We've just shared a terrific weekend away with North Cheam Baptist Church - at Oak Hall. It was a delight and privilege to be back among the church where I was first inducted as a Baptist Minister, back in 1986.
It's been a helpful reminder about the nature of my ministry as a 'Regional Minister', especially as they asked me to lead around the theme of 'the gifts of the Spirit':
- local and regional (can) produce a synergy, which can be a real blessing.
- we (RM's) remain practitioners in a very real sense - as long as we don't allow ourselves to be consumed by the organisational demands of maintenance.
- both regional and local 'Ministry' remain utterly reliant upon the Spirit of God if we're to see any genuine fruit.
- many people feel the place of the Bible in the local church community is being challenged by the institutional 'Baptist' viewpoint - this incorporates regional and national people like myself into a position I feel I don't belong to.
I guess many others will surface as the week progresses .....
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