TeamTalk: Supporting Church Leaders in Wales

This time on the Team Talk Podcast Phil Swann is joined by Lindsay Brown, one of Merthyr’s finest exports! It was a delight in this episode to hear Lindsay’s passion and enthusiasm for evangelism and we are sure you will benefit from many of the insights he shared. God bless your listening and your living.

In this episode Phil Swann chats with Steffan Jones who is a pastor in the small town of Pontardawe. Having seen the church growing in the past few years, they are now embarking on a new building project, and Steffan shares a little about this. He then goes on to share about the 'Passion for life' mission that will be taking place this Easter, before discussing evangelism in general in Wales.

In this third episode Stephen Clark continues to discuss how he preaches the incarnation at Christmas and the importance of communicating both the supernatural and the ordinary events in a balanced way. He explains that the only way to preach the doctrine of Christ is to do so in such a way that leads to worship. Doctrine leads to doxology! So find yourself a comfy chair, or settle into a sustainable pace on your run and join us for another riveting episode of the EMW Team Talk Podcast. Stephen Clark has had many years of experience in pastoral ministry, having pastored 3 very different churches. Having trained on the EMW’s Theological Training Course while working as a solicitor, in 1983 he became pastor of the newly founded Llandrindod Wells Evangelical Church, set in a county town in a rural area. In 1991 he moved to Abersychan, a small South Wales valley town, to become pastor of his home church, Noddfa Evangelical Church, which had been founded in 1846. In 1998 he became pastor of Freeschool Court Evangelical Church, Bridgend; Bridgend is a rapidly growing town on the M4 corridor. He retired as pastor at the end of August 2020. Stephen lectured Systematic Theology at London Seminary (formerly London Theological Seminary) from about 2005 until December 2020. From its inception early this century he served as Chairman of the Affinity Theological Study Conference until retiring from this position in 2019. He still serves on the Committee of the Westminster Conference, an annual event in London which is committed to the study of theological issues in relation to church history. He has written two books: Putting Asunder: Divorce and Remarriage in Biblical and Pastoral Perspective (Bryntirion Press, 1999) and The Da Vinci Code on Trial (Bryntirion Press, 2005). He also edited and contributed chapters to Tales of Two Cities: Christianity and Politics (IVP / Affinity, 2005), and The Forgotten Christ: Exploring the Majesty and Mystery of God Incarnate (Apollos [IVP] / Affinity, 2007), and co-edited and contributed a chapter to In Christ Alone: Perspectives on Union with Christ (Affinity / Mentor, 2016). In retirement he now lives in Paphos in Cyprus, where he is actively involved in preaching and writing.

In this second episode Stephen Clark discusses how he preaches the incarnation at Christmas and the importance of understanding the doctrine from the narrative of scripture. There are some great hints for the preacher here so find yourself a brew and a comfy chair, or settle into a sustainable pace on your run and join me for another riveting episode of the EMW Team Talk Podcast. Stephen Clark has had many years of experience in pastoral ministry, having pastored 3 very different churches. Having trained on the EMW’s Theological Training Course while working as a solicitor, in 1983 he became pastor of the newly founded Llandrindod Wells Evangelical Church, set in a county town in a rural area. In 1991 he moved to Abersychan, a small South Wales valley town, to become pastor of his home church, Noddfa Evangelical Church, which had been founded in 1846. In 1998 he became pastor of Freeschool Court Evangelical Church, Bridgend; Bridgend is a rapidly growing town on the M4 corridor. He retired as pastor at the end of August 2020. Stephen lectured Systematic Theology at London Seminary (formerly London Theological Seminary) from about 2005 until December 2020. From its inception early this century he served as Chairman of the Affinity Theological Study Conference until retiring from this position in 2019. He still serves on the Committee of the Westminster Conference, an annual event in London which is committed to the study of theological issues in relation to church history. He has written two books: Putting Asunder: Divorce and Remarriage in Biblical and Pastoral Perspective (Bryntirion Press, 1999) and The Da Vinci Code on Trial (Bryntirion Press, 2005). He also edited and contributed chapters to Tales of Two Cities: Christianity and Politics (IVP / Affinity, 2005), and The Forgotten Christ: Exploring the Majesty and Mystery of God Incarnate (Apollos [IVP] / Affinity, 2007), and co-edited and contributed a chapter to In Christ Alone: Perspectives on Union with Christ (Affinity / Mentor, 2016). In retirement he now lives in Paphos in Cyprus, where he is actively involved in preaching and writing.

