Leading green - podcast

Dave Bookless of A Rocha rejects the notion that 'green issues' are an optional add-on for middle-class congregations.

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Speaking exclusively to CL, Dave enthuses about the missionary mandate for 'green leadership', and takes us back to God's Genesis plan for humanity...

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Look out for Dave's article 'Leading Green' in CL73 (October 2010).

Fit for purpose

Coolly bespectacled Dr Graham Tomlin is the Director of London's St Mellitus College and an enthusiastic promoter of a pro-active approach to spiritual health - for all.

Here's a recent podcast interview with Graham in which he rehearses some of his key tips for spiritiual health - and reveals the identity of the college's patron saint.

And don't forget this is just one of whole series of leadership podcasts on the CPAS site.

A bit of a ding-dong?

Weddings? Don't you love them, those heartwarming family occasions celebrating all that's wonderful about lifelong commitment in marriage?

Or has this particular rite of passage been subverted and corrupted by today's consumer culture?

Well that's the view of the Rev Canon Dr Giles Fraser, expressed in a recent BBC Radio 4 Thought for the Day, causing quite a few ripples of controversy.

Here's a link to the BBC website essay on the topic.

What's your experience of weddings in your church?

Have they become flashier and trashier in recent years? (Current surveys indicate an average wedding spend of £20,000.)

And, if they have, should we be encouraging the happy couples (and their famiies) to take a simpler, greener, gentler approach to tying the knot?

Rev.

Hapless inner-city incumbent Adam Smallbone (Tom Hollander) is, possibly, today's most-discussed British church leader.

BBC2's new comedy series Rev. came to an end this week, having attracted audiences of up to 2 million.

'Are you watching Rev.?' has become a regular opening line beside the CPAS water-cooler. And it seems that quite a lot of us have been, with varying degrees of approval and identification.

Colleagues with backgrounds in parish ministry seem to recognise the Smallbones' exhausting experience of all-hours bell-ringing (at the vicarage door, not in the belfry), accompanied by frequently bizarre requests for help, food, coffee and cash.

Ditto the surge of new worshippers following news of a good Ofsted report at the church school.

A friend who's a Venerable assures me his management style is almost as terrifying as that of the show's vulpine Archdeacon Robert. I'm hoping his tongue was in his cheek.

At the heart of the show is the crumpled figure of Adam, struggling to find his way through a maze of responsibilities and temptations.

Interestingly, scriptwriter James Wood is at pains to emphasise Adam's sense of having been called by God to a role that, in human terms, is nigh on impossible...

So, to which segment of the CPAS 'leadership doughnut', should we be directing Adam's attention?

Any ideas?

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Or does he simply need a week at New Wine? Therapy? A new Arcdeacon?

Meanwhile (on the Archdeacon's orders) I've offered Adam a complimentary subscription to Church Leadership - and am hoping he'll be back with Series 2 before long.

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Meanwhile in the holy blogosphere. This blogger seems to approve of Rev. and this one certainly doesn't.

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And click here for the best commentary I've seen thus far.

Stations of the resurrection - impact

Si Smith's Stations of the Resurrection continue to make an impact following publiaction in Church Leadership 71.

The Baptist Times splashed them onto the front page.

The Yorkshire Post was eager, naturally enough, to feature the news of the resurrection happeing in Leeds.

Biggest coverage of all came from Church Times: five full pages.

That said, the images remain for the exclusive use of CL subscribers and - hurrah! - the recent publicity has prompted numerous new subscriptions.

Please note - all 19 Stations are now available online.

Good to be got at?

Here's a provocative thought for the day from comedian Frank Skinner.

Church isn't man enough?

This week's Church Times includes a provocative piece by Daev Hopwood - on the perennial propblem of the church's 'missing men'. Here's a brief extract...

WORKING at a conference centre, I regularly meet men who are frus­trated by the nature of Sunday church. I hold sessions where I talk honestly about this and give them a chance to tell their stories. I am often asked: how would you do church? I have thought about it a great deal — but I have not been able to come up with an adequate answer.

The very question comes loaded with baggage about the nature of church in general. Gatherings where people sit in rows, sing songs, pray respectable prayers, listen to one person deliver their own thoughts on some aspect of the faith, and engage in celebrating a “feast” which offers only a morsel of bread and a drop of wine: I would not start from here if I were to attempt to redefine church.

I would go back to the Bible with a simple question: how did Jesus teach the men who were following him?

