years of planning, UK Christians in Sport staff will join over 100 leaders in sports ministry, from more than 30 countries involved in competitive and elite sport, for a four-day conference.

The conference includes the release of over 150 brand-new resources in four languages, and an internationally accessible leadership development programme.

Risk assessments, sin and the trap of Pharisaism

Karen Soole

I recently completed an admin task that I had never done before.

It was perhaps something that I should have done before, but no one had asked, and I hadn’t considered it necessary. I had managed to avoid it for 30 years. That is approximately the number of years my husband and I have led one Bible study group or another in our home. What was the task? A risk assessment for leading a church group in our home. Why, after all these years, are we now doing one? Because it was recommended as good practice at recent safeguarding training. Some of you reading this may be horrified by our previous lack of diligence, especially as we had four children at home during much of that time. Others of you may now be thinking that perhaps this is something you need to add to your to-do list.

Non-Christian millionaire helps get church going

Nicola Laver

A growing church plant in the Lake District has been funded by a non-Christian millionaire – but pioneering without a ‘mother church’ is particularly hard work, its minister has said.

Jonny Gios leads Gateway Church, a Free Methodist evangelical church in Kendal, Cumbria. After stints as a youth worker and youth pastor, then a community worker – Jonny began the church plant with the Free Methodists in 2018 (its Articles of Religion are based on the 39 Articles of the Anglican Church).

Ligonier brings global church to London

Ligonier Ministries

Christians from 27 countries gathered in Central London on 8–9 September for a conference called ‘Pilgrims and Exiles’, held by Ligonier Ministries. Speakers delivered messages from the New Testament book of 1 Peter, encouraging believers in their calling to live as sojourners in this world and ambassadors for the world to come.

Based near Orlando, Florida, Ligonier is the international discipleship organisation founded by American theologian Dr R.C. Sproul (1939–2017). The September conference played a role in the ministry’s efforts to serve the global church with Biblical and theological teaching and to help Christians stand firm in their faith.

Lack of trainee pastors to replace those retiring is ‘elephant in the room’

en staff

The lack of trainee pastors to replace those who are retiring is an ‘elephant in the room’ which evangelicals are neglecting, a former en editor is warning.

Writing on the London Seminary website, John Benton says: ‘The stark truth is that far fewer men are coming forward to train for the ministry than there are pastors coming up to retirement.

How evangelicals facilitated Scottish church collapse

David Robertson

During the lengthy period of debates about same-sex marriage and sexuality, the Church of Scotland leadership often spoke of the ‘trajectory’ that the Church was on.

By this they meant a trajectory towards a more ‘progressive’ and ‘liberal’ theology and practice. For over 20 years I have been writing about the Church of Scotland’s ‘trajectory’ – a trajectory which I believed would end up with its demise. I had thought it would be a gradual decline resulting in extinction by 2050. I was wrong. As this year’s Assembly demonstrates, the Church of Scotland has now fallen off a cliff edge and is in a state of terminal decline. It is doubtful whether it will exist in any meaningful form by 2030.

A missed opportunity ?

Tom Clarke

Statistical evidence would suggest that the commitment of the church in the UK to overseas mission has been on a downward path for some time, whether measured in terms of personnel volunteering to go and serve or in terms of financial support.

Anecdotally, I was asked recently if it was still the case that some Christians offer to leave home to serve the Lord in cross-cultural situations. This was a genuine question from a godly pastor who just had no experience of this happening either in his own church or others which he knew of.

‘The central plank of women’s rights is the cross’

Rebecca McLaughlin

Rebecca McLaughlin holds a PhD from Cambridge University and a theology degree from Oak Hill Theological College in London. She is the author of several books including Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion. She spoke to Rebecca Chapman for en.

en: Tell me how you came to faith?

Faithful ministry: enduring suffering not dishing it out

David Shaw

Paul’s letter to the Galatians might not be the first place we turn to for a model of pastoral ministry. It might even be the last place we’d think to go, given its dense theological arguments and Paul’s exasperated tone. And yet in many ways it is a shining example and defence of authentic ministry.

