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 […]

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 […]

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” (John 15:1) At Niddrie, we are having our annual ‘prune’ as we review our ministry across […]

I picked up this book for two reasons: (1) the title intrigued me, and (2) because I was going through a phase in my life when I began wondering if I would be happier by having a change of scenery. It’s the curse of most pastors, I suppose (the honest ones anyway). If you stay […]

Congratulations. You have been saved from a housing scheme background and you have taken the step to enter into cross-cultural ministry. Ministering to the middle class is fraught with many pitfalls and dangers, and is therefore not to be entered into lightly. Please take time to read the following. As a people group, they are […]

There are lots of little articles flying around the ‘blogosphere’ on how to be more ‘missional’ etc. Some of them are helpful and some of them are breathtakingly hilarious. Here are some of my tips of how not to engage ‘evangelistically’ on a housing scheme. Remember, it’s just for fun! 1. Sit in the front […]

Any planter worth his salt will always have a book on the go. We must never stop thinking. We must never stop learning. We must never stop seeking to grow in our understanding of God’s Word and how to apply it to our specific cultural contexts. Tim keller calls it “agile learning”. It’s cheesy but […]

When was the last time you met a person who took a decision in their life based on how it would affect their Christian community? As a pastor, I am often informed about decisions to move house, job, etc. and my immediate response is always twofold: What is the motivation behind your decision?  Where will […]

We have our annual church weekend away coming up this weekend at Niddrie Community Church. Last year we had an amazing time, when at least half a dozen people made commitments to Christ. Of those, five of them are still going on a year later. That in itself is remarkable given the high fallout rate […]

We have seen a sad development in modern evangelicalism. Churches believe that they exist to make disciples of their own local community. Churches send money to a missionary society in order for that society to make disciples of other nations. We have cut off the local church from its commission to make disciples of all nations. It […]