Because People Need Jesus
This talk was originally given in the first main session of our 2020 Maximise Conference – the first in the series called ‘Motives for Ministry from Matthew’. Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and illness. When he saw […]
Because You Only Have One Life
This talk was originally given in the final main session of our 2020 Maximise Conference – the closing talk in the series called ‘Motives for Ministry from Matthew’. (Matthew 25:14-30 cf. Lk.19:11-27) We have been hearing multiple reasons from the scriptures to maximise our gospel ministry – for while God’s mercy calls us in his […]
All For The Kingdom
All for the Kingdom was inspired by John Newton, the 18th Century slave trader turned preacher. John Newton, after a series of conversations with friends, found himself increasingly drawn to the work of being a gospel worker. In order to work out whether he was suited to the task he blocked out the six weeks […]
Minimise your Bible teaching
9:38 exists to encourage Christians to consider ‘word ministry’. We pray that the Lord of the harvest will send out many workers into his harvest. And our prayer is not just for ones or twos, nor even for tens, but for hundreds and thousands. Many, many gospel workers. So James 3:1 is a surprising verse. […]
MTs in lockdown
Here are four stories from March and April 2020 from ministry trainees in different parts of the country and different contexts sharing what their experience of gospel ministry in lockdown. Lots to learn I’m Sam, a Ministry Trainee at Redeemer Winchester. As a trainee, my normal week consists of coffee shop meet-ups, student Bible study […]
Ministry Traineeship Finance Guidance
Working out the most appropriate and legally compliant arrangements for ministry trainee finances is a very thorny issue. We are grateful for the assistance of many churches and organisations in compiling this guidance. N.B. this guidance is from June 2021 and is due for updating.
Isolation & Imitation
We all need a role model – someone who shows us how to live life well. Ultimately, our role model is Jesus, of course. But the Bible encourages us to have godly people to look to as well. So, in this season where Covid-19 is grabbing headlines at every turn, where can we look? Maybe […]
Handling Criticism
Criticism is part of ministry life. Not the most pleasant part. And, hopefully, not the most dominant. But it’s there, as anyone who has been in ministry for a few years can attest. Sometimes it’s the gentle rebuke of a loving friend; on other occasions, the disgruntled moans of a member of the church – […]
Am I a second-tier Christian?
Am I a second-tier Christian if I’m not a set-apart gospel worker? No! Definitely not. And here are three reasons why. 1) All Christians share an incredible privilege. Under the old covenant, the priests were ‘set apart’ to serve God – first in the tabernacle, and then in the temple. They were the only ones […]
How Do You Spot A Gospel Minister?
Rector of St Ebbe’s Oxford and one of our co-founders, Vaughan Roberts takes us back to basics with some cutting observations from Colossians 1 on the nature of genuine gospel ministry. 1) The authentic gospel minister serves God’s people. “I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is […]
What Is Pastoral Ministry
Richard Coekin is the Senior Pastor of Dundonald Church and the Director of Co-Mission, a church planting movement in London. This post is an extract from his book Gospel DNA (pages 104–107), published in 2017 by The Good Book Company. You can buy a copy here. When the Bible praises God as the “Shepherd” of Israel, he’s praised for […]
When Pleasure Becomes Business
At the end of John’s gospel, Jesus commissions Peter to lead the fledgling church, and, as is so often the case when dealing with Jesus, his priorities are surprising. Before signing him up to any preaching training courses, before explaining the vision statement or growth strategy, he asks a question that would seem irrelevant to […]