You can see that best in the final passage – Galatians 6:11-18. In those climactic verses, much of the letter’s argument is brought to bear on the question of how true gospel ministry can be distinguished from false and fleshly ministry.

safeguarding briefing

A checklist for your Holiday Bible Club

Emma Lawson

Holiday clubs are a fantastic opportunity to put on fun activities for children and young people, especially young people who may feel lonely, isolated and bored.

But any holiday club, residential or camp, should be carefully thought through and the safety and wellbeing of children put at the forefront of all your activities. Doing this requires forward planning.

From royal events to churches – how do we welcome?

Karen Soole

Recent media coverage of the Royal Family has included concerns about racism, including one event at Buckingham Palace.

Lady-in-waiting Lady Hussey’s role had been to put guests at ease at a reception. Unfortunately, whatever her intentions, the opposite happened. There were also allegations from Prince Harry and Meghan about related areas. I’m not going to comment on those events which have received so much coverage and divided opinion. However, it makes me think about the difficulties we have trying to connect with one another.

Small church? Big building? A great God – no problem

Jim Sayers

What do you do if you are a small church in a large building that is falling apart?

This challenge faced West Ham Baptist Tabernacle (part of the Association of Grace Baptist Churches SE) in Newham, East London. Their building was about a century old and was badly damaged during the Blitz. They had recovered in the 1950s and 60s, then reached a low ebb in the 90s. Reuben Danladi came as pastor in 1999, stepping out in faith to revitalise the church, and while the church grew again, the building rotted and was often vandalised.

FIEC 100 multiplies into 170 and more

FIEC

A bumper crop of mission initiatives is being highlighted by the the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC) as it continues to mark 100 years since its founding in 1922.

‘Back in the spring we asked our churches to tell us about what they are doing to further the mission of proclaiming Christ and His gospel. We hoped 100 might respond and we could share their news; in the end we received more than 170 submissions,’ said Adrian Reynolds, FIEC Head of National Ministries and Chairman of the en Board.

Churches bridging the north-south gap

Nicola Laver

A partnership between two independent churches – one in a middle-class southern area and the other on a Yorkshire council estate – is bridging the north-south divide and advancing the gospel.

Banstead Community Church lies 13 miles outside central London in leafy Surrey which, along with Sussex, is the wealthiest part of England according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS). ‘Average wealth’ is said to be £263,000 by the ONS.

defending our faith

Evangelicals and women

Chris Sinkinson

At present the role of women in ministry is one of the most pressing topics among evangelical Christians.

Recent books reassessing complementarian and egalitarian perspectives on the Bible have provided some helpful reconsideration of the topic and reflection on the nature of leadership in the contemporary church. However, for onlookers from outside the evangelical church, the debate can seem antiquated and out of touch.

AMiE ordains

AMiE

Dr Osita Orafu, originally from Nigeria, has been ordained in the Anglican Mission in England (AMiE) at Trinity Church, Scarborough.

AMiE is a network of Anglican evangelical churches outside of and independent of the Church of England.

FIEC: 1,000 gather to mark 100 years

Joel Murray

Nearly 1,000 pastors, elders, women’s workers, youth leaders, and others in church leadership gathered at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool in November for the 2022 FIEC Leaders’ Conference.

It was the first national conference for three years, due to the Covid pandemic, but came just in time to mark FIEC’s 100th anniversary.

How can you know that the gospel is at work in a church?

Matthew Mason

‘So now faith, hope and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love’ (1 Cor. 13:13).

Life as a Christian can be summed up in three words: faith, hope and love. They appear together time and again in the New Testament, and form the abiding shape of the Christian life. They provide the climax of Paul’s great chapter on love in 1 Corinthians 13. They define a church shaped by the gospel. How can you know that the gospel is at work in a church and bearing fruit? Because its members are marked by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, love for all the saints (other Christians), and hope in what God has stored up in heaven for us (Col. 1:4-6).

