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A joyful reset: What ReNew gave me this year

A joyful reset: What ReNew gave me this year

Alice Cornes
Alice Cornes

I’ve come back from the ReNew conference with a spring in my step. The evening I got back, I told friends at dinner that I was “really very cheerful.” I said something about being heartened by time with teammates from across the country. And on reflection, here’s what blessed me most about ReNew.

Encouraged and equipped

I need all the help I can get to treasure Jesus. Bible teaching about His beautiful sacrificial leadership helped me. Singing to Him with hundreds of people helped me. News from other churches doing brave things because He's worth it – that helped me too.

Pastors get depressed, too

Pastors get depressed, too

Howard Satterthwaite
Howard Satterthwaite

In recent years, many of us have become more aware of the toll that emotional, spiritual, and mental struggles can take.

Christian leaders, of course, are not immune. In fact, some of us are quietly limping through discouragement, or even depression, while still seeking to lead with strength and clarity.

Tending to our souls in a distracting world

Tending to our souls in a distracting world

Dan Steel
Dan Steel

Pastoral ministry has always been demanding, but our current age presents a peculiar challenge: distraction. (Even as I write this I realise I’ve forgotten to turn off notifications!)

The constant hum of tones and beeps, the relentless pull of emails, the lure of social media, and the subtle pressure to appear productive all conspire to scatter our attention.

Ministering in an area of deprivation today

Ministering in an area of deprivation today

Jonathan Macy
Jonathan Macy

Reflecting on one’s journey through life and ministry is always a fascinating exercise, helping us see where God has been actively working beyond our efforts.

In 2014, I joined the Church of the Cross (Thamesmead), which is in an area of significant deprivation, at a time when it was facing significant challenges, and I quickly realised that my college hadn’t prepared me for the realities I was now stepping into.

Re-imagining the pulpit: Lectures or living Words?

Re-imagining the pulpit: Lectures or living Words?

Roger Carswell
Roger Carswell

I wonder how many sermons you have heard in your lifetime. I reckon I have heard at least 15,000. And just a few have left such an impression that years later I can tell you what was said, who preached them and where I was.

Each of those was characterised by an earnestness - an expression of the heart of the preacher. They fed my soul, impacted my will and exalted the Lord Jesus.

Pastor: Are you the same in public and private?

Pastor: Are you the same in public and private?

Dan Steel
Dan Steel

Paul writes to his protégé Timothy in 2 Timothy 3v10: “You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance…”

It’s striking to me that Paul doesn’t only point Timothy to his doctrine, to truth, but also to his lived example. Faith is taught and caught. His words and his way of life both bear witness to the reality of Christ.

The realities of ministry burnout

The realities of ministry burnout

Tom King
Tom King

In a recent article in Evangelicals Now, John Funnell describes an understanding of burnout and a way of doing ministry that seems to work for him and his family in their context, and that's great. God has most certainly used them! But, I want to offer a response.

John has done so much good for the gospel. We've never met, but we move in similar circles and so over the years I've been kept up to date with the amazing work God has been doing through him in Abersychan. God has gifted John uniquely for this work, while many others look to his ministry as an example and a pattern for their own.

Ministry burnout? Rest is part of the work

Ministry burnout? Rest is part of the work

John-Edward Funnell
John-Edward Funnell

By God’s grace I have a busy life. I pastor a large church in a deprived area. I am a husband and a father of four wonderful children and have many other ministries and responsibilities that cause much worry to dear Christian friends.

Many have gifted me books filled with advice on how to prevent “ministry burnout.” Not only do these books add to my burden, they are often embarrassingly out of date, reminding me of the same Human Resources (HR) rhetoric I heard in business 20 years ago.

The dangers of over or underdosing the gospel

The dangers of over or underdosing the gospel

David Shepherd
David Shepherd

In 2023, my sister was diagnosed with Stage 1B breast cancer. She immediately underwent four months of initial chemotherapy followed by adjuvant chemotherapy aimed at preventing secondary tumour formation.

Thankfully, last year, after undergoing radiotherapy at the Royal Marsden hospital, she received the ‘all clear’ from her doctor.

Pastoral thinking wide and long

Pastoral thinking wide and long

Richard Underwood
Richard Underwood

Book Review A PASTOR’S HEART: Essays in Memory of Harry L. Reeder III

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Letter

Training men for ministry: more correspondence

Date posted: 18 Jul 2024

Dear Editor,

Evangelicals Now recently published an open letter from John Brand, principal of Edinburgh Bible College. It’s addressed to 'church leaders training men for ministry.' Well, that kind of sounds like me, so I hope that John and en will accept an open letter in response from those of us seeking to train future pastors.