Books

Kingdom Learning

Published by SCM in 2017

For generations most churchgoers have been encouraged to see the responsibility for the life and ministry of the church in the hands of the trained clergy. A church embracing God’s call to mission requires these same worshippers to see themselves as ‘missionary disciples’ with a vital part to play in the church’s ministry. How is a change of this magnitude to be accomplished?

Drawing on the disciplines of adult education and his own research into the way people learn, David explains how churches can become learning communities in which people grow as disciples and find their place in a collaborative pattern of ministry.

‘…makes a major contribution to the practice of discipleship and ministry by all God’s people. By placing theological reflection at the heart of a renewed approach to adult education for lay and ordained alike, David explores how this technique can enable and equip people for whole life mission and ministry.’ Jill Hopkinson, National Rural Officer, Archbishops’ Council. Click here for further details.

 

Transforming preaching

Published by SPCK in 2013

Rooted in a clear understanding of the indispensable authority of God’s word, Transforming Preaching provides a wealth of practical wisdom and advice for anyone approaching the task of preaching. This is an ideal introduction for anyone training for ordination, or as a reader or lay preacher. It also makes a useful refresher for anyone seeking to reflect on their preaching ministry and make it more effective. Each section provdes suggestions for further reading and practical exercises to follow up the advice in the text. Setting the ministry of preaching in the context of the mission of God and seeing it as a unique learning event, the book provides a solid theological as well as practical foundation for preaching.

‘Transforming Preaching is a beautifully clear, wise and practical book, which will guide those who are learning to preach and refresh those who have been preaching for many years.’ Stephen Wright, Tutor in Biblical Studies and Practical Theology at Spurgeon’s College and author of Alive to the Word: A practical theology of preaching for the whole church.

For more information about the book, click here.

 

Reimagining Ministry

Published by SCM in 2011

Reimagining Ministry is a response to growing dissatisfaction with existing models of ministry. David diagnoses the problems of our traditional understanding and proposes a new model that embraces both the ministry of the whole Church and of the ordained within it. He places mission at the heart of the Church’s life, explaining the way in which the Church’s understanding of mission has developed over the past generation and showing how the shape of the Church and its ministry grow out of the mission of God. Reimagining Ministry is an intensely practical book, drawing on concrete examples, placing these within a well-argued biblical and theological framework and making proposals for the future of ministry.

Reimagining Ministry has been used by at least two Church of England Dioceses as inspiration for developments in ministry. Described by Prof Martyn Percy as ‘a must-read for all those who practise ministry and want fresh vision for tomorrow’s church’, Reimagining Ministry is an intensely practical book, drawing on concrete examples, placing these within a well-argued biblical and theological framework and making proposals for the future of ministry.

For more information about the book, click here.

 

Divine Revelation and Human Learning

Published by Ashgate in 2004

How do we learn about God? In an age of competing world-views, what is the basis of the Christian claim to offer the truth about God, the world and ourselves? The book charts a path through the study of human knowledge, showing how the insights of theology, philosophy and psychology complement and amplify one another, and bringing the experience of revelation within the scope of the study of human learning. It shows the relationship between human psychology and the work of the Holy Spirit and demonstrates the credibility of the Christian claim to a transforming knowledge of God in Jesus Christ. Offering a new model for the relationship of theology to the natural and social sciences, it shows how the claim of Christian theology to deal in issues of universal truth can be upheld. For Christian education, this book provides a theological rationale for the use of methods of teaching and learning of educationally proven effectiveness.

The book was very highly praised on its publication. The link below includes some of the comments made. Although published only in expensive hardback, it remains a ground-breaking work in the field of practical theology.

For more information about the book, click here.