The hopeful church in a hopeless world

David Robertson

We live in a hopeless world. Or at least a world full of false hopes which are quickly dashed.

In the West we seem to be going through what Os Guinness calls ‘a civilisational moment’ – a time when the foundations are being destroyed. Reading of the four horsemen of the apocalypse from Revelation at times feels like reading a news bulletin – death, war, civil strife, famine and plague no longer seem the stuff of ages past. The fears that people have about climate change, racism, economic depression or gender confusion only add to the growing sense of hopelessness and gloom.

Could the jobs crisis be an opportunity for churches?

Karen Soole

We live in unusual times. Job adverts have been carefully drafted and widely distributed, yet the deadline for applications comes and goes with no one expressing interest.

This scenario has been taking place up and down the country. Currently, there are record numbers of vacancies as firms struggle to recruit. We experience the outworking of this with scenes of airport chaos and rising NHS waiting lists. There are shortages across sectors, from probation officers and dental nurses to plasterers, construction workers, and the agriculture industry. Those wanting to learn to drive cannot find driving instructors or even book a test.

UK churches: decline and extinction?

Nicola Laver

UK churches are declining and most denominations even face extinction, a Christian mathematician has warned – with the Church of England lasting until the second half of the century.

Dr John Hayward, a mathematician at the University of South Wales, uses church growth models to research the growth and decline of the Christian church. He found that though Christianity has been declining in the UK for more than 60 years – a few groupings are growing, including the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches, Newfrontiers, and the Elim Pentecostal Church.

Why your church needs Advent this year more than ever

‘Do you feel the world is broken?’ ‘We do.’

So begins Andrew Peterson’s 2018 song, Is He Worthy?, which seems to have became a much-loved classic in Christian homes around the world – and ours is no exception.

Reflections on a year of scandals

John Samuel

With disappointing regularity Christian leaders from the conservative evangelical world fall from grace. True, the great majority of such leaders do not fall. It is those who fall who hit the headlines.

I have been the son of a pastor from the day I was born and a pastor myself for the last 30 years and more. The conservative evangelical world is my world and I feel these things deeply from the inside.

Future trends

When moving house becomes moving church

Peter Brierley

It is too early as yet to know the impact of the Covid-19 restrictions on church attendance in England.

Many expect it to drop because ‘live-streaming’ has become very popular, and it is much easier to watch on a screen in the comfort of one’s home than travelling to a church on a Sunday. On the other hand, others feel numbers may increase because many more folk have been watching on YouTube or whatever and may feel they want to join in. The issue for church leaders may well be how to accommodate both of these eventualities.

Do you really love your church?

Jonathan Leeman

Some while ago, I left the church I first joined in 1996, and where I had served as an elder for a good part of a decade.

I was excited to leave. I hated leaving. And love is why.

New Chester church begins

Trinity Church Chester

A new church in Chester is getting under way.

On Sunday 5 September, Trinity Church Chester held its first Sunday service, meeting in the Welsh Presbyterian Church building in Chester city centre. There was a congregation of 27, including two passers-by who caught the final five minutes of the sermon, and the service was taken by the Revd Deiniol Williams (see photo).

How big is too big?

John Benton

During the depths of lockdown I was out walking having a pastoral conversation when we bumped into someone who went to the same church. I was surprised to find myself being asked: ‘Would you introduce me to your friend?’ They had been members in the same largish church for around six years and, though they had seen each other, had never had a conversation.

At the very least, a church needs a team spirit across the congregation. But can this be there when people have never even spoken to one another?

Church volunteering and exhaustion in the pandemic

Karen Soole

If you want to waste time on the internet, put church names into the search engine of the Charity Commission and see how many ‘volunteers’ they have.

Lots of churches do what ours has done. The number of volunteers recorded is the size of the church family – it seems that everyone who belongs to the church is a ‘volunteer’.

Future trends

The ups and downs of urban or rural attendance

Peter Brierley

Most analyses about church attendance focus on denomination, churchmanship or people’s age. But looking at the environment (catchment area) can also be of significance.

