These reflections come after spending a day with Hope into Action at their annual conference, Rooted: Homelessness Ends in Community. In particular, they were stirred afresh while listening to the seminar Rethinking Poverty and Our Response with Jon Kuhrt and Rachel Arnold, both shaped by the wider imagination of Together for the Common Good and the work of Jenny Sinclair. For those familiar with these voices, there will be little here that is entirely new. I am simply trying

A few rambling thoughts on church growth, “quiet revival”, and ministry in a secular age. Mainly for vicary types and an update from something I wrote a few years ago. —— Over the past year or so there has been a lot of talk about church growth, spiritual openness, and even the possibility of “quiet revival” in the UK. Newspaper articles appear. Podcasts get excited. Somebody notices twenty-year-olds attending Evensong in London and suddenly we are apparently one step away fr

Throughout his earthly ministry, Jesus did not simply describe the Kingdom of God—he enacted it. He preached, “The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the good news,” and then he lived it: healing the sick, forgiving sin, welcoming the overlooked, confronting what dehumanises, and laying down his life in self-giving love. This Kingdom—the reign of God—is not removed from the real world. It presses into it. It speaks into how we order our common life—socially, politi

The Jesus follower is a cultural outsider—a misfit who does not quite fit within the machinery of the world. They live slightly out of step, swimming against the current, hearing a different music, learning to walk to its rhythm. There is something about following Jesus that makes normal life feel strange. Or perhaps it makes us realise how strange “normal” has become. We may dress our faith in the language of philosophy, speak with cultural fluency, and even find ourselves i

Do not come to me now in the rush. Not in the swell of the room. Not in the chase for one more high place, one more moment to prove you are here. I am tired of mistaking intensity for presence. Tired of thinking you must always arrive in thunder, in tears, in the room lifting itself towards the rafters. No. Come as the whisper. Come as the breath that barely moves the dust in the chapel light. Come as that still small voice that does not force itself through the speakers but

The Shopfront, the Centre, and the Work of Truth Rev’d Jon Swales, 10 minute read. Churches, like most institutions, learn how to present themselves. There is a front-facing story — a shopfront narrative — shaped for newcomers, visitors, church networks, and social media. It speaks of welcome, healing, generosity, growth, authenticity, flourishing. Often it names something real. Often it names something hoped for. Rarely is it a lie. But it is selective. The shopfront tells

Christian leaders are complex human beings. That shouldn’t need saying. But sometimes it does. We are shaped over time — by desire, fear, love, disappointment, trauma, hope. We change. We are never static. Christian theology speaks of a 'calling' towards Christlikeness, often named as cruciformity. But calling is not direction, and vocation is not arrival. Leaders, like the communities they serve, are a mixed bag. Some are being softened. Some are being hardened. Formation in

Church leaders are storytellers by vocation. They retell the story of Jesus — not as a static account, but as a living narrative people are invited to inhabit. But they also tell other stories alongside this one: stories about the church itself — where it has come from, where it is going, and why it matters. These stories circulate everywhere: sermons, leadership meetings, PCCs, reports, funding conversations, informal networks. Over time, they create a shared reality. And th

Rain at the window. The fire spitting ash. Two priests, two pints. On retreat, The air thick with weariness. Steve leans forward, voice...

Grieve for the thirst we no longer feel, for the hunger numbed by constant feasting. Name the beauty now hidden from our sight, the...

The Quiet and the Messy Revival They say there is a quiet revival — soft as breath on stained glass, a hush that Spotify, TikTok, and...

‘We all are born into the world looking for someone looking for us, and that we remain in this mode of searching for the rest of our...

We are born with a deep longing to belong— to be accepted, embraced, and to find our place within community. This longing is not a flaw...

Just sketching things here, broad strokes. I know it’s not the full story. No nuance. But maybe it’s food for thought. The other night,...

The Church Is Not a Museum Churches are not museums of tradition or graveyards of yesteryear. They are not mausoleums filled with the...

Churches are not businesses. Now, this doesn’t mean there aren’t budgets to balance, resources to steward, or even that insights from...

Give thanks for the longing within, for the hunger that will not be silenced. Speak of the beauty that lingers still, of the mystery that shimmers at the edges. Seek the sacred beneath the surface; for in seeking, we shall find. Once, the world was charged with presence, the earth sang, the heavens declared, and we walked—sometimes stumbled— through depths of meaning. The rising sun, the falling rain, the laughter of children, the labour of hands— all spoke of grace, all belo

'Climate Breakdown and Cruciform Adaptation' is a hard-hitting, prophetic follow-on course to 'Climate Justice: Following Jesus in a World

We are living in the midst of a profound storm, one that is shaking the very foundations of our civilisation. The crises we...

Words carry weight. For those in church leadership, they are not just sounds shaped by vocal chords and breath, but something much...