It is a difficult question because Jesus was a man operating in a cul­ture very different to ours today. He was a rabbi, not a vicar. He grew up under oppression in a small Middle Eastern community. The climate, the culture, and the sensibilities of the day were very different. But, I be­lieve, there are still fundamental, timeless lessons that can be learnt from the way Jesus taught the men around him.

I once sat down and worked my way through the first nine chapters of Mark’s Gospel, noting the aspects of Jesus that ap­pealed to me. Here are some of them:

• Jesus offered his followers a job.

• He gave them nicknames, and tasks to do.

• He took them travelling, went home with them, and ate with them.

• He allowed them to break sabbath laws.

• He made use of their working skills.

• He told stories about men and workers, about violence, revenge, danger, and justice.

He showed them that they were part of something, and displayed his power in the con­text of their daily lives.

Jesus made following him risky and chal­lenging, and sent them out on tough assign­ments. Afterwards, he gave them the chance to debrief. He listened to their stories. And he made himself vulnerable.

Daev Hopwood is creative arts director at Lee Abbey.

Growing good leaders

Church Leadership 71 is currently hot on the press in Doncaster - and will be landing on subscribers' doormats at the very beginning of February.

We're continuing our journey through essential aspects of local-church leadership, this time focusing on the topic of 'growing good leaders'.

And, as always, we're offering unique resources for the coming period of the church year: Palm Sunday, Pentecost and a remarkable series of images and meditations based on the 'Stations of the Resurrection'.

Want to know more about Church Leadership? Click here, please!

Team talk...

Ours is an individualistic culture. No surprise, then, that for most of us the word ‘leadership’ prompts a mental picture of ‘the person in charge’ – singular, not plural.

In CL71 (appearing late January) James Lawrence urges an approach to leadership development that’s as countercultural as it biblical. And he begins with the sad story of Nigel (or Nigella).

Once upon a time there was a church leader called Nigel (it might just as well have been Nigella) .

Nigel arrived six years ago to find the church struggling with a stack of problems: high debt, low morale, no children or young people, and traumatic fall-out from a pastoral crisis in the recent past.

Some of the congregation were suspicious of Nigel. Others quietly hoped he would be their saviour. Fortunately, Nigel was certain that this was where God wanted him to be, and he loved the job and the people from day one.

He poured himself into the life of the church, getting to know people, prayerfully discerning a new direction, and working hard to enable action. In the first year there were small, encouraging signs of change, boosting the congregation’s level of expectation. By his second year financial giving was rising, a new service had started and people felt cared for. And though a few doubters remained, many people now thought that Nigel really was their saviour.

Came year three and things were buzzing. But, of course, the more Nigel did, the more work there was to do. The more he visited the sick, the more unwell people there were expecting a visit. The more he reached out within the community, the more there were to be reached. The more he started new things, the more things needed continuing.

Not surprisingly by years four and five Nigel was struggling. Facing exhaustion, he knew he couldn’t continue as things were. And yet everything was going well in the church – the bishop (or was it the area superintendant?) spoke warmly of what he had achieved. But Nigel knew that work at this pitch wasn’t sustainable. He started looking at job adverts in the church press. In year six, he left to take up a new post.

What would your message be for Nigel / Nigella?

Gospel Imprint

Here's a new source of resources from our friends in the catholic area of the wonderful spectrum of the Church of England.

Gospel Imprint offers a variety of materials including seasonal liturgies, all downloadable free of charge.

What's more, they are thoughtfully provided as Word documents, allowing the user to cut and paste at will.

Prismatic mission

More and more young adults are choosing to live without a faith commitment. How can the church connect with this 'missing generation'?

That's just one of the questions addressed by an upcoming conference sponsored by RUN (the Reaching the Unchurched Network), suggesting that a 'rainbow approach' might hold clues for the future...

The conference is led by Gerard Kelly, Senior Pastor of Crossroads Amsterdam.

3-4 November 2009, King's Park Centre, Northampton.

Check here for full information!

A Theology of Women's Priesthood

I am so used to thinking that the theology of women’s ministry is all about St Paul that starting to read this book was quite a surprise.

Of course the word ‘priesthood’ is key, and the book’s focus is on women presiding at the Eucharist, rather than women as preachers or leaders. That said, the book gives a fascinating insight into many of the issues which underlie opposition to women’s ministry, whatever the tradition they represent.

The introduction sets out the premise of the book: ‘The relationship between the Church and women has never been straightforward, and the root of the difficulties lies in sexual difference.’ I certainly agree with the first half of this. When it comes to difference, the author seems unaware of recent research that minimises the differences between men and women in terms of their performance. But at the same time, women’s difference is significant, if only because of the way it has been seen (different = lesser), and the basic differences due to the fact that women can bear children.

