In this episode, Al Roxburgh and Jenny Sinclair talk with Bishop Philip North about cultivating communities of God’s people in Blackburn in the North West of England. We encounter a leader responsible for shaping the life of the institutional church with a remarkable incarnational imagination. Bishop Philip’s journey has taught him the fundamental importance of listening to poor and working class communities and the imperative of going deeply local. He knows that this is how Christian life is lived vividly as a sign of love and justice on the ground. His passion for people and place is striking, as is his clear sense of calling to servant leadership. His simple desire is to form a people who are deeply invested in their local communities and liberated through being in love with Jesus. Rather than leading with strategies from the top, he understands that power must be shared and delights in empowering unlikely local people to lead. This is an encouraging witness to the ways in which the church can shine forth the wonder of Christ.

Philip North is the Bishop of Blackburn in the Anglican Diocese which serves most of the county of Lancashire in the UK. He began ministry in the Diocese of Durham, serving outer estates Parishes in Sunderland and Hartlepool, and then spent six years ministering to pilgrims to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham as Priest Administrator. He returned to parochial ministry as Team Rector of the Parish of Old St Pancras, serving a large area of North-west London around Camden Town. He was consecrated Bishop of Burnley in February 2015 and translated to the See of Blackburn in 2023. He has a strong interest in issues around poverty and social justice and in the vitality of the urban church. He is a member of the Company of Mission Priests, a dispersed community who live to a rule in order to focus their lives on the mission of the church, especially amongst the poor.

Links

For Bishop Philip:

https://www.blackburn.anglican.org/bishop-philip

https://togetherforthecommongood.co.uk/uncategorised/no-repentance-no-renewal

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b04cffq1

For Alan J Roxburgh:

http://alanroxburgh.com/about

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alan.roxburgh.127/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecommonsnetwork

Books

Forming Communities of Hope in the Great Unraveling: Leadership in a Changing World (with Roy Searle)

Joining God in the Great Unraveling

Leadership, God’s Agency and Disruptions

Joining God, Remaking Church, Changing the World: The New Shape of the Church in Our Time

For Jenny Sinclair:

Website: https://togetherforthecommongood.co.uk/from-jenny-sinclair

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenny-sinclair-0589783b/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/T4CG

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TogetherForTheCommonGoodUK

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/t4cg_insta/

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