curacy,marriage,mission,sexuality

Ben Phillips, Vicar of Lanercost with Walton, Gilsland and
Nether Denton, Rural Dean and Mission Community Leader
I want to see our church proclaim Jesus' love to the world. I want to
see people of all and any background come to know and love Jesus.
I long to see our churches full of the wonder of worship.
I believe that Jesus's teaching on church discipline in Matthew 18
means that his church is intended to work together to learn his will. I
therefore think it is important to engage with General Synod.
Despite significant decline in the Church of England I still believe we can be revived as a
tool for growth of the Kingdom of God.
Jesus is the hope of the world. I believe we will only see revival through Jesus centred
ministry in the local church so I would like to see central resources poured into local
parishes. My last 7 years of ministry have been in a rural Cumbrian context and I have a
real heart for using the church's resources to restore life and ministry to our rural churches.
I want to work (and in my new role have been working) with all who are willing to try to
bless God's world through work of the church.
Goals
•
Allocate Church Commissioner’s profits to directly paying for parish ministry and
churches without enforced stipulations.
•
Challenge the expectation of regular interregnums in parishes.
•
Reduce the number of bishops.
•
Replace Crown Nomination Committees with diocesan elections.
•
Remove inappropriate restrictions on church boilers.
•
Resist attempts to revise the church's historic teaching on marriage and sexuality.
Experience
After training at Wycliffe Hall I was ordained in Carlisle Cathedral in 2002. I served my
curacy in Cockermouth and first incumbency in Stanwix, Carlisle. I have served overseas
as Chaplain in Rio de Janeiro and Rector in Toronto Diocese. I returned to England as
vicar of Dalston with Cumdivock, Ivegill Raughton Head and Wreay and am currenty vicar
of Lanercost with Walton, Gilsland and Nether Denton, Rural Dean and Mission
Community Leader. I have served as a TA Chaplain, training incumbent and have
extensive experience of school's work.
I hope my broad experience of urban, rural and suburban ministry in a range contexts and
traditions would be useful in synod. May God's will be done and his kingdom come.