Things I have learned about coaching senior ministers – with Peter Mayrick
From The Pastor’s Heart:
“Ministers have a crucial role as a source of guidance and authority in the church environment – but we also need coaching, guidance and support.
So how do we make sure that as spiritual leaders we are doing effective ministry? What heart issues and skills should we be focussing on to encourage sustainable and innovative service?
This week we’re speaking to an expert on the topic of ministry training, Peter Mayrick. As the co-director of the Centre for Ministry Development at Moore College, his key area of responsibility is supporting pastors and churches. Peter shares his wealth of experience with us as we discuss what’s helpful for coaching those who will shoulder the most responsibility for the health and growth of a church.”
Common Prayer for Homes — a new resource
Repost: Originally posted 04 April 2020 – a reminder of this locally produced resource:
From the Better Gatherings website (an initiative of the Diocese of Sydney), here is a very helpful addition to use when you can’t meet in church.
“A new liturgical resource has been completed which provides flexible forms of household worship to serve the churches, by complementing the spiritual resources already being offered during this difficult period: Common Prayer for Homes: Resources for Family Worship.
We trust it will be of some assistance to the ministry already taking place in homes, and ultimately we hope that it provides some good benefit to the spiritual lives of Christ’s flock.”
“Common Prayer for Homes” contains:
- HOUSEHOLD WORSHIP – 1ST ORDER
a classic approach to Christian worship, easily modified for any household - HOUSEHOLD WORSHIP – 2ND ORDER
another classic approach to Christian worship, with various options to suit many households - HOUSEHOLD WORSHIP WITH KIDS
a simple approach to Christian worship which is suitable and easily adaptable for young children - MORNING PRAYERS FOR EVERY DAY
an all-in-one guide to morning prayers for each day of the week, for group or individual use - VARIOUS PRAYERS FOR THE HOME
a short collection of prayers which can be prayed in our homes - COLLECTS
this traditional name is given to short and beautiful prayers which cover the whole year, and special occasions.
Download “Common Prayer for Homes” from Better Gatherings. – and do share widely.
Here is some encouragement from the back cover:
Read the Holy Scriptures humbly with a meek and lowly heart, to the intent that you may glorify God, and not yourself, with the knowledge of it. And read it not without daily praying to God, that he would direct your reading to good effect.
– Archbishop Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556)
Therefore, confident in your holy teaching and promises, and all the more since we are gathered here in your presence and in the name of your Son our Lord Jesus; we fondly plead with you, our good God and Father, that in the name of our only Saviour and Mediator, by your infinite mercy, you would freely forgive our transgressions and so draw and lift our thoughts and desires to you, that from our whole heart we may seek you, and that according to your good pleasure and will, which alone is reasonable.
– John Calvin (1509-1564)
The Almighty Lord, which is a most strong tower to all that put their trust in him, to whom all things in heaven, in earth, and under earth, do bow and obey: be now and evermore your defence, and make you know and feel, that there is no other name under heaven given to man, in whom, and through whom, you may receive health and salvation, but only the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
– from the Book of Common Prayer (1549)
Related:
We ask Mark Earngey about ‘Common Prayer for Homes’
Resources for ANZAC Day
This Sunday is ANZAC Day – These resources from Defence Anglicans (including audio of the Last Post) might come in handy for use in your regular church service or for a special gathering.
Related: What to preach on for Anzac Day? – David Cook.
A Royal Funeral with a message for everyone
“Kings, Queens and Princes, the great and the small, the young and old, will all meet death and face the judge of the earth. As the writer to the Hebrews explains, ‘people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment’ (Hebrews 9:27). …”
– Murray Campbell in Melbourne gets to the clear message from the royal funeral.
See also: The Order of Service.(PDF)
Image: Royal.uk
Luther and the Diet of Worms @ 500
“On April 18, 1521, Martin Luther—age 37—gave his famous “Here I Stand” speech at the Diet of Worms.
On April 17, 1521, Luther arrived in Worms after completing his 15-day, 300-mile journey from Wittenberg. …”
– At The Gospel Coalition, Justin Taylor reminds us of this key moment in history.
Related:
From Article VI of The Thirty Nine Articles:
Of the Sufficiency of the holy Scriptures for salvation
“Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation.”
Wrong Paradigm, Wrong Diagnosis, Wrong Solution
“Our response to the world needs to embrace more than lament, but a deep malaise has descended upon contemporary Western society.
There is a hardness of heart, but a softness in the head; a trivialisation of life, yet a lack of humour; and a coarsened culture but a distorted sensitivity concerning giving offence.
Any example would do as an illustration, but the recent moral outrage at the sexual misbehaviour of parliamentary staffers in Canberra is clear enough. …”
– Dr Peter Barnes, Moderator-General of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, makes the case that if the diagnosis is wrong, the solution will evade you.
