There is a fairly widespread approach that wants to welcome people into church life before the have actually committed in membership to the church. Some
Stephen Kneale
My name is Stephen Kneale. I am married to Rachel and have a son called Clement. My wife and I also have a second child on the way. I am the pastor at Oldham Bethel Church, an FIEC church in the Greater Manchester area of the UK which is also affiliated to the North West Partnership.
I hold qualifications in History & Politics (BA, University of Liverpool), Religious Studies & Philosophy (PGCE, Edge Hill University) and Theology (MA, Kings Evangelical Divinity School). I have also contributed to the academic journal The Evangelical Review of Theology and Politics.
My theological convictions can be described as Modern Reformed Evangelical. I hold to the doctrines of grace, credo-baptism (significantly informed by my Grace Baptist/strict & particular baptist background) and subscribe to the traditional tenets of Evangelicalism.
My political convictions can be described as left-leaning. I favour public ownership, wealth distribution and a regulated economy. I believe in fairness in the markets and freedom for the individual.
If decisions never go against you, is your eldership truly plural?
It is my view that the biblical model for church leadership is a plurality of elders. I understand there may be cases in which there
Guardiola, Sterling & lessons for church leadership
Just prior to the weekend, Raheem Sterling suggested that he would move away from Manchester City if he was guaranteed more game time. Pep Guardiola,
Snippets from the interweb (17th October 2021)
10 reasons to consider asking your predecessor to stay involved I did this and do not regret it at all. I am so grateful my
Relatability isn’t the key; it’s the Word
Some folks have been getting a bit annoyed with St Michael’s Church in Bournemouth going through a rebrand and calling itself St Mike’s. I find
What we can learn from bigotgate in the church
My wife and I, being sad politics nerds, recently watched the BBC documentary Blair & Brown: The New Labour Revolution. It was really interesting (to