I BELIEVE

I believe that there is a beautiful mutuality in the trinity and Jesus invites us into a living relationship with him through the power of the Holy Spirit. I believe that we should co-work with God in bringing in his kingdom. I believe that our relationship with Jesus should be lived out with other Christians of a range of theological integrities so that we might be like iron sharpening iron. I also believe that our relationship with Jesus should be lived out amongst people who do not yet know Him. I believe that God is working in the lives of people who do not yet acknowledge him.

I believe that the church is full of fallible human beings, I am one of them. I also believe that each of us has a beauty because we are made in the image of God. I believe that God designed us to realise a worth that can only be found in him; he is the source of everything and only once we are in relationship with him, will we be able to begin to understand truly who we are.

I believe that we should live in the blessings and the struggles of this life with a Kingdom that has already broken in whilst working together to relieve the places where the Kingdom is frustrated by sin. I have an expansive definition of sin. It is not just about our personal transgressions, it is about everything that is less than what God would have it be. Sin is cosmic, God saves and his desire is to reconcile the entire cosmos to himself.

I believe ministry should be characterised by affirmation and blessing. Only God can see the heart but I will assume the best of a person. I believe our churches have to be welcoming places, freer of programs and formulas and more open to the Holy Spirit. This sometimes means that the Church will find itself catching up with what the Spirit is doing.

I believe that the Holy Spirit gifts God's people for roles in the church.  I hold a theological integrity in community with the Church of England who ordained women since the last decade of the last century. I believe that the church made this decision based on the scriptures. I prefer to root the theology in scripture although I can see that there are other reasons for ordaining and consecrating women too.

I believe in prayer and community, reaching up and out. I believe that prayer can change communities, nations and the world and that if we all engage in mission on our own doorsteps, proclaiming the gospel in words and actions, that God will use us to bring heaven to earth.

I believe that in a postmodern world we have to present the gospel in ways that speak more readily to our contemporary culture whilst not compromising the message. This is something that the church has to work out and it will make mistakes as it seeks to do this.

I believe it is a painful privilege to serve God through the Church of England but I hope to see new leaders empowered to lead a new generation of disciples. I hope to be involved in growing prayer-centred spaces where people engage in community with God's Word, the Bible, are led by the Holy Spirit to commune with Jesus as their Lord and Saviour so that they might be empowered for practical, kingdom-shaped actions in the world.

I believe in expecting the unexpected and that with God the impossible is possible.