Proposal for encouraging part time pastors

It is very common in UK churches now and for many centuries past to expect a church to have a single full time pastor (paid elder/ vicar/ minister). There are good reasons for this, but in this post I suggest that there would be significant gains to moving to a model where pastors work part … Continue reading Proposal for encouraging part time pastors →

Should leaders be “vulnerable”?

Leaders in many organisations, including churches, carry a wide range of responsibilities. And these often start to feel like burdens or pressures. I think this is common across institutions and fields. There are pressures. Leadership creates a challenge in how to express that. And Christian leadership, with Jesus’ call to integrity and truthfulness, faces this … Continue reading Should leaders be “vulnerable”? →

Further thoughts on evangelicalism as a protestant renewal movement

(Following this previous post: https://jotsandscribbles.blog/2023/12/07/an-evangelical-hypothesis/) In my previous post on this topic, I suggested that evangelicalism is best understood as a protestant renewal movement, and that when evangelicalism is unmoored from its protestant roots, it becomes distorted in various ways. Here, I outline three specific ways this happens. 1) Loss of vocation One of the … Continue reading Further thoughts on evangelicalism as a protestant renewal movement →

Direct simplicity and intriguing depths

Pete William's new book, "The Surprising Genius of Jesus" (https://uk.10ofthose.com/product/9781433588365/the-surprising-genius-of-jesus) focuses on one chapter of Luke. He shows that Jesus is able to tells stories that are directly addressing the crowds, understood simply as a direct answer to the challenge of the Pharisees. But he also shows that Jesus is working into his stories layers … Continue reading Direct simplicity and intriguing depths →