This survey of unprecedented scope is designed to help the reader map their way through the thinking that has shaped present-day Anglican ministry. It contains a history of strategic developments and key reports and decisions, identifying the vital issues faced by the Church of England and offering informed suggestions for reform.
Kingdom Calling offers a compelling theological grounding for the vocation, ministry and discipleship of the whole people of God. Building creatively on previous studies, it challenges all of us to change so that the whole church can serve the whole mission of God in the whole of life. Kingdom Calling provides a thorough diagnosis of the theological factors that have prevented such a vision being realised over previous decades. These factors are embedded in the social realities of our everyday life and in the sometimes hidden assumptions that shape our thinking in the church. By setting out a sustained proposal for the renewal of our theological imagination, the report points the way to address some deep running fault lines in our common life. Written in an accessible style, Kingdom Calling looks in turn at the vocation, ministry and discipleship of all God’s people, asking what kind of theological thinking and imagining might most help us to flourish together. It affirms and celebrates the vital lay and ordained ministry roles that support the church in God’s mission, and it identifies changes in practice that can better foster the vocation, ministry and discipleship of the whole people of God.
Issues of gender and sexuality are intrinsic to people’s experience: their sense of identity, their lives and the loving relationships that shape and sustain them. The life and mission of the Church of England – and of the worldwide Anglican Communion – are affected by the deep, and sometimes painful, disagreements about these matters, divisions brought into sharper focus because of society’s changing perspectives and practices, especially in relation to LGTBI+ people. Living in Love and Faith sets out to inspire people to think more deeply both about what it means to be human, and to live in love and faith with one another. It tackles the tough questions and the divisions among Christians about what it means to be holy in a society in which understandings and practices of gender, sexuality and marriage continue to change. Commissioned and led by the Bishops of the Church of England, the Living in Love and Faith project has involved many people across the Church and beyond, bringing together a great diversity and depth of expertise, conviction and experience to explore these matters by studying what the Bible, theology, history and the social and biological sciences have to say. After a Foreword from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, the book opens with an invitation from the Bishops of the Church of England to embark on a learning journey in five parts: Part One sets current questions about human identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage in the context of God’s gift of life. Part Two takes a careful and dispassionate look at what is happening in the world with regard to identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage. Part Three explores current Christian thinking and discussions about human identity, sexuality, and marriage. In the light of the good news of Jesus Christ, how do Christians understand and respond to the trends observed in Part Two? Part Four considers what it means for us as individuals and as a church to be Christ-like when it comes to matters of identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage. Part Five invites the reader into a conversation between some of the people who have been involved in writing this book who, having engaged with and written Parts One to Four, nevertheless come to different conclusions. Amid the biblical, theological, historical and scientific exploration, each part includes Encounters with real, contemporary disciples of Christ whose stories raise questions which ask us to discern where God is active in human lives. The book ends with an appeal from the Bishops to join them in a period of discernment and decision-making following the publication of Living in Love and Faith. The Living in Love and Faith book is accompanied by a range of free digital resources including films, podcasts and an online library, together with Living in Love and Faith: The Course, a 5-session course which is designed to help local groups engage with the resources, also published by Church House Publishing.
This handbook investigates the Christian ministry providing an introduction to what the Bible says as well as addressing developments from the history of the Church. It considers crucial issues for the contemporary Christian, including the ministry of the whole church, women in leadership, working together and handling failure. The book also provides insight into the workings of the Church of England and how one becomes an ordained minister.
Can the Church of England survive the 21st century? What needs to change and what remains? How does the Church deal with contemporary challenges and how are these related to the situation it faced in 1966? This book is an evaluation of Bishop Ronald Williams' 1966 book What's Right with the Church of England identifying the issues of that time with reference to the issues still facing the Church of England today. These include perception and position, resources and finance, ethics, ecumenism, a liberal church in a liberal society, ministry for today, marketing, and a contemporary parochial ecclesiology. Many of the issues from 1966 have not changed but the context is significantly different requiring different responses. ,
This book examines the theological foundations of a collaborative approach to Christian ministry. The discovery that Christians are members 'one of another' creates energy and joy in ministry and empowers the Church in an age of mission. Outlining the present challenges for ministry, Stephen Pickard offers an historical perspective on ministry over the last century; develops a theory of collaborative ministry based on a dialogue between theology and science; and explores some implications of collaborative ministry for lay and ordained people of the Church. This book breaks new ground in its theory of collaborative ministry through a dialogue with the sciences of emergence. It also offers fresh insights on important texts in ministry; relationships between Christology, pneumatology and ministry; a relational ontology of ministry; episcopacy, ecumenism, ordination vows and wisdom for team ministry.
What are clergy for? In this lively and provocative volume, Alan Billings argues that they serve the mission and ministry of the Church, which is to make God possible. In each new era, how to carry out this mission effectively will vary, as the Church seeks to respond to changes in society and culture, but it is likely to involve clergy in a refocusing of their ministry. Part 1 of Making God Possible looks at recent cultural shifts and the challenges they present to Christianity in the twenty-first century. Part 2 explores some of the models of ministry which have been found in the Church in the past and which continue to exercise an influence: classical (the parson); evangelical (the minister); catholic (the priest), and utility (the social activist and personal therapist). The author skilfully draws out those things of lasting importance and value in each model that might contribute towards the renewal of the ordained ministry today.
Entering the 21st Century, one of the most pressing issues for Christian churches is to have a clear understanding of who they are and what they are about! For churches in 'western' contexts, this becomes critical as western society becomes increasingly 'post-Christian' in nature. Putting it another way, we need to redefine ministry for a 21st Century context. The vestigial image of the harmless old vicar cycling around an English village has to go! Even contemporary responses that created 'contemporary' churches that are still fruitful must be examined afresh. New visions need to be created and endorsed. We are at a new frontier, or rather a set of new frontiers, as unprecedented changes press in on the church from all sides. In 2012, a small conference of practising ministers who are also academics and ministry students came together at Harvest Bible College, Melbourne, to wrestle with some of the issues of the new frontiers for Christian ministry. They started a conversation, addressing questions that included developments in women's ministry, the concept of ordination, training ministers online and relating emotional intelligence to ministry 'burnout.' Together they discussed the developing focus of New Zealand Pentecostal churches as they seek to engage with their communities and shared ideas about reaching 'Aussies' in creative new ways. A group of masters level students contributed an insightful report on a study tour of effective ministries in the US, UK and China. The conference wrestled with issues of leadership and the place of teaching in the local church. This book is the result of their deliberations. New Frontiers contains more than theory! On the other hand, the insights contained here are also genuinely research-based, not just 'tips from what I learned in practice'. This means that this book contains well-thought-through and workable insights for ministry. This book will help ministers and trainee ministers engage with some of the real theological and practical questions they cannot avoid if they desire to make a lasting and effective impact. These authors have credibility. They are pastoring significant churches, pioneering new ways of reaching ordinary people who couldn't care less about God, supporting serving ministers to continue in lifelong ministry, and developing fresh modes of training the next generation of ministers and leaders. They are actively engaged in research into ministry practice! This book will certainly stimulate both your thinking and praxis if you are, or want to be, involved in effective Christian ministry. Dr Jon Newton is an ordained Pentecostal minister with extensive experience in church planting, pastoral teams, Christian schools, missions, ministry, and Bible college training. His doctoral thesis at Deakin University was on 'Postmodernism, Christianity and the Book of Revelation'. He is senior minister of Oasis Church, and Head of Research and Dean of Postgraduate Studies at Harvest Bible College, Melbourne. Jon's wife Judy is also a pastor, teacher and professional counsellor, and they have five adult children.
