It was a great joy to meet with our friends at Stamford Free Church (Lincs) last Sunday. It has been several years since the last time I had this pleasure, but the church has taken a continuing interest in our ministry for which we are very grateful. It was suggested that since some in the fellowship would not have met me previously I should say something about the ministry as well as bringing something from God's word. I decided to merge both purposes and, apart from a malfunction with the projector, it seemed to work effectively. I used some of the time to set out the biblical principles behind the Tailored Mission Strategies programme.
Part of the week has been spent preparing for the International Congregational Fellowship Conference starting this Monday and running through to Friday. Doreen will be with me at this event at Bruinel University, West London. As part of the programme I will be leading a workshop on Tailoring Mission Strategies to fit and suit a church. While I often speak to this in UK rural settings, it is another thing to provide a talk that is culturally relevant for churches of various sizes located in other countries with different cultures. So it is a case of paring back the talk to fit the time and the context.
That has not been unhelpful and as part of the process I have been working on the production of the long overdue Workbook for Leaders. Our trustees and management team have been pressing me to do this for a long time. The problem is that the key to the success of the process is the facilitator plus the content. I have relied on my own theological training, management experience and teaching skills combined in delivering this process for churches. While I have offered training for leaders of the scheme there has been zero take up. So it's time to take a leap of faith and produce the Workbook for Leaders with the course contents included and pray that appropriate leaders will emerge to use what is an excellent process in their own churches.
Teaching teachers is an interesting exercise and no doubt one we have all that chapters for the course written up and published, we will give our attention to aspects of appropriate development and training for leaders of small and rural churches. My friends at the Arthur Rank Centre already have some excellent leadership development programmes they have developed and are piloting so I will certainly be talking with them. For many years I was responsible for the leadership training course run by Mission for Christ in the seventies and early eighties. There is a sad dearth of appropriate training of this kind.
Effective leadership of small and rural churches is very different from other aspects of church leadership. We once had a brilliant pianist on our mission team. He was concert standard and could make a meeting come alive. The problem was that if he played to less than around 50 people he didn't know how to adjust. He became conscious that what he was doing was inappropriate and floundered as a consequence. Unsurprisingly, he left and went back to playing in major events with large gatherings. Like that, leadership of small and rural churches calls for special skills. So we need to train the leaders.
Our Bible Discussion Meeting on Thursday looked at Isaiah 6. We have had such good sessions at Yelvertoft both with the Thursday mornings and Sundays. The quality of discussions and comments made would greatly enrich a large town or city church. That is so rewarding, and not untypical of rural ministry. Sometimes the bigger churches do not know what they are missing!
Mission for Christ and Action for Christ
I need to take a little space here to bring you up to date on matters relating to Mission for Christ and Action for Christ. Despite the limited time available progress is being made on the production and filing of annual reports. This had been neglected by the former lead trustee who had also taken many thousands of pounds from the charities illegally. The plan is that once all the administrative matters for Mission for Christ are complete it will become a shell charity under Action for Christ, which has been set up to continue the original vision and ministry. But this administrative work has to fit in with other responsibilities we have. We are grateful for the work of Heather, our part time and ad hoc administrator.
Heather, a single mum with two teenagers lost personal income when Mission for Christ/Action for Christ hit the crisis last year. She survived financially doing cleaning, ironing and some bookkeeping for various people but this was interrupted partly through a health issue and partly because she took a principled stand when it came to financial management regarding some clients. On top of that she received notice from the landlords of the house she occupied that they needed the property for themselves and she would have to move. Throughout all this time she continued to give as much time as possible to help the Mission and keep the office running on a voluntary basis because the charity funds were low.
This Thursday she should be moving into a new home. Her church has provided some practical assistance and God has been answering prayer. using the office facilities in Bodiam, East Sussex and Heather we are able to offer bookkeeping and typing services to churches and organisations who might not have their own resources. If this work could grow enough clients we would look to employ Heather for regular hours or even full time.
Two areas of legal complication have yet to be finalised but almost everything is in place. Mission for Christ/Action for Christ has drafted an Agreement with a charity we were working with in Yorkshire. This should benefit both them and us. We are waiting for their response. The other legal complication relates to a transfer of trust related to a Will. All the documents are ready but we are waiting for a signed document from the former trustee. Emails and letters to him are not producing a response so far. We only have a work address and work email and do not know where he now lives.
Personal Health
Since I was diagnosed as borderline diabetic in March I have lost one and a half stone through diet and exercise. The exercise regime was interrupted by the minor operation in June but is due to recommence when the sun is not so hot as it has been recently. As far as I know I am reasonably fit, though my eyesight has deteriorated recently and I have a hospital appointment on 4th August. Since both reading and driving are important to my work I value your prayers.
Praise & Prayer Points
Wow! If half of the people reading this pray at least some days for these items we will be so blessed! We need your prayers and are very grateful for them. Thank you.
Barry
Part of the week has been spent preparing for the International Congregational Fellowship Conference starting this Monday and running through to Friday. Doreen will be with me at this event at Bruinel University, West London. As part of the programme I will be leading a workshop on Tailoring Mission Strategies to fit and suit a church. While I often speak to this in UK rural settings, it is another thing to provide a talk that is culturally relevant for churches of various sizes located in other countries with different cultures. So it is a case of paring back the talk to fit the time and the context.
