In:Dependence

Can there be reconciliation after Prince Harry's memoirs? How do we help our churches through a healthcare crisis? Are New Year's resolutions Christian? In this episode, Phil Topham (Executive Director), Adrian Reynolds (Head of National Ministries), and John Stevens (National Director) discuss the stories in the news over the past few weeks. 00:00 - Introduction 00:29 - Prince Harry's book: Spare...

To kick off the new year, Phil Topham and Adrian Reynolds discuss what's coming up in 2023 for FIEC and how FIEC can help churches to work together to reach Britain for Christ. 00:00 - Introduction 00:52 - Cultural and church trends in 2023 04:05 - How can FIEC help churches in 2023? 08:52 - Helping 'lay leaders' 13:25 - Staff changes at FIEC 17:53 - 2023 Local Conferences 19:11 - 2022 and 2023 Le...

After Covid, war in Europe, "wokeism", and more, how has life changed in 2022? And what effects has this year had on church ministry in Britain? In this episode, Adrian Reynolds and John Stevens review the year, discuss what Britain looks like in 2022, and explore what effect it has had on church ministry. 00:00 - Introduction 01:06 - Going into 2022's 'new normal' 10:33 - War in Europe and econom...

What should we take away from the Stephen Sizer Tribunal? What is the church's role in the migrant crisis? Can a chat bot write a sermon? In this episode, Phil Topham, Adrian Reynolds, and John Stevens discuss some of the stories in the news over the past few weeks. 00:00 - Introduction 00:17 - Interacting with artificial intelligence 06:38 - The migrant crisis 11:44 - The role of churches in cari...

Why do we need a Christian bank? How can such a bank help churches with gospel ministry? In this episode of In:Dependence, Adrian Reynolds (FIEC Head of National Ministries) is joined by Paul Houghton, CEO of Kingdom Bank, to talk about how a Christian bank can help churches with borrowing and saving and some of the innovative ways they do so. 00:00 - Introduction 01:20 - Kingdom Bank's story 05:...

What should we make of the figures from Census 2021? Do we have a problem with racism in Britain? Should Christians go on strike? In this episode, Phil Topham, Adrian Reynolds, and John Stevens discuss some of the biggest stories in the news from the past few weeks. 00:00 - Introduction 01:01 - Census 2021 figures and self-identifying Christians 11:22 - Minority ethnicities and Christians in Bri...

How do we navigate the issue of where the boundaries of our churches lie theologically and practically? How do we then find unity when disagreement arises? In this episode of In:Dependence, Adrian Reynolds (FIEC Head of National Ministries) is joined by Gavin Ortlund, pastor of First Baptist Church of Ojai, California, and author of 'Finding the Right Hills to Die On'. They discuss convictions in...

We should fear stumbling. When we do, we have a promise from him who can keep us from stumbling. Julian Hardyman (pastor at Eden Baptist Church in Cambridge) preaches the beautiful doxology at the end of Jude. This talk is from the fifth of five main Gatherings at the 2022 FIEC Leaders' Conference held in Blackpool from 7-9 November 2022. You can watch a video of this talk on the FIEC website . Ab...

What should be the heartbeat of a church? It should be the preaching of Christ. Andy Paterson, FIEC Director for Mission, preaches from Colossians 1:15-23 and 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 on the centrality of mission for the church in the last days, and our motivation as the beauty, glory, and wonder of Christ himself. This talk is from the fourth of five main Gatherings at the 2022 FIEC Leaders' Confere...

New Testament partnership is more than a pragmatic aid to mission. It is part of the mission. The book of Jude helps us to be realistic about division in the church and to fight against it for gospel effectiveness, and Philippians 4:14-20 shows an example of what that looks like. The FIEC was founded on the basis of this need to work together and support one another. Andy Hunter, FIEC Director for...

The challenges facing the church shift from generation to generation, but our call is always to remain faithful and watchful. So, what theology do we need to contend for the faith today? Paul Mallard (former pastor, Widcombe Baptist Church ) leads us in thinking about the importance of rejoicing in and affirming our core doctrinal convictions, and passing them on to the next generation. With input...

For 100 years, FIEC has enabled Independent churches to contend together for the faith once and for all delivered to the saints. In succeeding generations the presenting challenges have changed. United by our doctrinal basis we have stood firm against theological liberalism, Roman Catholicism, structural ecumenism, and separatist fundamentalism. Today, just as in Jude’s day, we must fight against...

How important is the name of your church? What are the reasons you might change it, and what do you need to think about to do it? In this episode of In:Dependence, Adrian Reynolds (FIEC Head of National Ministries) is joined by Andy Rees, Lead Pastor at Surrey Chapel (now CityGates Church) in Norwich to discuss the importance of church names, the reason he changed the name of his church, and what...

