Church planters and pastors of all ilks are united by the fact that they (normally) have strong personalities. This is doubly so for those of us who work in housing schemes and/or other similar situations. We have to lead, often make snap decisions, and carry/encourage/develop/mentor a group of people seeking to live for Christ in […]

I often get asked how and why we have so many contacts and have so many unchurched people attending our services throughout the week. The answer is quite simple: 1. We pray for people. Are you really praying for people in your area, consistently, specifically, and intelligently? When I first came to Niddrie, I started […]

Yesterday we looked at a series of questions I would consider to be fundamental when seeking to work in partnership with voluntary groups, mission teams, and individual donors. Today, I would like to reverse the questions. So, if you are an individual seeking to support a work like ours (or any work for that matter), […]

Here in Niddrie, we have found the following questions to be very helpful (from a local church perspective) when considering if and when we should receive outside ‘teams’ of young people who come to Niddrie Community Church for a 2 week ‘mission trip’. Obviously, they need to be contextualised to every situation, but they are more […]

This is a popular question when I speak in churches or with those who have an interest in mercy ministries or social justice issues. Here’s my own personal response to this: 1. Is the person saved? In other words, have they believed and understood the saving gospel of Jesus Christ and are now producing fruit […]

There is lots of talk around at the moment about ‘cultural defeaters’ (a la Keller) and ‘common grace bridges’ when it comes to talk about the ‘Post-Christian’ West. Personally, I think we need to be more careful about what we mean by using the term ‘Post-Christian’, because we certainly wouldn’t want to confuse it with […]

What is the role of the church on our society today in social issues? Are we merely to preach or should we be engaged in social action? All very modern questions within evangelical circles right now. But they’re not new. The early church had to make these kinds of decisions thousands of years ago in […]

Our Youth leader is making a series of videos for young people in the scheme who have little to no idea about biblical Christianity. Here is their first offering. The young lady in the clip is my eldest daughter, Keziah.

Is it possible to live a faithful Christian life without being a faithful part of a local church? I’ve heard many people make the argument that it is indeed possible—especially if there are no good churches around. I disagree. At the bare minimum, there are forty different commands in the New Testament to live life […]

“Women participate equally with men in the priesthood of all believers. Their role is crucial, their wisdom, grace, and commitment exemplary. While Scripture teaches that a woman’s role is not identical to that of men in every respect, and that pastoral leadership is assigned to men, it also teaches that women are equal in value to men.” […]