That has not been unhelpful and as part of the process I have been working on the production of the long overdue Workbook for Leaders. Our trustees and management team have been pressing me to do this for a long time. The problem is that the key to the success of the process is the facilitator plus the content. I have relied on my own theological training, management experience and teaching skills combined in delivering this process for churches. While I have offered training for leaders of the scheme there has been zero take up. So it's time to take a leap of faith and produce the Workbook for Leaders with the course contents included and pray that appropriate leaders will emerge to use what is an excellent process in their own churches.
Teaching teachers is an interesting exercise and no doubt one we have all that chapters for the course written up and published, we will give our attention to aspects of appropriate development and training for leaders of small and rural churches. My friends at the Arthur Rank Centre already have some excellent leadership development programmes they have developed and are piloting so I will certainly be talking with them. For many years I was responsible for the leadership training course run by Mission for Christ in the seventies and early eighties. There is a sad dearth of appropriate training of this kind.
Effective leadership of small and rural churches is very different from other aspects of church leadership. We once had a brilliant pianist on our mission team. He was concert standard and could make a meeting come alive. The problem was that if he played to less than around 50 people he didn't know how to adjust. He became conscious that what he was doing was inappropriate and floundered as a consequence. Unsurprisingly, he left and went back to playing in major events with large gatherings. Like that, leadership of small and rural churches calls for special skills. So we need to train the leaders.
Our Bible Discussion Meeting on Thursday looked at Isaiah 6. We have had such good sessions at Yelvertoft both with the Thursday mornings and Sundays. The quality of discussions and comments made would greatly enrich a large town or city church. That is so rewarding, and not untypical of rural ministry. Sometimes the bigger churches do not know what they are missing!
Mission for Christ and Action for Christ
I need to take a little space here to bring you up to date on matters relating to Mission for Christ and Action for Christ. Despite the limited time available progress is being made on the production and filing of annual reports. This had been neglected by the former lead trustee who had also taken many thousands of pounds from the charities illegally. The plan is that once all the administrative matters for Mission for Christ are complete it will become a shell charity under Action for Christ, which has been set up to continue the original vision and ministry. But this administrative work has to fit in with other responsibilities we have. We are grateful for the work of Heather, our part time and ad hoc administrator.
Heather, a single mum with two teenagers lost personal income when Mission for Christ/Action for Christ hit the crisis last year. She survived financially doing cleaning, ironing and some bookkeeping for various people but this was interrupted partly through a health issue and partly because she took a principled stand when it came to financial management regarding some clients. On top of that she received notice from the landlords of the house she occupied that they needed the property for themselves and she would have to move. Throughout all this time she continued to give as much time as possible to help the Mission and keep the office running on a voluntary basis because the charity funds were low.
This Thursday she should be moving into a new home. Her church has provided some practical assistance and God has been answering prayer. using the office facilities in Bodiam, East Sussex and Heather we are able to offer bookkeeping and typing services to churches and organisations who might not have their own resources. If this work could grow enough clients we would look to employ Heather for regular hours or even full time.
Two areas of legal complication have yet to be finalised but almost everything is in place. Mission for Christ/Action for Christ has drafted an Agreement with a charity we were working with in Yorkshire. This should benefit both them and us. We are waiting for their response. The other legal complication relates to a transfer of trust related to a Will. All the documents are ready but we are waiting for a signed document from the former trustee. Emails and letters to him are not producing a response so far. We only have a work address and work email and do not know where he now lives.
Personal Health
Since I was diagnosed as borderline diabetic in March I have lost one and a half stone through diet and exercise. The exercise regime was interrupted by the minor operation in June but is due to recommence when the sun is not so hot as it has been recently. As far as I know I am reasonably fit, though my eyesight has deteriorated recently and I have a hospital appointment on 4th August. Since both reading and driving are important to my work I value your prayers.
Praise & Prayer Points
- Give thanks for the blessings on ministry at Stamford and at Yelvertoft.
- Give thanks for the support received for our own rural ministry. This is still smaller than we need but we rejoice in God's goodness.
- Pray for more rural churches (or others) to catch the vision for supporting our ministry, especially with regular prayer. "How can they go unless they are sent" (Romans 10:14-15)
- Give thanks for the provision for a new home for Heather and her family. Give thanks for her service for the Lord.
- Please pray for the development of the bookkeeping and typing service.
- Please pray for the ICF Conference this week (and for my session in it).
- Please pray about my hospital appointment next Saturday.
- Please pray that the Leaders Notes on Tailoring Mission Strategies will prove a blessing to others. Pray for my colleague, Monica, and me as we distil many years of experience into written and video material. (See tailoredmssion.blogspot.com and www.ruralmissionsolutions.org.uk)
- Beyond the Week: The Holiday at Home event in Market Harborough is August 12 to 16. A good number have booked in. This is probably best described as per-evangelism but the good news will be shared. I have a number of appointments in coming weeks related to the University Research Degree recommencing in October
Wow! If half of the people reading this pray at least some days for these items we will be so blessed! We need your prayers and are very grateful for them. Thank you.
Barry
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