How do we care for churches in a cost of living crisis? How can we support persecuted Christians in Qatar? How do we respond to Anglican bishops supporting same-sex marriage? In this episode of In:Dependence, Phil Topham (FIEC Executive Director), Adrian Reynolds (FIEC Head of National Ministries), and John Stevens (FIEC National Director), discuss some of the big stories in the news over the past...

Having a clear complaints policy helps people in churches to listen to each other well and deal with problems that come along. In this episode of In:Dependence, Phil Topham (FIEC Executive Director) and Adrian Reynolds (FIEC Head of National Ministries) are joined by Paul Harrison (Christian Safeguarding Services) to talk about dealing with complaints in church and the new Complaints Policy templa...

This is a special replay episode in the lead-up to the 2022 FEIC Leaders' Conference , featuring a talk from the 2018 Leaders' Conference by Dave Gobbett. He preached a message titled Promises for Gospel Ministry from Acts 18:1-17. You can watch a video of Dave's talk on the FIEC website . About In:Dependence : In:Dependence is FIEC’s official podcast, where you’ll hear teaching and resources for...

How do we respond to another new Prime Minister? Should Christians boycott the World Cup in Qatar? How can we learn from Jürgen Klopp's leadership? In this episode of In:Dependence, Phil Topham (FIEC Executive Director), Adrian Reynolds (FIEC Head of National Ministries), and John Stevens (FIEC National Director) discuss some of the big stories in the news over the past fortnight. 00:00 - Introduc...

This is a special replay episode in the lead-up to the 2022 FEIC Leaders' Conference , featuring a talk from the 2018 Leaders' Conference by Johnny Prime. He preached a message titled Prayer for Gospel Ministry from Acts 4:23-31. You can watch a video of Johnny's talk on the FIEC website . About In:Dependence : In:Dependence is FIEC’s official podcast, where you’ll hear teaching and resources for...

Groups for toddlers and their parents are popular church ministries. So, what does it look like for a church toddler group to reach the community in a meaningful way? In this episode of In:Dependence, Adrian Reynolds (FIEC Head of National Ministries) is joined by Liz Turton ( Long Crendon Baptist Church ) to discuss the toddler groups at her church and the ways in which they are seeking to reach...

Is criticism of transgender ideology growing?  What can we learn from the beliefs of US evangelicals? How should we respond to conspiracy theories? In this episode of In:Dependence, Phil Topham (FIEC Executive Director), Adrian Reynolds (FIEC Head of National Ministries), and John Stevens (FIEC National Director) discuss some of the big stories in the news over the past two weeks. 00:00 - Int...

Women in any kind of leadership role in the church are welcome at the FIEC Leaders' Conference. There are various ways that we are planning to serve them at the 2022 conference, including a special lunch and seminar. In this episode of In:Dependence, Adrian Reynolds (FIEC Head of Local Ministries) and Rachel Sloan (FIEC Director for Women's Ministry) chat about the plans to serve women at the 2022...

This is a special replay episode in the lead-up to the 2022 FEIC Leaders' Conference , featuring a talk from the 2018 Leaders' Conference by Mike Kendall. He preached a message titled Power for Gospel Ministry from Acts 1:1-14. You can watch a video of Mike's talk on the FIEC website . About In:Dependence : In:Dependence is FIEC’s official podcast, where you’ll hear teaching and resources for chur...

How can church leaders learn from Liz Truss' mini-budget? How was the gospel seen at The Queen's funeral? What legacy has been left after the death of Brother Andrew? In this episode of In:Dependence, Phil Topham (FIEC Executive Director), Justin Gill (FIEC IT Manager), and John Stevens (FIEC National Director) discuss some of the big stories in the news over the past fortnight. 00:00 - Introducti...

Church ministry has a physical, emotional, and spiritual toll on church leaders. How do sabbaticals serve to replenish and refresh? In this episode of In:Dependence, Adrian Reynolds (FIEC Head of National Ministries) discusses sabbaticals with Neil and Liz Turton ( Long Crendon Baptist Church ), who recently took a sabbatical in a converted van. 00:00 - Introduction 02:23 - Why go on a sabbatical?...

What are the challenges and advantages of being a church that doesn't have a building? In this episode of In:Dependence, Adrian Reynolds (FIEC Head of National Ministries and elder at Christchurch Harborough) and Richard Wardman (pastor at New City Church, Milton Keynes) discuss their share experiences of leading churches without buildings. Our apologies that the first 24 seconds of audio are low...