The rural church is the unsung success story of the Church of England, but is often mistakenly perceived as dying by its urban cousins. This inspiring and practical handbook draws on the wisdom of a wide variety of practitioners in ten key areas that enable village churches to flourish.
In this bold and provocative invitation, Martyn Percy imagines what the post-pandemic Church might look like and sets out what it needs to learn. It argues that the Church needs to stop obsessing about itself - its size, its strategies to shore up decline, its waning public influence - and rediscover how to live as the body of Christ.
A young woman explores in lively, highly readable diary-style her calling to the priesthood, her training at theological college and her experiences up to the day of ordination. She shares the emotional and spiritual ups and downs of the process, as well as the challenges for family and friends arising from such a major life change.
Weaving together parable, storytelling, travelogue history and poetry, Paul Bradbury journeys from rural Norfolk to inner-city London, from a radical missional community in Lincolnshire, to a traditional village parish in Dorset, to explore what the church looks like today.
The bestselling writer and popular broadcaster Sam Wells reflects on the essence of discipleship and Christian ministry today. Believing that ministry is essentially about `being with' the other, whether that is God, the church, friends or strangers, he explores the theme of `being with' in a variety of contexts.
This book's purpose is to present the first extensive historical treatment of deacons in the Church of England, in an effort to explain why lifelong or 'distinctive' deacons have so far failed to become a major part of life in the Church of England.
Deep leadership training inspired by the Gospel of John: lessons on humility, investing your life in your team, facing betrayal, dying to self, handing on, succession, restoration. True leadership is about something beyond you: it is the joy of facilitating others in the gifting and the calling that the Lord has placed on their lives.
Co-authored by Katy Granville-Chapman and Emmie Bidston, Leader: Know, love and inspire your people will energise leaders in any setting to lead through service and empower them with the tools to help their team flourish.