Podcasts from the Presbyterian Church in Ireland

When God made human beings He made us with a very specific purpose in mind. He made us “in His image” to show the world what He is like. When Jesus developed the theme with His disciples He told them that they were “the light of the world.” For too long the image has been hidden away…the light has been kept under a bowl.

We all share the desire to see the Christian faith passed on to the next generation. But how does disciple-making in the family context take place most effectively? How can parents strike a balance between supporting their child’s developing faith whilst juggling the pressures of everyday living? How can churches best support and equip parents in this vital task? What role do salaried staff play in facilitating disciple-making in the home? This seminar will explore these issues, enabling churches to consider how biblical principles and research findings may be practically applied in individual settings.

Everyday disciples are not immune to illness, and struggle. But is pastoral care just for the minister and elders? Or for trained professionals? What does it look like to restore care which not only loves, but equips and builds disciples in your local church?

‘Music in the local church’ was originally developed as a three week course, but this is the supersonic version in two seminars. To get the balance of the material, it is best to come to both sessions, if possible, on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon.
Part 1 (Tuesday afternoon) is designed to help musicians and leaders with issues which can get in the way of public worship. It will touch on the role of a worship leader, the planning of services, and how to work well with others.

What is your gender? Facebook suggests 50 possible responses to that question, from ‘agender’ to ‘trans man’. Homosexuality and transgenderism are commonplace in contemporary media and the prevailing story is of liberation of misunderstood communities from discrimination. The pace of change in social attitudes has been breathtaking, leaving the church seemingly out of touch – the foremost of the past oppressors – and individual Christians confused. How should we speak and act? This seminar will get to grips with what is behind these issues. It will paint a positive biblical vision of sex and gender and will explore appropriate pastoral responses.

There’s no doubt that sport is a massive part of our culture. More than 10 million people play competitive sport in 150,000 clubs and teams across the UK. The call from Jesus Christ in Matthew 28 is clear – “Go and make disciples of all nations...” The question is, how can your church engage with those from this 10-million plus mission field who live near you so that sportspeople everywhere hear the good news of the gospel? Or how can you as a church leader, envision, equip and encourage the Christian sportspeople within your church to be on this disciple-making mission for Christ in their sporting context?

This session will support, equip and inspire those who recognise God’s heart for families within their churches. We will consider what the scriptural responsibility of the church family is. Based on in-depth research amongst churches and Christian families, we will explore a wealth of practical ideas for how churches can best support discipleship in the home context. We will also explore together how to make best use of small windows of time, how to engage families most effectively within our churches and how the church can empower Christian parents. Ultimately, how can we pass our faith onto the next generation most effectively?

Many years ago, the leadership team of Perimeter Church realised that personal, life-on-life missional discipleship was accounting for a unique and unmatched depth of spiritual growth and heart for outreach within the individuals involved. With 50 years of discipleship experience, Randy will share some of his key learnings regarding life-on-life missional discipleship and how it can transform your ministry.

Randy Pope is the founding and lead teaching pastor of Perimeter Church in Johns Creek, Georgia. Randy and his wife, Carol, have four children and 14 grandchildren. Randy is a graduate of the University of Alabama and Reformed Theological Seminary. He and his family moved to Atlanta in 1977 to plant Perimeter Church. Randy is the author of four books and a discipleship curriculum used globally entitled ‘The Journey’. His latest book is entitled ‘Insourcing: Bringing Discipleship Back to the Local Church’.

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are followers and learners of a good shepherd who is our perfect model of care. But is ‘caring’ not just for the specialists? What does Paul mean when he writes to the Corinthians of ‘every member care’ in the body of Christ? And what would it look like in practice? This seminar and discussion aims to consider how we can grow in what Jesus called the defining characteristic of His followers – “by this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).

Dr. Andrew Collins works part-time as a consultant psychiatrist in the field of psychiatric intensive care. He also works part-time in the field of Christian counselling from his home in Portadown, Northern Ireland. As well as offering this service, Andrew has provided teaching and training on pastoral and mental health issues for churches and conferences. Andrew is an elder in Killicomaine Evangelical Church where he is involved in the ministry on a regular basis. He is married with five children.

The world has changed and so has mission. In this seminar, we will look at some of the changes affecting mission today, and examine our role in getting our own congregations excited about mission. We will share our own experiences with ‘missionaries’ and teams, and ask how we can make mission a more integral part of our church life. We will look at how we can better support the missionaries we already know of, and how we can better use short-term mission trips to enrich the lives of those who go on them and those who don’t, not to mention those who host them. We will think about the increasing number of people from other faiths who now live on our doorstep, and on how we can engage with them.

Stephen McIlwaine is married to Roz and they have three teenage children. Stephen and family spent two years at All Nations Christian College, followed by 13 years living and working in Jordan as partners with Interserve. In Jordan, Stephen worked mostly in secular development work, while Roz worked firstly with refugees and then as a school teacher. They returned in 2012 and are still getting used to life in Ireland. Stephen is an elder in Fitzroy Presbyterian Church, Belfast, and works as an environmental advisor to projects in developing countries.