This is helped by the comprehensive March 2021 Government’s Statistical Digest of Rural England, comparing the English rural and urban populations. Those living in rural towns, villages and hamlets are one-sixth, 16%, of the total population, while those living in urban areas (major and minor conurbations, cities and towns) are 83%, the remaining 1% living in what are called ‘sparse settings,’ mostly remote rural areas.

Have we forgotten our ultimate accountability?

Sarah Hamilton

Accountability, ‘the fact or condition of being accountable/ responsible’ is a word we hear a lot these days, whether in the public sphere when things have gone wrong, or something being encouraged between friends or prayer partners.

So it is worth taking the time to think about accountability from a human and heavenly perspective to make the most of its blessings without expecting too much.

Is your pastor secretly needing your help?

Mark Murthen

A couple of Sundays ago, I had a tickle in my throat whilst preaching. Actually, it was more like a coughing fit that threatened to derail my sermon.

Most preachers have experienced something similar but, nowadays, when you cough in public you are far more aware of it. I could see that the congregation were sympathetic rather than threatened by my predicament, but my biggest concern was that they were distracted. I was afraid that my cough was drawing attention to myself and away from the text I was preaching. I wanted the congregation to listen to my words and not to me.

Dragons in the congregation

John Benton

Dragons are mythical creatures that breathe fire and smoke, are covered with impenetrable scales, can do serious damage, and often guard great treasure.

I am using these fantastic beasts as a metaphor for difficult people in a church who can mount personal attacks on the leadership or on the church generally, seem often to be impervious to counsel, and may well obstruct the church moving forward in its vision.

Why I still believe in the Church: the weak shame the strong

Duncan Forbes

We’ve seen too many abuse scandals come to light in the Church, and sadly, statistically speaking, there are many more to come.

It’s tempting to turn away from the Church when well-known leaders are found out to be abusers. This temptation increases as we see other leaders fail to make the Church a safe place: Some leaders have clearly been complicit in abuse, even if they haven’t directly abused anybody themselves. Other leaders have been silent, failing to speak up about what they know, failing to be a voice for the voiceless. Some have spoken up, but have ‘sin-levelled’, thus minimising abuse, contradicting Christ (Matt. 18:6), and broadcasting an ‘all clear’ message to predators. No wonder some of us are tempted to give up on the Church.

Churches mostly back – survey

EN

Most evangelical churches in England and Wales will be worshipping in person by the start of April, according to an en survey.

Of 197 congregations in an online poll, 29% were planning to resume in March – but 39% had not stopped during the latest lockdown and had carried on meeting in their buildings throughout.

Racial stereotyping and the church of Jesus Christ

David Shepherd

I know that we all have our crosses to bear, but can I ask for prayer on behalf of me and so many others involved in public ministry.

Even for lay members of the church, St Paul established a high bar of unimpeachable integrity when he wrote: ‘Giving no offence in anything, that the ministry be not blamed’ (2 Cor. 6:3). Therefore, how much higher are the moral standards required of ministers of the gospel.

Call for gifted women to be recognised

FIEC

Gifted women should be more widely recognised in FIEC churches, a key figure in the network says.

Elisabeth Smyth recently retired after more than 20 years of service with the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC).

Problems in your church? Don’t go nuclear at once

Stephen Kneale

We’ve been having trouble with our electrics of late. I am writing this just before Christmas, where the problems have come to light.

We knew, when we moved into this house two years ago, that things were not A1. We didn’t, however, realise quite how bad things really were. To cut a long story short, we had three opinions from different electricians and all of them reached the same conclusion: our electrics were a total mess!

Whatever happened to the local church?

John Benton

I entered ministry with a vision shared by many in my generation. It was a vision of the local church, and the local church being actually local.

I’m a Grace Baptist, but the basic concept of the Anglican parish system has much to commend it. The idea was of a good proportion, if not the majority, of the church members living in and committed to the area around the church building – within walking distance. Being part of the community, Christians can be a presence in the community and influence the community for good and for Christ.

