Celebrating 55 years of ministry

For many years I believed that God was calling me to serve him as a minister of his church. Eventually after studying theology at Cambridge, I went to Manchester where I attended Northern Baptist College and for two years was trained to be a minister. After spending a further year in Zurich, on 10^th October 1970 I was ordained as a Baptist minister. This means that on 10^th October 2025 I will celebrate my 55^th anniversary of being a minister. On that day I will – within the context of the 9.30 Sunday morning service – be prayed for as I continue my journey of faith. The first 44 years of these 55 years I was in active ministry, which is more than most ministers of my generation served. As I was reflecting on this 55^th anniversary, it dawned upon me that there will be very few ministers today who will be able to celebrate a 55^th anniversary of ordination, for the average age for ordination in the UK generally falls within the range of 39 to 43 years.

When after 21 years I retired from being the Senior Minister of Central Baptist Church, Chelmsford, at the age of 70, my lay leaders (‘deacons’) asked me not to remain a member of their church, since they felt I would be a threat to potential candidates to be my successor. So realising that I needed to leave, I decided to find another church within walking distance from our home, and with some trepidation I attended one of the morning services at the Cathedral and received such a welcome that I began to worship there. Although most of the Cathedral community are Anglicans, many have their roots elsewhere. Just like my former church, the congregations are diverse. There are people from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and elsewhere. What is different from Central Baptist is the social mix. In the Cathedral we have leading members of the city of Chelmsford and of the county of Essex. in addition we have high-flying bankers and investment managers who every day commute to the City of London, along with those have more ordinary jobs in Chelmsford.

For some it may seem strange that a Baptist minister now worships in an Anglican Cathedral. But as I have discovered there are lots of retired Baptist ministers who in their retirement worship in an Anglican church. I know of some 100 fellow retired Baptist ministers who have ended up in Anglican churches.

The Cathedral dates back to Norman times, when the first recorded service was in 1223. At that time the Cathedral was simply a parish church. It was not until 1914 that it was made a cathedral of what is now the second largest diocese of the Church of England. Like many new cathedrals, Chelmsford Cathedral is also a local parish church with many of its activities which one would expect in any local church.

Although I still am a Baptist minister and belong to a fraternal (as the name implies, there are no women amongst us) of retired Baptist ministers in Mid and South Essex. I have come to appreciate the different way in which the Cathedral ‘does church’. I enjoy the structure of the Anglican liturgy. What has surprised me is that within that structure there is enormous variety. Not one Sunday service is ever the same. I love too the way in which well-known hymns and modern songs are sung every Sunday. It is ‘toe-tapping’ stuff.

At the heart of every Sunday are two things. In the first place is the preaching of God’s Word. Although Dean Jessica Martin in a former life was a Cambridge English don, she is able to expound the Scripture passages of the day in a simple way that even children at family services can understand. In the second place, is the weekly celebration of the Eucharist (also called Holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper, the Breaking of Bread, and the Mass). As I come forward to receive bread and wine, I am reminded of the cost of God’s sending his Son to die for me. As I renew my commitment to follow Jesus, I also find that my faith is strengthened. Unlike in most Baptist churches, the children in their Junior Church return in time to come forward with their parents (or grandparents) to receive a blessing. Right from an early age their presence at this point helps them to realise that at the heart of the Christian faith is the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Being a member of Chelmsford Cathedral has proved to be a broadening and enriching experience, for which I regularly thank God for the privilege of belonging to the Cathedral community. Inevitably, there are issues with which I disagree such as infant baptism and a priestly view of ministry. However, I remind myself of a saying quoted by Richard Baxter, the 17^th century ‘reformed pastor’ of Kidderminster, which may well go back to Augustine, who at the turn of the fourth century AD was bishop of Hippo:

In essentials unity
In non-essentials liberty,
In all things charity.

I recognise that ultimately no denomination can afford to be exclusive as if they have all the truth. Thank God, the day will come when we will join with the multitude around God’s throne, singing the praises of God and the Lamb (Revelation 6.9-12). In the words of Augustine, “we shall do nothing other than ceaselessly repeat Amen and Alleluia, with insatiable satisfaction.

But to return to where I began, I have been extraordinarily blessed to serve God as a minister. Hence the reason why I want to praise God for 55 years of ministry.