The book is split into three main sections: ‘in the image of God’, ‘broken body’, and ‘new covenant’. In each of these, the author looks at ‘the story so far’ followed by ‘the woman priest’, showing how a woman priest, while presenting a challenge to inherited understandings, enables the Church to gain a more complete picture of God and of humanity.

The author covers a great deal of important ground in exploring areas such the way women have been seen as either bride (of Christ) or (forgiven) whore, either temptress (Eve) or virgin (Mary); in philosophical terms men have been seen as logical and rational, and representing spirit, while women have been seen as emotional and irrational, representing body or flesh, and their femaleness has been seen as a source of defilement, shame and impurity.

While we may be aware that these ideas have long been underlying views about men and women, the book brings into stark view their prevalence not far below the surface when it comes to how women priests are seen. Only a couple of months ago, I was told of a remark made to a woman priest, ‘surely you don’t go into the sanctuary when you are menstruating?’

A number of times I felt that Green was overstating things. ‘God has been imagined as an idealised projection of masculine identity, leaving women bereft of a divine horizon and hence of a sense of self’? But yes, it is a fair point. Again, I heard recently of a six-year-old who had deduced that God was a man because that was the message her church gave her.

I was particularly struck by the discussion of women and self-sacrifice. Green makes the point that all too often women’s self-denial has entailed serving male privilege, which has been damaging for women, as they have learned to suppress their own desires and failed to develop their full potential. But as this concept of self-sacrifice is redeemed through women’s priestly ministry, women should be able to enter into it as ‘the chosen option of a free and responsible agent.’

This book is quite an uncomfortable read, and as Green points out, most books on theology do not have words like ‘womb’, ‘blood’ and ‘miscarriage’ in their index. It is written from a feminist position which some readers may not share, but the careful analysis of symbolism shows how deep some prejudices have run, and how liberating it will be when women and men can more fully live and work together as members of the body of Christ.

The Rev Rosie Ward, CPAS Leadership Development Adviser

Check out CPAS Growing women leaders.

Planning to buy this book? Please support your local Christian bookshop.

Creation...

Impossible not to notice that this year is Charles Darwin's bicentenary.

But maybe you weren't aware that next month brings the release of a new bio-pic that charts Darwin's youthful struggles with his faith as he worked on The Origin of Species.

Creation will be in cinemas from 25 September. Click here to visit the movie's website.

Advance 'buzz' suggests that this film is in a similar high-quality bracket as last years's Amazing Grace, which focused on the life of William Wilberforce.

Better still, the team at the Damaris Trust are soon to launch a varied selection of high-quality resources to help churches and smaller groups 'engage' positively with the deep questions posed by the films themes.

And, please, don't think-dryer-than dust 'study notes' - Damaris are famed for the accessibility and adapatability of their top-notch resource materials.

Check out all that's on offer via the Damaris website.

Popular actor Paul Bettany portrays Darwin in the years before he mislaid his razor. And what a mistake that was. Natural de-selection, or sheer carelessness? We'll never know.

Pod squad

Downloadable broadcasts (podcasts) provide an easily accessible way of listening to what you want to, when you want to.

While walking to work, CL's editor zones in to such varied BBC offerings as Melvyn Bragg's 'In Our Time', Clive James's witty commentaries in 'A Point of View' and the ludicrous ramblings of 6Music's Adam and Joe.

All of these are downloadable via the click of a mouse from the BBC website or, even simpler, from iTunes.

In recent weeks he has moved on to sampling podcasts emanating from Church House, the Fresh Expressions team and from the Evangelical Alliance's Slipstream initiative.

What about you?

• Do you listen to podcasts? Here at Church Leadership we're eager to provide as useful an array of resources as possible. Consequently it will be very helpful to know about any podcasts that currently resource/inspire/refresh you in your role as a church leader.
• Are you podcasting? Many churches are already old hands at providing downloadable materials for people to listen to on their computers or MP3 players. Please let us know what your doing in this area.

Comments to cl@cpas.org.uk please! Thank you!

All change for CL70

Here's a sneak preview of Church Leadership 70, set for mailout at the end of September.

This early draft version of the cover shows we'll be carrying new resources for Advent, Christmas and Mothering Sunday.

We're continuing our thematic journey around the key elements of the CPAS 'leadership doughnut', with this issue focusing on 'enabling' action - so expect plenty on the topics of change and change-management.