In this episode Stephen Clark discusses how he preaches the incarnation at Christmas and the importance of understanding the doctrine from the narrative of scripture. There are some great hints for the preacher here so find yourself a brew and a comfy chair, or settle into a sustainable pace on your run and join me for another riveting episode of the EMW Team Talk Podcast. Stephen Clark has had many years of experience in pastoral ministry, having pastored 3 very different churches. Having trained on the EMW’s Theological Training Course while working as a solicitor, in 1983 he became pastor of the newly founded Llandrindod Wells Evangelical Church, set in a county town in a rural area. In 1991 he moved to Abersychan, a small South Wales valley town, to become pastor of his home church, Noddfa Evangelical Church, which had been founded in 1846. In 1998 he became pastor of Freeschool Court Evangelical Church, Bridgend; Bridgend is a rapidly growing town on the M4 corridor. He retired as pastor at the end of August 2020. Stephen lectured Systematic Theology at London Seminary (formerly London Theological Seminary) from about 2005 until December 2020. From its inception early this century he served as Chairman of the Affinity Theological Study Conference until retiring from this position in 2019. He still serves on the Committee of the Westminster Conference, an annual event in London which is committed to the study of theological issues in relation to church history. He has written two books: Putting Asunder: Divorce and Remarriage in Biblical and Pastoral Perspective (Bryntirion Press, 1999) and The Da Vinci Code on Trial (Bryntirion Press, 2005). He also edited and contributed chapters to Tales of Two Cities: Christianity and Politics (IVP / Affinity, 2005), and The Forgotten Christ: Exploring the Majesty and Mystery of God Incarnate (Apollos [IVP] / Affinity, 2007), and co-edited and contributed a chapter to In Christ Alone: Perspectives on Union with Christ (Affinity / Mentor, 2016). In retirement he now lives in Paphos in Cyprus, where he is actively involved in preaching and writing.

In this episode Phil speaks to Jonathan Thomas who is a pastor in Abergavenny South Wales about the possibilities of evangelism over the Christmas period. In their discussion they share various ideas, look at some of the opportunities of reaching our communities, and also touch on the balance that is needed in the life of the church leader during this busy season.

Struggles in prayer is something we all experience. When we add personal struggle in prayer to the regular struggles in ministry it can soon lead a Christian leader into a place of shame and a sense of failure. Truth is we don’t talk much about this as leaders together. So it is a real delight to hear Stuart Olyott speaking help and encouragement into this area of our lives. We believe this two part series is a particularly helpful series and whether you are a Church leader or not you will find comfort, support and help that leads you to prayer here. Remember if you find this series helpful to pass it on to others too! Stuart Olyott has been a pastor in Wales, the UK and pioneering new churches in both France and Switzerland. He has travelled widely, helping and encouraging especially young and inexperienced pastors in the UK and Europe. Now semi-retired he continues his work from his home in Liverpool.

Struggles in prayer is something we all experience. When we add personal struggle in prayer to the regular struggles in ministry it can soon lead a Christian leader into a place of shame and a sense of failure. Truth is we don’t talk much about this as leaders together. So it is a real delight to hear Stuart Olyott speaking help and encouragement into this area of our lives. We believe this two part series is a particularly helpful series and whether you are a Church leader or not you will find comfort, support and help that leads you to prayer here. Remember if you find this series helpful to pass it on to others too! Stuart Olyott has been a pastor in Wales, the UK and pioneering new churches in both France and Switzerland. He has travelled widely, helping and encouraging especially young and inexperienced pastors in the UK and Europe. Now semi-retired he continues his work from his home in Liverpool.

We were blessed at the EMW to have Dr Sinclair B Ferguson to preach at our summer conference this year, and on the last afternoon Mark Thomas took the opportunity to catch up with Dr Ferguson to ask him a few questions about preaching. In the last part of the interview Dr Ferguson discusses the personal role of the preacher in preaching. Dr. Sinclair B. Ferguson returned to his native Scotland in 2013 after retiring as Senior Minister of First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina. Prior to this, he served the Lord in Church of Scotland congregations in Unst (Shetland) and Glasgow (St. George’s Tron). He served for many years as Charles Krahe Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary, where he continues to teach, and is also a Chancellor’s Professor at Reformed Theological Seminary and a Teaching Fellow with Ligonier Ministries. In addition to being author of several books, he continues to preach God’s Word in churches and at conferences. Sinclair and his wife Dorothy have three sons and a daughter and twelve grandchildren.

We were blessed at the EMW to have Dr Sinclair B Ferguson to preach at our summer conference this year, and on the last afternoon Mark Thomas took the opportunity to catch up with Dr Ferguson to ask him a few questions about preaching. In the second part of the interview Dr Ferguson discusses the role of exegesis and application in preaching. Dr. Sinclair B. Ferguson returned to his native Scotland in 2013 after retiring as Senior Minister of First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina. Prior to this, he served the Lord in Church of Scotland congregations in Unst (Shetland) and Glasgow (St. George’s Tron). He served for many years as Charles Krahe Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary, where he continues to teach, and is also a Chancellor’s Professor at Reformed Theological Seminary and a Teaching Fellow with Ligonier Ministries. In addition to being author of several books, he continues to preach God’s Word in churches and at conferences. Sinclair and his wife Dorothy have three sons and a daughter and twelve grandchildren.

