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Editorial

By Paul Beasley-Murray.

TEN YEARS - AND STILL THRIVING!

In March 1994 a new interdenominational agency was launched - Ministry Today.

Initially known as the Richard Baxter Institute for Ministry, right from the beginning the focus of Ministry Today was on the well-being of the ministry. For as that great 17th century pastor observed:

"All churches either rise or fall as the ministry doth rise or fall - not in riches or worldly grandeur, but in knowledge, zeal and ability for their work".

Or to re-phrase the sentiments in modern language: "The key to the health and growth of the churches is its leaders".

We later discovered that the name Richard Baxter suggested to some that we were a group of modern-day puritans, so eventually we did away with our original title, and adopted instead our present title: Ministry Today.

Although over the years the thrust of our work has remained the same, our mission statement has changed. At first our declared aim was "to promote excellence in the practice of ministry, enabling ministers and other pastoral leaders to become increasingly effective in the mission to which Christ has called them".

But then we discovered that the first concern of many, if not most, of our colleagues is not to excel in ministry, but to survive in ministry. So we re-phrased our mission statement, with the result that our present aim is:

"to provide a supportive resource for all in Christian leadership, so that they may survive, grow, develop, and become more effective in the ministry to which Christ has called them".

Needless to say, we have not totally ditched the concept of excellence - this journal is surely testimony to that. However, as we know all too well from our own experience, local church ministry can be incredibly pressurised and demanding. Our desire is that, through what we offer, church leaders will be helped not only to survive the crises, but also enjoy the challenges of ministry today.

It is interesting to look back upon the titles of past conferences: 'How to survive as a pastor'; 'Conflict, spirituality and egotism'; 'Gospel and truth in a fragmented society'; 'Spiritual direction'; 'Ministering to people in the workplace'; 'From maintenance to mission'; 'Hatching, matching and despatching'; 'Lasting the course'; 'Lost shepherds?'; 'Seasons of ministry'; 'Keeping the batteries charged'; 'Walking upright'; and 'Style, pretence and reality - personal integrity in ministry'. The majority of them have had the personal well-being of the pastor in mind.

By contrast, the articles in our journal have been extremely wide-ranging, although always with the needs of ministers in mind. The very first issue of the journal was perhaps fairly narrowly focussed with articles on 'Abuse in the church'; 'When differences tear apart the body of Christ'; 'Management and the resolution of conflict'; 'Why clergy are leaving the church'.

However, the three issues in 2003 dealt with such subjects as 'Keeping sermons fresh'; 'Re-thinking church'; 'Genetic determinism and the priesthood gene'; 'Spirituality in suburbia'; 'Exploring the new cosmology'; 'Christendom, clericalism and church'; 'Bulk-standard theology'; 'Older people, Gospel and Church' 'Towards a theology of stewardship'; 'Some reflections on depression'; 'How I pray'; 'Carers, not counsellors'; 'Is our evangelism working?'; 'Friends in the church'; 'Ten years of women priests'; and 'Chaplaincy in a modern university'.

A constant in every issue of the journal has been the large number of book reviews, which have normally taken up a third of the space. Unlike reviews of the same books appearing elsewhere, these reviews have again always had the needs of ministry in view.

Yes, from beginning to end the needs of leaders in local churches have been, and continue to be, uppermost. Although the standards of Ministry Today have been of the highest, our concern has not been to promote the latest advances in academic theology, but rather to help ministers reflect on the practice of ministry. Very much a 'hands-on' organisation, we are unique in that there is no other inter-denominational group in the UK concerned for the well-being and general development of Christian leaders.

Not surprisingly, the membership of the Board of Ministry Today reflects this emphasis on grass-roots ministry. As readers will see from our bio-data, most of us are local pastors and parish priests, and even those of us who are not presently in local ministry have been there at the 'coal-face' and remain committed to the welfare of the ministry. What readers, however, may not immediately realise, is that the Board is made up of a group of extraordinarily interesting and able men and women. In my experience most committee meetings are pretty dull, but Ministry Today Board meetings never fail to stimulate and stretch me.

The annual subscription to Ministry Today of £20 per year (although do note the subscription for two years offers a discount at £35) includes not only three issues of the journal, but also discounts on conferences and the availability of personal consultation. Furthermore, as a professional journal, subscriptions can be set against tax. To my mind the quality of what is on offer makes our subscription a 'bargain' - certainly, I can think of no better investment in ministry.

So, happy reading.