Most churches, especially as they get larger, tend to have specialised children, youth and young adult ministries. If a church is large enough, perhaps it will also have a dedicated youth or university student worship service. At the other end of the demographic scale, it is common to see ministries or services aimed at shall …
Our modern Western culture often thinks of everything only in terms of the individual. Many of the questions we ask are to do with our personal situation, like: How does this impact me? What do I get out of this? What do I need to do next? We are self-interested people, of course, and we …
Have you ever thought, “I suppose I should go and do my Bible reading”. Or, “I have to go and pray”. Or, “It is time for church, I’d better go”. I’m sure we’ve all been there at some stage, where living out our faith might feel more like a duty than a joy. I do …
You never know how significant the next conversation you have with someone might be. Many of our interactions with others are on surface level things. We talk about things we have done recently, our family and their health, and maybe a bit about work. But sometimes we have a more significant, deeper conversation, that does …
Have you ever had that feeling of being overwhelmed? Of thinking that there are so many things to do and so little time? Of worrying that you won’t be able to get everything done and that it will all fall down if you don’t do it? I’m sure we’ve all been there at one point …
Bible study groups are a great blessing to so many. It is a joy to read the Bible with others and discuss the implications, and to pray together. These groups are rightly at the heart of community in many local churches and parachurch organisations. Groups have to navigate the dynamics that arise when any group …
Where do you look when you have a problem? When you need to do a task you haven’t done before, or when you find strains and stresses in your closest relationships? When you don’t know the best decision to make when faced with a range of reasonable-sounding options? All of us have a tendency to …
Many churches claim to be “Bible teaching churches”. And many churches do indeed have sermons based on the Bible or which work through a single Bible text. (If any church doesn’t even claim this, we should avoid it!) Yet it more than possible to preach from the Bible and not be a gospel preacher. I …
It is easy to feel kind of hopeless right now. The world is a mess. (It always is, of course; yet the prominent wars in the Middle East and Ukraine and the incredible increase in the cost of living amplify this feeling). There is a lot to legitimately complain about. Perhaps you have found yourself …
The church is not an event run by professionals who do all the ministry while everyone else receives it. No, the Biblical model of church has everyone involved in service. We see this clearly in Ephesians 4. Ephesians 4:11-16 set up a pattern of how the church is supposed to operate. And it is so …