Showing posts with label statistics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label statistics. Show all posts
Thursday, February 11, 2010
The great barrier of entering a church
We often think going into a church will be hard for people, but 85% of people entered a church last year.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Christianity Triumphant
Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch writes:
in A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years (Allen Lane) citing The International Bulletin of Missionary Research. Quoted in a review in The Spectator for 26th Sept 2009 p32.
In 2009 it [Christianity] has more than two billion adherents, almost four times its numbers in 1900, a third of the world's population, and more than half a billion more than its current nearest rival, Isalm.
in A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years (Allen Lane) citing The International Bulletin of Missionary Research. Quoted in a review in The Spectator for 26th Sept 2009 p32.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Men and Ministry
Thanks to Pete Jackson at college for linking to these survey results on men and ministry. I believe "HT" is the correct term?
The survey (by Affinity), the results of which are presented excellently, questioned both Anglicans and Independent Evnagelicals and the survey doesn't go into the differences but I imagine they are very important.
Free church people of a certain type are much more likely to have a theology of special sensed call to the Ministry than more pragmatic anti-Charismatic Anglicans of another type. One even hears people quote Spurgeon's saying that one should do all one can to avoid entering the ministry, with approval, and no doubt many will sucseed!
Its great to see 9:38 apprenticeships and Cornhill growing in popularity with Independent Evangelicals but its not a substitute for 3 or 4 years full time at an excellent Biblical college.
The Anglicans are also much better at providing funding, training (at Oak Hill!) and assistant's jobs. Unfortunately the right people aren't always selected!
Something does need to be done for those Anglican Evangelicals who for the moment on consciencious grounds have repudiated the ecclesiastical oversight of their heterodox Bishops, since it is very difficult for such congregations to put their candidates through the central system successfully, even if they thought it permisible to do so in the present circumstances.
Maybe a council of reference and a big pile of cash are what is called for. Could the local church, other Elders from the area (presbytery / the Gospel Partnership?) and the college together select and fund the best people?
The survey (by Affinity), the results of which are presented excellently, questioned both Anglicans and Independent Evnagelicals and the survey doesn't go into the differences but I imagine they are very important.
Free church people of a certain type are much more likely to have a theology of special sensed call to the Ministry than more pragmatic anti-Charismatic Anglicans of another type. One even hears people quote Spurgeon's saying that one should do all one can to avoid entering the ministry, with approval, and no doubt many will sucseed!
Its great to see 9:38 apprenticeships and Cornhill growing in popularity with Independent Evangelicals but its not a substitute for 3 or 4 years full time at an excellent Biblical college.
The Anglicans are also much better at providing funding, training (at Oak Hill!) and assistant's jobs. Unfortunately the right people aren't always selected!
Something does need to be done for those Anglican Evangelicals who for the moment on consciencious grounds have repudiated the ecclesiastical oversight of their heterodox Bishops, since it is very difficult for such congregations to put their candidates through the central system successfully, even if they thought it permisible to do so in the present circumstances.
Maybe a council of reference and a big pile of cash are what is called for. Could the local church, other Elders from the area (presbytery / the Gospel Partnership?) and the college together select and fund the best people?
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