A safe church is a transparent one

Carl Chambers

Carl Chambers argues that victims of abuse have been failed by churches too easily covering things up

In 2015, Matthew Syed published a book called Black Box Thinking. He contrasts the culture of the airline industry with the health service in the US and UK.

Is your church carrying too much deadwood?

David Robertson

Walking through the Bush near our home in Sydney my heart was heavy for the state of the church, both in Australia and in the UK. What is wrong? What can be done about it? I’m sure there are many answers to that, and I have spent a great deal of my life thinking about, and experiencing, much of what is wrong – as well as rejoicing in what is good, right, pure and holy. As I walked it struck me that there was an explanation right at my feet – deadwood. Here in Australia we are in the midst of bushfire season. Last year, as the world knows, it was one of the worst ever, with considerable areas of the country being burnt. But bushfires happen every year – and they are not necessarily bad. Except when there has not been a fire for years and there is a lot of deadwood which acts as fuel for a much more destructive fire. The fire cleanses, regenerates and enables plants to flower that would not do so without the heat. The Message translation of John 15:6 is fascinating: ‘Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire.’ What if the church has a lot of deadwood, including amongst the leadership? Jesus tells us that His Father is the gardener who cuts of every branch that bears no fruit. But what if the Father has stopped pruning and left us to our own devices? The indigenous people in Australia have for many centuries had a policy of ‘backburning’ or ‘controlled burns’. But the Europeans largely don’t like that. It seems wrong to deliberately set fires. Besides which it creates too much smoke. As a result, in recent years, in order to preserve our own comfort and because we can’t be bothered, there has been little controlled burning. So, when the fire inevitably comes it has years of deadwood to feed off. I wonder if one of the things that has been happening in the church is that we have forgotten church discipline and we have permitted a significant amount of ‘deadwood’ – just to keep the peace? Perhaps what Paul says in Romans 1 happens to society (God leaves us to have it our way), has also happened in the church?

Why is there deadwood? Because it has not remained in the vine. It is attached to the vine but is no longer living. Sometimes you can’t tell until a wind comes and breaks it off, and the fire comes and renews what still has life. I wonder how many churches will survive when the storm comes? I wonder how much of our work will have turned out to be wood, stubble and straw, when the fire comes to test the quality of each person’s work (1 Cor. 3:14).

VAR and church?

John Benton

The 2020/2021 Premier League football season will be remembered for the controversy which has been caused by the introduction of VAR – video assistant referees.

The referee at pitch-side, to help assess whether there has been foul play or some other infringement of the rules of the game, can review videos of an incident. A central hub at Stockley Park, West London, monitors all footage and can draw the referee’s attention and positively influence decision making.

Churches unite to launch Chapel Channel

Charlie Sanders / en

A group of churches in West Sussex has launched Chapel Channel whose aim is to connect together the more isolated members of churches in their area.

With mostly older congregations, they found few in the five churches were able to access computers, tablets or mobile phones and most were not confident with online technology. No one chapel felt able to run remote services. The leaders of the chapels decided to pool resources and expertise and to run online services together and thus Chapel Channel was born.

Churches defy Covid closure

en staff

On Remembrance Sunday, while most evangelical churches remained closed in England, a few churches took part in a collective act of civil disobedience, opening their doors for public worship.

This followed a letter signed by 1,500 people urging the government not to close places of worship.

Think more deeply

Why you can relax while saying the Creed

Garry Williams

‘We believe in one God’

How do we get to the point where we can stand up and say ‘We believe…’? What is the energy that enables us to say this and that keeps us saying it? These might seem like strange questions to ask, but they are important. It is possible to think of saying the Creed as something we do by an act of our own spiritual willpower, much like a superhero who strains every sinew to bend his will to lift the steel girder that has fallen on a car. If that is how I feel as I say the Creed then I have misunderstood a great deal – not only about the Creed, but about the Christian life itself. The very act of saying the Creed, of being able to declare the Christian faith before God, the angels, the demons, and the world, is possible only by the grace of God. It is not we who have brought ourselves to this point where we can say ‘We believe’, nor is it we who keep ourselves here. It is all of God. Our mouths declare God’s praise only because He opens our lips. It is bad enough to think that we come to profess the faith under our own steam. It is even worse to think that it was the church that created the realities described in the Creed. Everything the Creed speaks of is real only because God is who He is in eternity and because God has done what He has done in history. We are not the ones who constitute the ‘Christ of faith’ when we say the Creed: the Christ of faith is the previously-existent Jesus of history.

