Roger Standing – författare

Building on an understanding of the local congregation as the primary location of mission, ‘As a fire by burning …’ seeks to explore the relationship between the day-to-day life of local churches and contemporary thinking about mission. Drawing on the first-hand experience of those engaged in mission in a wide variety of different contexts in contemporary Britain, the component parts of church life are explored. What is the relationship between worship and mission? If mission is more than just evangelism, and disciple making is a life-long task, how can this be sustained over the long term? Much has been made of collaborative partnerships in delivering mission objectives, but what are their theological and practical implications for non-Christian civic and voluntary bodies? A number of these rarely addressed themes are explored, revealing critical issues that are rarely addressed, but that can have significant implications if neglected or misunderstood. Rather than relying on a ‘one size fits all’, off-the-shelf approach to mission, ‘As a fire by burning …’ encourages a level of engagement with context, Scripture, prayer and theology that will help to empower a local congregation to discern and shape its own missional life.

Bishops, Moderators, Apostles, Regional Ministers - the range of titles given to those who exercise some form of translocal oversight of Christian communities in contemporary Britain is wide indeed. Together they represent a spectrum of response to a range of dynamics that include biblical foundations, received church tradition, present felt needs and the demands of the wider cultural context of contemporary life. In 'Episkope,' Standing and Goodliff, together with experienced church leaders drawn from across the churches, establish the common foundations that inform our conversations about translocal ministry and map present models and experience of ecclesial oversight. Building on these shared insights a variety of themes are explored that might help the selection, training and deployment of translocal ministry be fit for purpose in the changing cultural context that faces twenty-first century Christian communities.With contributions from: Anne Hollinghurst on gender and oversight, Stephen Cottrell on oversight within the Anglican contextDiane Tidball on oversight in the Baptist churchTerry Virgo on oversight in new church streamsDavid Muir on oversight within black majority churchesIan Mobsby on oversight in new monastic communities

How do Christians go about understanding their cultural context in twenty-first century Britain?What is the relationship between faith and the culture in which it is lived?Considering the most formative influences for people of faith in our culture, and the forces at play in competing for their attention, Cultural Hermeneutics equips those in ministry, and those in formation for roles within the church, to better ‘read’ the times in which they serve.

A historical account of how leading evangelicals in the late nineteenth century fused a passion for evangelism with social service, cultural engagement and political activism.