Mez McConnell carries out remarkable ministry among marginalised groups of people, a background that he shares with those he ministers to. Here he writes about the way in which the doctrine of substitutionary atonement, rather than detracting from his ministry to the needs of people, actually is the foundation that enables him to serve. Here’s …

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Conversations with pastors from a wide variety of contexts resonate with the theme explored in this article. There are structures in some aspects of contemporary church life that make imperatives out of beneficial non-essentials. And a sure sign of spiritual growth trying to be achieved through human effort is a burn-out attrition among leaders and …

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It’s a worry if the church simply transfers the exhausting, life-draining, joy-sucking demands of the rest of life to its own agenda and programs. The Gospel demands that people need something very different than to feel that their church sees them as a resource to meet their goals. Worse still, the thought that coming to …

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