…is a book about priesthood – funnily enough. Its roots lay in the project I undertook as part of my exploration of ordained ministry in the Church of England. My experience and understanding since then have led me to believe that intrinsic to the idea of priesthood are the concepts of character formation and pioneer ministry.

In my mind the terms are inseparable, losing either one is detrimental to the other two. So before the book gets to discuss how we might reimagine priesthood, it first explores the importance of reimagining personal possibilities, and moves on from priesthood to consider how pioneering needs to be constantly reimagined, based on my experience as an Ordained Pioneer Minister.

In many ways it is a collection of some of the most important things that I have learned about mission and ministry, framed around God’s on-going calling on my life over thirty years. I began writing in 2017 during a sabbatical year, a rare moment to pause and ponder my preceding decades employed in the church – it felt like the End of Part One. This book is simply some of my reflections about my journey as a disciple of Jesus Christ and minister of the Gospel, so far. I’m deeply grateful to God and all those that have been part of my story.

I am A Reluctant Priest. And I am part of a church which is often equally reluctant to fully embrace being ‘a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people’. My desire for the book is that it would help release individuals and Christian communities to step fully into the calling and destiny which Peter describes as belonging to the royal priesthood: ‘that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light’ (1 Peter 2:9). Whilst reluctant, I consider my calling to priesthood to be one of the greatest privileges of my life, as it enables me to help others experience the love and goodness of Jesus. My personal ambition for what follows is that it would simply refocus my mind and heart as I begin Part Two of my life in ministry.

Until such a time as the book is published, I thought I’d share some of it via this blog. I hope it’s helpful to you in your journey – enjoy!