What does the good news of Jesus look like in the North of England? Is there such a thing as a “northern gospel”?Rooms and Wort analyse what the North actually is, and why we need to study our context if we want to understand more about God and God’s ways. They look at the current religious climate in the North where many churches are closing. They explore how their detailed research among northern churches demonstrates a gospel characterized by fragility and freedom, but full of a...

Practical Theology has emerged as an important discipline in recent decades, making a major contribution both in the academy and amongst reflective practitioners on the ground. The Journal Practical Theology celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2018 and this book presents ten journal articles chosen from over 180 that were published in that period. Reflecting on the progress the discipline has made and indicating some future directions in the field, the book is a ‘showcase’ of exam...

“Enlightening, thought provoking and honest, a bit like the North itself” — Kate Bottley (the “Gogglebox Vicar”)Foreword by John Sentamu, Archbishop of YorkA must-have book for anyone seeking to understand the challenges of proclaiming the Gospel in the North of England.From the monks of Lindisfarne to the Synod of Whitby, the North is historically considered to be a cradle of Christianity in England, but in today’s society is there a “gospel for th...

We live in an age of enormous and rapid change, but how do people, organisations, even whole cultures and societies change? And where is God in such transformations? For more than a hundred years, anthropology has taught us that entering a chaotic, awesome and fraught 'threshold' - or liminal space - is fundamental to our renewal as human beings. Yet none of us goes willingly into such places. We need to be 'held' in liminal movement so that it is safe enough to change. Crossing Thresholds...

How Christian are the English? How English is their Christianity? These questions are probed by Nigel Rooms in a book which is both readable and scholarly. If England is a mission field, how is Christian faith to be understood by the English? And how are English Christians to become aware of the links and the tensions between their own culture and their faith? This book is important reading for Christians in search of self-understanding, for all who seek for a renewal of Christian faith in...

How will the western church negotiate the demise of Christendom? Can it rediscover its primary calling, recover its authentic ethos and regain its nerve? If churches are to thrive--or even survive--disturbing questions need to be confronted and answered. In conversation with Christians who have left the church and with those who are experimenting with fresh expressions of church, Stuart Murray explores both the emerging and inherited church scenes and makes proposals for the development of...

Priestly ministry in the Church of England needs a radical rethink...George Herbert died in 1633. His legacy continues. His poems are read and sung, and his parish ministry remains the model for the Church of England's understanding of how and where and why its priests should minister. But there is a problem. The memory of Herbert celebrated by the Church is an inaccurate one, and, in its inaccuracy, is unfair on Herbert himself and his successors in the ordained m...

A theological explanation and practical handbook for those preparing for a diaconate in today’s church.All too often the time spent as a deacon is seen simply as the prelude to priestly ordination. Yet the Bible defines three orders of ministry - deacon, priest, and bishop - each with its own distinctive characteristics and responsibilities. In Being A Deacon Today, Brown explores the three places where deacons minister (the church, the world, and at the m...

Chaplaincy - a place for those who have sold out, can't hack church ministry and don't believe in mission?Against the negative stereotypes, this book argues that chaplains are a valuable resource to the Church. Embedded in places as diverse as prisons, hospitals, educational establishments and the armed forces, chaplains often encounter social trends well in advance of the institutional churches. Their experiences and expertise can be very helpful for thinking abou...

Rescuing the Church... examines how people are initiated into a consumer culture during childhood and thus drawn into pursuing a vocation as consumers by means of various quasi-sacramental rites and practices.The upshot of this is that the church today is composed primarily of men and women whose lives are situated more within a consumer culture than within a distinctively Christian one.In order for the church to free itself, the author believes it must rec...

In this important and timely book Alan Wilson argues that allowing gay people to marry is a moral purpose. Wilson says: ‘I asked myself “what does God want for gay people?”. After re-revisiting the Bible, and more importantly getting to know gay people of all types and varying backgrounds, he decided the answer was that God wants for them the same as everyone else – flourishing faith, hope and love, involvement and inclusion. Meanwhile, from a scientific perspective, More Perfect Union? as...

This book will be attractive to all ministers who are seeking to understand how leadership works and why it can be so difficult. It would be useful as a study book for lay ministers as well and for all o take up a leadership role in local churches. It could also be attractive to lay people who as disciples seek to lead in their places of work with Christian values and behaviours.