A year of surprising growth
Adriana Kerkstra reflects on 2020 as a ministry trainee: Last year in September I wrote a short blog post before starting my first year as a ministry trainee. I wrote, “There will probably be tough times and disappointments because, well, we’re on earth rather than in heaven”. Sweet, innocent me. Little did I know what […]
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 – […]
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 […]
Starting Out in full-time Gospel Ministry
In 2009, Reuben Mann wrote an article for 9:38 on starting out in gospel ministry. Since then Reuben and Hannah have had another son; Reuben has taken on pastoring a church plant, Emmanuel Marlborough; and Mike Ovey, Reuben’s principal while at Oak Hill, has gone to be with the Lord. But Reuben’s original article, reposted below, […]
Book Review: Is This It?
There is a certain amusement when you realise your boss has asked you to write a blog post reviewing a book whose front cover says (among other things), “I hate my job!” He’s a brave man. Anyway, I have duly read Is This It? by Rachel Jones. And I have frequently found myself getting distracted from […]
The value of doing a ministry apprenticeship in a church plant
In 2003, my wife and I moved from Brazil to the UK. Soon we began to study the Bible with some friends at home. In 2005 this group of friends grew, and we decided to plant a church. However, I made some mistakes during the process of planting a church which resulted in the death […]
An Internship with a Difference
Matt Waldock, formerly a ministry trainee and now a church planter and pastor, shares how City Church Manchester has crafted a particular form of ministry traineeship for these economic times. A lot has changed since I was a ministry trainee in 2004. When I graduated from Lancaster University, the concept of ministry trainees was an […]
Self-Management and Productivity
Introduction Christians, perhaps more than most people, get stressed about time. This is not surprising, given the combination of the urgency of gospel ministry and the finite length of available time, which we find in passages like this: “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a […]
Prayerful Intentionality
There is so much about the Christian life that I love. To be awakened every morning to hear God’s word and speak with my loving Father in prayer is an immense privilege. To worship in the company of others and sing God’s praise is heart-warming and spiritual. To live with God’s moment-by-moment presence is assuring. […]
Why We Should Train Women for Ministry
Someone told me: “There’s really no point in training women for ministry – they just leave when they get married and have babies.” “There’s really no point in training women for ministry – they just leave when they get married and have babies.” I really heard this… from a woman… at a 9:38 conference. I think I […]
How Ministry Trainees can be a help and a hindrance
At a prayer meeting I recently had the privilege of joining, we flicked through a passage from 1 Thessalonians 2. Paul here is reflecting on his short, but rich time with the people of Thessalonica (cheeky picture below if you can’t visualise it). He spent just four weeks with this group, and as a result […]
The Smaller Church Option
SMALL CHURCH = NO CHANCE I first looked at the 9:38 website seven years ago. I saw smaller churches, in smaller towns with MT openings and I moved on past them. I settled upon applying to Christ Church in Cambridge. Fast forward seven years, two spent in Cambridge, four working with UCCF in Manchester and […]
