Evangelism (Page 7)
Multiplying Churches in Housing Schemes!
My team and I were recently discussing one of the units of our current Porterbrook Training course which was looking at the whole idea of reproducing churches, ministries and missionaries. I was personally struck by the catchphrase of the Chinese church: “Everyone is a church planter”. According to our reading one of the key factors in reproducing growing…
Preventing Burnout In Housing Scheme Ministry!
Ministry in any context is tough but ministry in housing schemes can be the cause of much burnout, stress and depression among pastors, planters and gospel workers. In Brasil we saw people come and go, attracted by the romance of working with street children, but soon demoralised by the reality…
How Do We Reach People On Housing Schemes With The Gospel?
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 an intelligently. when I first came to…
The Christian & The War On Drugs (2)
Is the idea of treating addiction as a disease preventing addicts from overcoming their problems? Daily Telegraph writer and recovering alcoholic Damian Thompson, who has written a new book on the subject, explains that what worries him is the way addicted behaviour is “spreading around society”. “There is an acceleration of addictiveness”, he told…
Help! I Want to Plant a Church But My Wife’s Not So Keen!
This has become something of an ‘issue’ for many men I have known in the last 5 years. I don’t know if it is because we work in a housing scheme or if the problem is more widespread. In my 13 years in the ministry I can say without doubt that one of the biggest causes of…
Do We Really Need Youth Ministry?
Our Children’s & Youth Ministry at Niddrie is currently going through somewhat of an overhaul. Working with teenagers on the scheme is brutal and slow work. The children’s ministries in general have lacked cohesion and so we are working hard at trying to bring everything together towards a united vision and purpose. The whole issue of whether youth…
The Christian & The War on Drugs (1)
I live in a scheme which is blighted by drugs. Children as young as 7 and 8 years old are smoking Cannabis regularly (I smoked my first joint at 12). Heroin is as easy to get as a pint of milk from the local store. Crack, Coke, E’s, LSD, you name it and it can be delivered to your doorstep in minutes. That’s just the illegal stuff. Prescription drugs are even…
Stop Trying To “Fix” People On Our Council Estates & Housing Schemes!
When you try your best, but you don’t succeed When you get what you want, but not what you need When you feel so tired, but you can’t sleep Stuck in reverse And the tears come streaming down your face When you lose something you can’t replace When you love someone, but it goes to…
Am I Really a Church Planter?
Because church planting seems to be “in” at the moment, there seems to be an endless supply of young men (and old) putting themselves forward as “planters”. Interestingly, very few feel “called” to housing schemes/council estates (although a few of us in the UK are seeing a slow but steady turn around in this). Perhaps the most popular…
Reaching The Unreached 2012: Getting Started & Keeping Going!
This is a conference for those working in inner city areas, council estates and housing schemes. Check out their website here. This is a preview of their conference this week where I will be speaking twice. Please pray for it and for the many faithful pastors, evangelists and gospel workers in the…