Dr. Stephen Chavura on the history of Western civilisation
In his latest Conversations video, John Anderson speaks with historian Dr. Stephen Chavura on the history of Western civilisation, Western thought and the historical roots of freedom, democracy and the rule of law.
Timings from the video on YouTube –
00:00 – Intro
2:02 – Why history?
4:16 – Western civilisation
12:01 – Slavery & racism
23:32 – The American Revolution
26:25 – The Enlightenment
28:34 – Nietzsche
33:57 – Created equal
49:24 – Enlightened thinking?
52:15 – Australian history.
Peter Jensen on pure speech
In his editorial in The Global Anglican 135/1, Peter Jensen reflects on the power of words.
Via Ros Clarke comes this excerpt on the Church Society blog:
“Bad doctrine, which is a travesty of the gospel, is doing much harm. But just as harmful is the careless or self-serving language by which other believers are traduced either secretly or publicly.
To repel Satan in his assault on you, is to put on the whole armour of God, especially to buckle on the belt of truth (Eph 6:14). And it is to commit yourself to pure speech:
Not the speech which follows the world in foul language and in blasphemy. So frequent has this become in entertainment, let alone the marketplace, that it is fatally easy to allow our minds to become infested with obscenities and to begin to use them ourselves. …”
– Read the excerpt here, Or start a subscription.
Jesus’ Post-Easter Priority
“Is Jesus Smart? We often think of Jesus as loving, kind, and selfless, but have you ever considered him smart? If we are honest, we must conclude that he is. He is the ‘author of life’ (Act 3:15) who came in the flesh! And since he is smart, he wasn’t ‘winging it’ when he met with his disciples in a locked room that first Sunday evening.
As a thoughtful and intelligent person, Jesus would have been very intentional about his first words to them and to us, and we find them in John 20:19-21…”
– Mark Eldredge at The American Anglican Council has a challenge for churches.
Martyn Iles, Q and A and what it tells us about Australia today
“The Sydney Morning Herald thought this week’s Q and A was a significant cultural moment – so who are we to disagree?! They compared it with another one in 2008 where the shibboleth question for our culture, that of homosexuality, came up. It was indeed a revealing programme – telling us a great deal about where Australian culture, politics and religion are at – and where we are heading. …
It was the appearance of Martyn Iles that was too much for some people – even before he had been on the show. …”
– David Robertson writes at AP (the national Journal of the Presbyterian Church of Australia) and gives thanks for Martyn Iles.
Related:
Excerpts from the programme may be seen here. Or the whole thing on the Q and A website (9th April 2021).
Romans Crash Course
From Lionel Windsor at Moore College:
“This is a 75 minute video course in Paul’s letter to the Romans designed for small group leaders, children’s leaders, and anyone else who wants to get a handle on this incredibly rich biblical letter.”
– Watch here.
Cults pursue online converts
“You get an Instagram message from someone you don’t know who seems keen to make Christian friends.
You receive a Facebook request to ‘like’ a group that looks Christian and posts Bible verses; people you know have ‘liked’ it, so you do the same. …
Seems harmless, right? It might be so, of course, but…”
– Here’s a very interesting article from Judy Adamson at SydneyAnglicans.net.
Positive persuasive evangelistic campaigns
From Dominic Steele at The Pastor’s Heart:
“What makes an effective evangelistic campaign? What messages will engage non Christian audiences with the truth of the gospel? This week we speak with three key evangelists about the best way to reach the lost.
We discuss positive evangelism, maximising mission opportunities, integrating online and offline campaigns, and ideas for a large scale campaign.”
Unprecedented times?
“About 10 years ago I was in the north of Nigeria, in a region dominated by the Islamic group, Boko Haram.
I was locked away in a church compound guarded by the army, training a group of local evangelists. Just down the road a bomb was set off outside another church.
These local Christians knew that by trying to share the gospel with their Muslim neighbours, they faced the very real threat of death.
Yet on my last day there they prayed for me, and for Christians in Australia.
They prayed that God would make us ready to face opposition because, they reasoned, we had never had to face any real opposition in the past and they were not at all sure that we would persevere in the faith now the tide was turning against us. It was a great and insightful prayer. …”
– At The Australian Church Record, Moore College Vice-Principal Simon Gillham helps put things in much-needed perspective.
Don’t neglect to Show Up
“Folks attending the membership class at our church are often surprised at the emphasis we place on attending our Lord’s Day gathering. However gifted someone might be at talking to teenagers or working on the website, we insist their presence at corporate worship is a far more essential and significant way to serve the flock. This priority isn’t just a particular quirk of our church; it should be a biblical priority for every church. …”
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…