Jonathan Reid (MA)
Jonathan Reid
Jonathan teaches Church and Ministry.
Tell us a little bit about yourself?
My name is Jonathan Reid, I was brought up in Dublin and studied History at Trinity College Dublin. While a student I was very involved with the Christian Union and went on to work voluntarily with them both in Dublin and also in Ukraine for three years. I was then on staff with the CUs in Dublin for five years so the whole student movement had quite a formative influence on my outlook on life and faith and the interaction of both. For the last 15 years I have been pastoring a church in Wexford town; Wexford Bible Church. As I began that role, I studied in the Masters programme at IBI in preparation for church ministry. I am married to Hazel and we have four daughters aged 16, 14, 12 and 8. I’d like to say I have extensive and varied other interests but family life is pretty full on at the moment with the girls involved in ballet, gymnastics, music, football and hockey. So aside from the church ministry I enjoy watching Leinster play rugby (Ireland – not so enjoyable at the moment!) and getting quiet moments to go for coffee and read a book!
What course do you teach at IBI?
I am teaching the module on Church and Ministry in the degree programme.
Why are you passionate about Church and Ministry
I am passionate about Church and Ministry as it is vital that those involved in ministry take time out to examine their presuppositions and guiding principles when it comes to church. Such examination forces one to ask foundational questions about the nature of church and why we do what we do. There is a real danger when it comes to ministry that people drift into being more involved and taking on more responsibility without ever having asked and sought answers to foundational questions, such as; ‘what is church?’, ‘what are the functions of church?’ and ‘what are the best forms by which we can fulfil those functions?’
Why does Church and Ministry matter?
This subject matters as it is important to have students who are able to articulate what their objectives are in the different ministries of the church. It will help churches to have leaders who are more focused and know what they are trying to achieve. Also, in terms of mission, I would hope that students catch something of the importance of evangelism and a broader vision of what it is that they are called to. We discuss the relationship between evangelism and social action and how church engages with the community and acts as salt and light.
How does the Church and Ministry course shape people - head, hands, heart?
The module begins by looking at the different biblical images for church and how each of those images shape and add something unique to our overall picture of what the church is to be like. We then look at some of the functions of the church, eg; Worship, Teaching, Building Community, Equipping, Evangelism, Social Action and Leadership. We then go on to think about what forms those functions might take. This is, perhaps, where this course has challenged me the most and helped me in my own ministry. Often the forms practiced in local churches have been heavily influenced by what has always been done or by particularly influential churches in other cultures. In this module we seek to examine different forms and think together about what fits best given our Irish culture and history.
As we look at these functions and their varied forms there is reading to engage with and critically analyse and there are tools for the students to use as they examine the strengths and weaknesses of their own specific local church ministries.