Viewing all items in Resource Category: Looking at your Church

Is the Church biased against northern accents? Is it harder to become a vicar if you were brought up in the north of England?  At least one CofE bishop thinks so. The Bishop of Burnley, the Rt Revd Philip North, has said that selection boards favour well-spoken middle-class candidates over working-class candidates.  And he said...

Ten Years of Book Sales In 2017 there were £22 million worth of religious books sold in the UK, some 2.5 million copies. This was 1.4% of the total sales of books in the UK in 2017. The largest growth area was in religious but non-Christian book, because the Oxford University Press published its translation...

The Windrush Generation at worship The significant impact of the so-called “Windrush Generation” (those arriving in the UK between 1948 and 1971 from Caribbean countries of Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and other islands) and other Commonwealth nationals from Africa, India and Pakistan has played a major role in shaping and creating modern Britain.  (The phrase...

Fixed Odds Betting Terminals: £2 maximum stake is ‘right decision’, says bishop The Bishop of St Albans, Alan Smith, has welcomed Government plans to limit the maximum stake on Fixed-Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) to £2. He said the decision was an “essential” step in curbing the harm done by the machines, which he said have...

What problems do ministers have to deal with these days? Ever wonder what sort of pastoral problems people may be bringing to our minister? Struggles with loneliness and mental illness are pretty sure to come near the top, according to a new survey. The two issues have been found to be by far the commonest...

Let them eat cake! Many rural parishes have found that offering tea and cake to visitors ensures a warm welcome that will be gratefully remembered. One couple told of how they chanced on a church while out cycling late one afternoon in the countryside.  They were tired and hot and hungry and thirsty.  Two kindly...

OM’s ship Logos Hope breaks all records in Mexico The Logos Hope’s visitor count in Veracruz has broken the Ship Ministry’s all-time record for a single port.  A total of 226,554 members of the public climbed the ship’s gangways to browse the book-fair, visit the International Café or attend an onboard event during the six...

Remembrance100 – marking the end of World War 1 Top four myths about mission –  Myth four: Mission is for extraordinary people Christian Aid helping prepare for monsoon season Growing number of young people taking part in church placements The growth of Muslims in Europe Could you help the Conservation Foundation investigate the state of our...

Christian Aid has been working around the clock to help those who have fled Myanmar to the camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, to prepare for the coming cyclone and monsoon season. Flooding, landslides and cyclones are expected which will destroy many of the temporary shelters set up since the mass movement of people started when...

On Sunday, 4th August 1918 King George V and Queen Mary joined members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords for a special service at the Church of Saint Margaret, Westminster. The King had asked that 4th August 1918, the fourth anniversary of the declaration of war, should be observed as a...

Myth four: Mission is for extraordinary people By Naomi Rose Steinberg, Church Mission Society During summer 2017, Church Mission Society asked over 2,000 Christians a question: “Who should be involved in mission?” There were four answer choices: 1) my church, 2) very spiritual people, 3) professionals or 4) everyone. A whopping 91 per cent of...

A scheme offering young people experience of ministry in Church of England parishes is attracting an increasing number of participants, according to new figures released today. The Ministry Experience Scheme, which offers year-long placements in churches across the country for young adults aged between 18 and 30 years old, is on course to have attracted...