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Editorial

By Paul Beasley-Murray.

Welcome to Ministry Today in its new format. Although Ministry Today is still available in paper form for those without ready internet access, most of our subscribers will now be receiving the journal in electronic format. If you have internet access, but would still prefer the read the articles and book reviews in printed form, the new website has the facility to print any or all of the site content. If the instructions on screen are not clear, please email ministry.today@tiscali.co.uk for details

I personally am delighted that we have been able to produce Ministry Today on line, for not only does it mean that the journal is now cheaper and therefore a more attractive option, but it is also more easily available to ministers beyond our shores. As a result I have little doubt that, during my sabbatical ‘down-under’, I will be able to encourage a good number of ministers to sign up. The vast majority of issues tackled in Ministry Today are not limited in interest to the British scene, so hopefully the new format of our journal will enable us to go global!

It is amazing how the world-wide web has revolutionised, not just life in general, but also the practice of ministry. Thanks to the internet a vast range of resources for ministry are available. Thanks too to the internet, we are able to correspond with one another through e-mail. And yet there are limits to what the web has to offer. The web has not replaced the printed page: indeed, experience shows that even with web-journals, subscribers almost always print out the articles which are of particular interest to them. Just as the microwave has not replaced the ‘old-fashioned’ gas or electric oven, so the web has not replaced printed word. Books will still to be the tools of a minister’s trade, and although emails may account for most of our correspondence, there will still be a place for letters. Certainly, when it comes to expressing condolences upon the loss of a loved one, I would never dream of sending an e-mail. Rather I take out my fountain pen and write a personal letter of sympathy. 

Even more important, the electronic word does not replace the spoken word. There are times when we need to speak to one another face-to-face. There is a place for debating issues on line, and there is also a place for debating issues together. This certainly has been my experience when seeking to resolve contentious issues in church life. A meeting may be more time-consuming, but it is often more effective in bringing about agreement. 

So enjoy exploring our new website and the new edition of the journal which launches it. Here you’ll find, not only articles and book reviews, but places where you can share ideas and opinions with other working clergy (courteously, please!) and links to other ministry-related sites.

And do return to the site often - you’ll know when there are new articles or book reviews to read because the colour of the site will change with each change of edition, just as it always did with the paper version.