We were blessed at the EMW to have Dr Sinclair B Ferguson to preach at our summer conference this year. Mark Thomas took the opportunity to catch up with Dr Ferguson to ask him a few questions about preaching today. In the first part Dr Ferguson shares how he was called to be a pastor, and shares what he believes are the hallmarks of true preaching. Dr. Sinclair B. Ferguson returned to his native Scotland in 2013 after retiring as Senior Minister of First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina. Prior to this, he served the Lord in Church of Scotland congregations in Unst (Shetland) and Glasgow (St. George’s Tron). He served for many years as Charles Krahe Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary, where he continues to teach, and is also a Chancellor’s Professor at Reformed Theological Seminary and a Teaching Fellow with Ligonier Ministries. In addition to being author of several books, he continues to preach God’s Word in churches and at conferences. Sinclair and his wife Dorothy have three sons and a daughter and twelve grandchildren.

In 1 Timothy 4:16 Paul urges Timothy to ‘watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers’, but what does this mean? It certainly has many facets, and as leaders we are better at some than others. We rightly put great emphasis on watching over ourselves morally and theologically, but what about our own needs, relationships, and health? This is an important question to ask, as we need a balance in our lives as Christian leaders. We have previously looked at three Bible passages as a basis to understand why we need to care for ourselves and have looked at some of the doctrines that should underpin selfcare in our life such as the Sovereignty of God, the Sabbath Rest, the Human body, and the Trinity. We now move onto the practical outworking of these doctrines in our lives. This episode is full of sanctified common sense and builds upon the previous two episodes. May it be a blessing to you. Taking part in this episode is Phil Swann is a Pastor and former Physiotherapist in mental health settings, and Geoff Cresswell who is an elder and a mentor to pastors and headteachers and delivers training on biblical leadership, and wellbeing courses.

In 1 Timothy 4:16 Paul urges Timothy to ‘watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers’, but what does this mean? It certainly has many facets, and as leaders we are better at some than others. We rightly put great emphasis on watching over ourselves morally and theologically, but what about our own needs, relationships, and health? This is an important question to ask, as we need a balance in our lives as Christian leaders. We have previously looked at three Bible passages as a basis to understand why we need to care for ourselves, and we now move on to look at some of the doctrines that should underpin selfcare in our life. We pray that you will be blessed as we consider doctrines such as the Sovereignty of God, the Sabbath Rest, the Human body, and the Trinity. Taking part in this episode is Phil Swann is a Pastor and former Physiotherapist in mental health settings, and Geoff Cresswell who is an elder and a mentor to pastors and headteachers and delivers training on biblical leadership and wellbeing.

In Acts 20 Paul urges the leaders at Ephesus to ‘watch over themselves’, but what does this mean? It certainly has many facets, and as leaders we are better at some than others. We rightly put great emphasis on watching over ourselves morally and theologically, but what about our own needs, relationships, and health? This is the first of a two-part discussion that ask important questions about the balance of our lives as Christian leaders. Through looking at three Bible passages, we will explore the importance of caring for ourselves as well as those that God has given to us: Taking part in this episode is Phil Swann is a Pastor and former Physiotherapist in mental health settings, and Geoff Cresswell who is an elder and a mentor to pastors and headteachers and delivers training on biblical leadership and wellbeing course.

Bonus Feature for TeamTalk Epsiode 2 What's love got to do with it: Getting people back to church and reaching out to disengaged church members In this episode Sammy Davies (Amanford Evangelical Church), Aron Treharne (Penuel Baptist Church, Carmarthen) and Matt Francis (Christchurch Deeside) discuss the whole issue of getting people back to church meetings after lockdown. From the anxious person to the person who is disengaged with church - listen to this honest discussion as we share principles and ideas to care and support our church families.

What's love got to do with it: Getting people back to church and reaching out to disengaged church members In this episode Sammy Davies (Amanford Evangelical Church), Aron Treharne (Penuel Baptist Church, Carmarthen) and Matt Francis (Christchurch Deeside) discuss the whole issue of getting people back to church meetings after lockdown. From the anxious person to the person who is disengaged with church - listen to this honest discussion as we share principles and ideas to care and support our church families. Also available a bonus feature

Bringing Pastors and Leaders together for encouragement and support: In this episode you will hear an introduction to the 'TeamTalk: Supporting Church Leaders in Wales' podcast with Phil Swann and Mark Thomas (two of the men who are behind the podcast and ministry). They will be looking back at the last fourteen months, thinking what we've learned, and looking forward at the challenges and opportunities for gospel churches in Wales. This episode will give you an idea of future episodes and topics that we hope to cover. For more information please visit www.emw.org.uk/TeamTalk