I remember vividly my early days in the church. Everything was new and fresh. There was a large young people’s group and there was a real buzz about the place. It was exciting being a Christian around people like that. It made church seem like the place to be. But, as time went on, more […]
At 20schemes, we offer summer internships which have proved to be very popular and are vastly oversubscribed. Each year we wade through many applications, weeding out any potential muppets and giving priority to our church partners or people who have been on previous mission trips. They arrive mid-June all fresh faced, bushy tailed, and ready […]
A recent obituary penned by some of the children of a recently deceased mother wrote this startling piece for their local press: Marianne Theresa Johnson-Reddick born Jan 4, 1935 and died alone on Sept. 30, 2013. She is survived by her 6 of 8 children whom she spent her lifetime torturing in every way possible. […]
Last week I was watching a BBC documentary looking at an area in Wales where people spent the most money on beautifying themselves. The programme studied men and women spending all they had (and didn’t have) on looking good. They had personal trainers, hair extensions, fake tan, teeth whitening sessions, and one guy even spent […]
“Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” In all this Job did not […]
A good planter and revitaliser will have to be a first-rate communicator. They must be able to explain their vision, excite and stimulate people, and incentivise them to join his team. A good leader will need to communicate the following in the early days: Explain the gospel Explain what healthy church should look like Explain […]
Counselling is big business in the Western World. Never has a people that has had so much materially suffered from such a range of psychological problems. Thanks to the work of groups such as CCEF, Christians have more access to solid, biblical counselling material than ever before. I was looking forward to this book, particularly […]
The early stages of forming a launch group for a new church are particularly vulnerable. Once word gets around that something ‘new’ is starting, people will want to become a part of it. This is both good and bad. It is good if you attract the right sort of people. They are very few and […]
What is the name of the church going to be? Where is the church going to meet? What is the church launch going to look like? How will you build relationships in the community? What will missional living look like? How will you fund the church plant? What will the statement of faith be? Who […]
I picked this up to read and a friend immediately commented: “Is that one of those self-help books? What are you doing reading that?” I responded that I didn’t think it was, but would let them know when I’d read it. With a recommendation list that includes a practical ‘who’s who’ of the modern Evangelical […]