The Prime Minister recently announced a huge multi million dollar funding package to place chaplains in high schools. As someone who has been involved in funding and supporting chaplains, I think this is a bad idea. Its a job for the church, not government, and I see compromise and bureaucracy edging its way in toContinue reading “Government Funding for School Chaplaincy”
Tag Archives: mission
Revisiting Aquachurch
This book (by Leonard Sweet) was probably one of the most influential in getting this aging baby-boomer to begin thinking outside the square when it comes to organising and leading churches through change. It comes to light again as I travel with my congregation through a Church Life Review process. Many of our learnings areContinue reading “Revisiting Aquachurch”
Pope Benedict XVI – that speech
Much has been written in the media concerning an excerpt from Pope Benedict XVI’s recent speech at Regensburg which cited a medieval Byzantine emperor’s less than favourable view of the Islamic practice of “conversion by the sword.” I don’t propose to discuss this, but merely to point a very thoughtful treatment by Gil Baillie ofContinue reading “Pope Benedict XVI – that speech”
Coffe Cup Quote
Someone sent this quote found on the side of their coffee mug: “It’s tragic that extremists co-opt the notion of God, and that hipsters and artists reject spirituality out of hand. I don’t have a fixed idea of God. But I feel that it’s us — the messed-up, the half-crazy, the burning, the questing —Continue reading “Coffe Cup Quote”
House of Sand and Fog
Meeting with a book club forces me to read things I wouldn’t normally come across. I wouldn’t normally access books from Oprah’s Book Club, for instance. I’m glad of the opportunity however, for I have come across a range of fascinating material in the form of stories and dilemmas that would not arise out ofContinue reading “House of Sand and Fog”
When it all comes together
Church reviews, Celtic models of ministry and Paul’s letter to the Ephesians bring about another of those synchronous moments of which I am quite fond! The Revised Common Lectionary has us travelling through Ephesians right now – a marvelous treatise of a vision of universal community that embraces all – for all are from GodContinue reading “When it all comes together”
Celtic models of ministry
A few years ago I stumbled across something called the Celtic approach to Christianity. As I investigated further, it was apparent that I was at a fork in the road in how I approached my ministry. I realised that I was often focused on ecclesiastical organisational minutiae when my heart was really set on theContinue reading “Celtic models of ministry”
Well, well, well!
The challenge to the church was to raise $4000 to sink a well in the remote drought stricken hinterlands of Zimbabwe. Individuals and groups set about to devise their fund-raising schemes. Our resident artist devised a working model that would show week by week how far the bore had sunk towards the water table farContinue reading “Well, well, well!”
A good read
How does Christian faith, based on a unique revelation, relate to other world faiths? Depending on one’s comfort zone, this might be experienced as either a stimulating question on the one hand, or irritating and threatening on the other. Within the Christian confession, there is widely accepted typology of three dominant views set out byContinue reading “A good read”
Wondering Pilgrim 