The road from Sydney to South Yorkshire

My theological convictions have not changed — they remain firmly Reformed evangelical — but my approach to ministry has changed radically through the privilege of serving a small church in a South Yorkshire parish. Inevitably, this is a personal journey and so is bound to be subjective, but hopefully will help other evangelical ministers, especially perhaps those starting out in frontline parish ministry for Christ.

Sydney is more than capable of arguing its corner in terms of the bad ministerial practices it felt needed correcting in the UK: too much emphasis on psychological counselling — ‘stop counselling! The problems are too deep-seated for you to be able to solve’; too much sick visiting — ‘when I’m sick I don’t want a Bible teacher’; not enough time on growing leaders — ‘guard your diary! Spend your time with young Timothys’. In short, too much hand-holding and not enough focus on multiplying ministries.

I certainly believe there was some justice in Sydney’s criticisms as articulated by Archbishop Peter Jensen and his brother Phillip, dean of St. Andrew’s Cathedral, and they may well want to qualify or nuance some or all of the above statements. But I am more concerned here with how Sydney has been interpreted and applied by English evangelicals such as myself who came under its influence, particularly through the Proclamation Trust. Sydney certainly impacted strongly on my own ministerial formation in the 1980s and 1990s and I remain grateful to God for much of what I learned.

Here are five ways in which seven years of ministering and making mistakes in a semi-rural northern parish have revolutionised my thinking:

1. I must cherish old ladies.

They are as much part of the body of Christ as your young Timothy and are, therefore, as worthy of the minister’s time. In fact, my observation is that they pray more than young Timothys and so you can argue that they are more spiritually strategic (though I have learned lessons about the dangers of seeing some individuals as more strategic than others — see below). Also, old ladies often have children and grandchildren and so you can reach them for the gospel through good pastoral relationships with their mums and nanans. That is vital when you are trying to grow a small church.

2. I must do funerals well.

Church funerals are decreasing. When we have them, they are full of non-Christians who need to hear of the love of Christ in the gospel and experience that love in the care taken over funeral ministry to the family they love. Also, undertakers often have friends and relatives in the village so need, within reason, to be cultivated. It is unwise to tell them that mornings are out because it is sermon preparation time.

3. I must visit the sick.

My experience is that however sick someone is they appreciate being read the Bible. Our job is surely to read the Bible, as well as to expound it. Also, sick visiting by the minister sends out a clear message that a person is valued when weak and vulnerable as much as when strong and useful.

4. I must beware of the dangers of homogeneous church plants.

My experience of seeing a couple in their 20s who were converted through the ministry of our parish church but left us for a church plant in the city was a real eye-opener. They initially came into contact with us through needing to have their banns of marriage read and, after doing a nurture course, the husband was confirmed. The lesson for me is that these homogeneous church plants can provide a consumer-motivated get-out option for those who will not commit to the diverse people God has called by his grace, warts and all, in the communities in which they live. That engagement can be uncomfortable, but who said discipleship was meant to be comfortable?

5. I must beware of presumption in seeing some people as more ‘strategic’ than others.

My calling is to scatter the seed of the Word. How can I judge between people as to their future influence for the gospel? An old lady who gets fired up for Christ could have much more long-lasting spiritual influence than the universityÐeducated articulate and witty 20-something whom I might find more intellectually stimulating to spend time with. Am I not usurping God’s prerogative if I think I can predict who will have more influence for him? My settled conviction now is that I have got to feed the spiritually hungry with his Word, whoever they are, and not make judgments that can border on idolatry.

Julian Mann,
vicar of the Parish Church of the Ascension, Oughtibridge, South Yorkshire