A few years ago when read the reflections of a well-known preacher I came across a comment he made on his Ministerial colleagues.  He said that whilst he was always glad to ‘see the faces’ of his colleagues either in his own church or at Minister’s Conferences he ‘got very little from their preaching’.  This preacher is a frequent speaker at both Ministers’ Conferences and Christian gatherings. 

I work a few days a week as a Mental Health Practitioner in our local NHS Mental Health Resource Centre. GP’s refer to us people with such concerns as anxiety, depression, and eating disorders and we then offer assessment and interventions such as counselling, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Mindfulness.

I’ve been a Minister for over twenty five years now and during this time, for about ten years, I sought to engage with the wider church scene.  I attended Minister’s Conferences, led a local Pastor’s Fraternal, took part in Workshops and counselled individuals with mental health problems.  I had two aims: first to share the fruits of my PhD studies in Ethics and second to enable Pastor’s to better help those in their congregations suffering a mental health problem.