How do church leaders become spiritual abusers?

John Benton

Spiritual abuse by church leaders can be deeply damaging to those who experience it. Some are ‘scarred for life’ by what happens to them.

A working definition of spiritual abuse would be something like this: ‘Spiritual abuse is a form of emotional and psychological abuse. It is characterised by a systematic pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour in a religious context. This abuse may include manipulation and exploitation; enforced accountability, censorship of decision making, requirements for secrecy and silence, coercion to conform, control through the misuse of Scripture, requirements of obedience through a suggestion that the leadership has some kind of ‘divine’ position, isolation as a means of punishment, and superiority and elitism.’

the ENd word

This is the vision your church needs now

Jeremy McQuoid

How is your church doing as it hits the autumn? How are your services at the moment?

The question I am hearing in every webinar from church leaders is: are we ready post-lockdown? How will the impact of the prolonged absence of physical services affect our congregations?

Keeping children involved in church

Gareth Edwards

The Youth and Familes Pastor at King’s Church, Chessington, shares five ways to help

Yes, we can meet again as a church family gathered together on a Sunday! Yippee!

Church life

The Great Commission and the local church

Joanthan Leeman

Are you a goer or a sender?

I trust you’ve heard a preacher or a missionary ask that question. Their point: the Great Commission calls some people to leave kith and kin for the foreign fields of unreached peoples. And it calls other people to send missionaries with prayer, finances, and support broadly.

Why you must speak up

John Benton

Abuse of power is a hot topic these days. And church leaders are able to misuse their authority just as much as anyone else. We believe ‘all have sinned and fall short…’.

In the congregational form of church government (see Matthew 18.15-20), the church meeting acts as the final court of appeal. The elders, or leaders, have a certain authority in the church (Heb. 13.17), but it is an authority subject to the word of God and to the church. Hence it is the gathered church which appoints elders and to whom they must answer if they go astray (1 Tim. 5.19, 20). So the church meeting provides a mechanism for checking and balancing the leadership’s power. It is, I suppose, similar to the House of Lords, which can return Parliamentary Bills to the Commons with the message to ‘think again’.

Church finances in and out of lockdown

Chris Sheldon

Those of us who hold positions of responsibility in our churches will by now have started the difficult job of working out the impact of coronavirus on our churches’ finances. I am doing the same, and wondering what this will mean, both in the short to medium term and in the long run.

Like many, my church has a variety of income sources We are largely supported by donations, boosted by some letting and activity-based income. The donations are received both electronically and – to a somewhat lesser extent now – in cash. Many churches have suffered from cash not being collected, but we hope and pray that old-fashioned envelope giving will return when we can meet again. The loose plate cash and cancelled letting activity is money lost forever, which in my church means a 10-20% reduction in income.

The secularisation of the UK church

David Robertson

It’s a familiar secularist cry – ‘we want freedom for religion, but we also want freedom from religion’. It sounds good and it sounds nice. But like so many soundbites the devil is in the detail. What do they mean?

In reality freedom ‘from’ religion means freedom from any form of religion (but especially biblical Christianity) in the public square. Militant secularists are as happy as Chinese Communists to have crosses in the public square pulled down. They want Christianity out of the public arena altogether. A ‘secular’ society is for them a ‘godless one’. We don’t ‘do God’ in education, health care, work, politics and media. They are happy for the church to be reduced to the equivalent of a line-dancing club or a Trekkie society. Do it in private – and don’t scare the horses!

