The Exuberant Church

Barbara Glasson, Darton Longman & Todd

Barbara Glasson has completed a term as minister in Somewhere Else, a radical Christian community in Liverpool, England, and is to take up new position in the Methodist Church in Bradford.

In her previous appointment, she has been profoundly influenced by her experiences with gay and lesbian people, alcoholics, victims of child abuse and people with disabilities who find it difficult to continue in active ministry within the church.

She likens the “coming out” of these people to the transformation she sees as necessary in the traditional church.

It may seem strange to read about the “coming out” of God, of the church, and of culture. We frequently start from the standpoint of broad principles and then move to particular circumstances; however, she starts with the individual, progressing to the universal, and sees commonality in each of these areas.

Recognising the risks of introducing confusion where there has been order and complexity where there has been conformity, she nevertheless maintains it is worthwhile in becoming “authentic people”.

As she puts it, in “thinking outside the box” she sees the hope of change and the future life of prophetic communities. She sums up, “I am not a prophet, I am an ordinary minister muddling along in a confusing church in a troubled society.”

John Atkinson