Conference to focus on lessons of church growth
The ‘Towards a Theology of Church Growth’ conference will be held on 12-13 September, at St John’s College, part of the University of Durham, with leading figures from across the spectrum of Anglicanism speaking at the conference – including Professor Alister McGrath, the Rev Dr Graham Tomlin, Miranda ThrelfallHolmes and Bishop Martin Warner.
This is the first major event of a new research centre, set up by Cranmer Hall, which is part of St John’s College – the Centre for Church Growth Research, providing high-quality research into church growth across all Christian churches.
The Rt Revd Justin Welby, the future Archbishop of Canterbury, said of the forthcoming Durham conference: “The team involved in this conference have done ground-breaking work and it will be very worth the commitment to attend.”
Welcome for ruling against payday lender The Association of Christian Financial Advisers has welcomed the decision by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to uphold complaints against a payday loan company over its advertising claims. ACFA is calling for tougher legislation against loan sharks and a cap on interest rates.
ACFA says many payday loan companies charge rates of interest that are excessive and immoral, and the ASA is right to insist that interest rates are prominently displayed – the advertising watchdog has banned an advert by Pounds to Pocket, offering loans with an APR of 278 per cent. The ASA upheld two complaints and ruled the ad was both ‘misleading’ and ‘socially irresponsible’.
ACFA spokesman Arwyn Bailey asked: “Should a payday loan company be marketing their expensive solutions as the first port of call for those in debt, or who are finding it difficult to obtain credit? The ASA thinks not, and this is a welcome decision.”
A debate was held in the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday to discuss the legitimacy and freedom to offer therapy for those with unwanted feelings of samesex attraction, which Christian Concern claims could jeopardise the freedom of those currently offering this kind of therapy.
As part of the Stop Climate Chaos coalition, Christian Ecology Link has joined the “Energy We Can All Afford” campaign, which aims to enshrine residential domestic energy efficiency into the UK Government’s Energy Bill – for warmer homes, lower bills, a cooler planet – and growth for the green economy. Churches urged to check their energy usage Church members are being encouraged to use January’s freezing temperatures as a starting point for monitoring their building’s energy usage, as par t of the Shrinking the Footprint national energy audit, using sMeasure.
The free, easy to use toolkit from Shrinking the Footprint, the CofE’s national environmental campaign, enables all church buildings to understand and reduce energy use and costs along with cutting their carbon footprint, and can be found online at www.shrinkingthefootprint.smeasure.com, where users will also be provided with tips for saving money and reducing their carbon footprint.
The Bishop of London, Dr Richard Chartr es, chair of Shrinking the Footprint, said: “It is a God-given imperative that we guard the earth for future generations. This energy audit aims to build a better understanding of our energy usage and total carbon footprint for our national network of 16,000 parish churches, so we can suppor t energy saving actions and meet our commitment to protecting God’s creation”. Church House publications debut online Two new monthly publications, specifically designed for Church of England parishes, have been posted on the Church’s website.
In Review and In Focus concentrate on the work of the national Church. The front pages of both first editions feature news of the Confirmation of Election of the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and the parliamentar y launch of the national Lent campaign, “Love Life Live Lent” by the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu.
In Focus is a four-page A5 insert specifically designed to fit the centre spread of parish magazines. It is offered in both colour and black and white versions.