Want to know more about Church Leadership?

To request a free copy of the magazine, and to download some sample resources, simply click here.

Four psalms

Many thanks to the Rev Penny Frank (Stoneleigh, Warwickshire) for sharing four fresh and creative small-group resources, ideal for a short summer series - or for any time of year!

Penny explores:

• Psalm 23 God of my journey
• Psalm 51 God of forgiveness
• Psalm 100 God of worship
• Psalm 139 God of relationship

To download, CL subscribers should click here!

Not for boys?

A visit to Holy Trinity, Stratford-upon-Avon, on Fathers' Day included perceptive, provocative thoughts on the perennial problem of 'the missing men'.

Preacher the Rev David Banbury reminded us of Rowntrees' breakthrough marketing ploy of creating a 'masculine' chocolate bar - the hunky, chunky Yorkie.

After mentioning the bar's current 'not for girls' strapline (see pic), he produced a second, seriously oversized confectionary item - the Jesus Bar.

Not for boys?

His point, of course, was that many men see church, faith, religion as 'not for me'.

He went on to challenge this perception - and to encourage us to 'rediscover' the dynamic, challenging, adventurous aspects of Jesus' character in particular - and of our whole faith in general.

Readings were 2 Corinthians 6:1-13 (St Paul's pull-no-punches assessment of his working life) and Mark 4:35-41 (Jesus' in 'power' mode).

Imporantly, the preacher emphasised that he was not advocating the promotion of a macho Jesus, or boosting a gung-ho 'muscular Christianity'.

Rather, he was trying to impress on us the amazing totality of Jesus' character - incorporating the fullness of the 'mascuine' and 'feminine' aspects of what it means to be human.

And because it was Fathers' Day the service closed with a gift for every man in the congregation - a cool DIY glider mini-kit.

Hurrah!

Chris Moyles bigs up church

Popular Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles woke early-ish on Pentecost Sunday morning and caught a service being broadcast live from the Kingsgate Community Church, Peterborough.

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He was impressed.

Fathers' Day

The increasingly popular custom of Fathers' Day had not reached these shores when my father (above with my brother) was alive.

One only has to head for the shops this week to realise how big a deal Fathers' Day has become.

I guess the day's relative newness and its lack of connection to the church calendar (unlike Mothering Sunday) partly explain the absence of any FD resources in the CL archive.

But watch this space - all being well we'll have a brand-new Fathers' Day resource ready to download in the spring of 2010.

Meanwhile, here's a link to the Oxford Diocesan website, currently featuring a very useful set of FD resources from the excellent newspaper The Door.

Mentoring must-read

'I would recommend Ruth's book to every youth leader and church leader involved in work with young people.'

So writes Dot Tyler of Emerging Culture in the current issue of Youthwork magazine.

Here's the full text of Dot's review:

Waiting until people are in their 20s and 30s to start mentoring and training them in leadership is just too late - Ruth Hassall.

In BRF's series on Growing Young Leaders, authors explore the 'whys' and 'hows' of developing and releasing emerging leaders. This honest guide to mentoring teens is both very accessible and practical.

From the Biblical foundation for why it is so important to mentor young people, to practical help with how to start meeting up and what questions to ask, this book not only equips the reader to be an effective mentor, but also inspires and encourages the reader that they can do it.

As part of the work of Emerging Culture, we have run FRESH, a practical leadership training course, and as part of the final weekend we asked for feedback about the best bits of the course. Was it the great teaching, fun activities, or brilliant worship? Above all these, it was the 1-2-1 time with mentors that they really valued.

We need to be intentional about building up the young people in our churches and giving them the necessary platforms to grow, explore and reach their potential. Mentoring is so key in this process and Ruth's book gives helpful models, objectives and direction for how to incorporate these as part of our own mentoring.

Often as a mentor we can feel obliged to know everything about the Bible and teach them about how to be a 'good Christian'. Ruth highlights a simple and critical issue in her book: young people need and desire support from those who believe in them and their potential. When it comes to equipping young people in their growth as leaders, good resources like this help us journey with them, enjoying the highs with them and helping them deal with the lows.

I would recommend Ruth's book to every youth leader and church leader involved in work with young people. Her insights and helpful guidance are so relevant, practical and mobilising. I love her honesty, her passion and her firm belief that we need to be building up young people to be leaders in our churches and our communities.

As Ruth says, 'Mentoring young leaders really does have the potential to change a generation and renew leadership in both the church and the nation.'

And to link with Growing Young Leaders, please click here.