Gen Z: what now… and where do we go from here?

Peter Brierley

If there was a prize for the number of key people you’ve influenced before you are 18, Greta Thunberg would probably be a strong contender. She has had an extraordinary time in the last year, speaking at major conferences, going to key places, and meeting so many important world leaders. It’s sometimes hard to remember she will only be 18 later on in 2020. She is part of the Gen Z generation.

The large numbers of people born after the end of the Second World War, especially in the US and the UK, caused the phrase ‘baby boomer’ to be popular for a while, quickly shortened to just ‘boomer,’ and usually taken for simplicity as those born between 1945 and 1963. Those coming afterwards were far fewer in number; they ‘stopped the boom’, or ‘busted’ it, and so for a while were called the ‘baby busters’. This is a disparaging title, however, and when Douglas Coupland published his book Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture in 1991 his phrase instantly stuck and they became ‘Gen X’ (born 1964 to 1982) from then on.

In Depth: church

An unhealthy drivenness in churches?

Worried about having 'unsound' opinions?

What’s the care structure in your church?

Revitalising a dying church: what's the secret?

Are you only friends with people like you?

Why might a church be de-banked?

Prayer times literally ‘out of this world’

Church culture: 'But we've always done it that way'

Crossing cultures as an introvert

What should you look for in a church?

Pastors: one year in and struggling?

She says out loud what many are fearful to say

Book Review SHE NEEDS: Women Flourishing in the church

Why everyone should read this re-issued JI Packer essay

Church: another take

Book Review THE NEW ANABAPTISTS: Practices for emerging communities

Churches destroyed, thousands displaced

Here’s the truth: our prayers are being answered!

Solo travel should make all church members think

It isn’t really about coffee, is it?

Supporting survivors of abuse in churches

The church is an apologetic!

How Jesus bucks cultural norms with women

Ruth Perry, Ofsted and church processes

FIEC: new steps to support behind-the-scenes church work

Unity? This spurious unity is sinful and deadly

First pastor for 50-year-old church

Ex-Muslim leads church of 80 converts

The fastest-growing church? Maybe not what you think

Serve your church - learn to play a musical instrument

What is evangelical unity? Does it even matter?

Church growth? ‘That’s putting the cart before the horse’

Piping hot?

Armenia: churches help refugees

The Malta plan: training 50,000 leaders in three years

Risk assessments, sin and the trap of Pharisaism

Non-Christian millionaire helps get church going

Ligonier brings global church to London

Lack of trainee pastors to replace those retiring is ‘elephant in the room’

How evangelicals facilitated Scottish church collapse

A missed opportunity ?

‘The central plank of women’s rights is the cross’

Faithful ministry: enduring suffering not dishing it out

A checklist for your Holiday Bible Club

From royal events to churches – how do we welcome?

Small church? Big building? A great God – no problem

FIEC 100 multiplies into 170 and more

Churches bridging the north-south gap

Evangelicals and women

AMiE ordains

FIEC: 1,000 gather to mark 100 years

How can you know that the gospel is at work in a church?

The hopeful church in a hopeless world

Could the jobs crisis be an opportunity for churches?

UK churches: decline and extinction?

Why your church needs Advent this year more than ever

Reflections on a year of scandals

When moving house becomes moving church

Do you really love your church?

New Chester church begins

How big is too big?

Church volunteering and exhaustion in the pandemic

The ups and downs of urban or rural attendance

Have we forgotten our ultimate accountability?

Is your pastor secretly needing your help?

Dragons in the congregation

Why I still believe in the Church: the weak shame the strong

Churches mostly back – survey

Racial stereotyping and the church of Jesus Christ

Call for gifted women to be recognised

Problems in your church? Don’t go nuclear at once

Whatever happened to the local church?

A safe church is a transparent one

Is your church carrying too much deadwood?

VAR and church?

Churches unite to launch Chapel Channel

Churches defy Covid closure

Why you can relax while saying the Creed

How do church leaders become spiritual abusers?