Meet our Regional Ministers
Nigel Coles | Alisdair Longwill | Gordon Hindmarch
Nigel Coles - Senior Regional Minister
Role within WEBA
I'm the Team Leader, which means I take responsibility for what we do and how we do it! Fortunately I two great colleagues as Regional Ministers plus Geoff, Lesley and Ruth who form the wider staff team. Specifically, I'm trying to focus more time on 'strategic conversations' rather than purely pastoral ones - with Ministers and Churches. I deal with 'settlement' issues - helping Churches find Ministers and vica- versa. I also have a whole variety of networking and co-ordinating responsibilities which relate within and beyond the Baptist family. However, overarching this is my desire to see a network of healthy growing Churches who are making difference in Jesus' name across the WEBA region.
Can you give us an idea of what this involves by describing your 'average' day?
Average day does not really exist, which is the way I like it if I'm honest. I can be out all day, or in all day (those are far less frequent). I spend time sitting down, preferably with decent coffee, talking one-to-one with Ministers and other leaders, meeting with deacons and other groups, leading whole Church gatherings, helping individuals and groups find ways forward, seeking potential partners for Churches which are stuck, answering e-mail in-between commitments, struggling to find space to stand back and gain perspective, driving in the car (although no where is more than an hour away in WEBA) I can pray (usually with eyes open) and listen to the Bible Society's brilliant NT on CD, as well as music most would rather not know about!
When were you ordained?
1986 in North Cheam
What job did you do before that?
I worked for Barclays Bank in Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire.
What roles have you had since then?
I spent five years after Spurgeon's College (4 years) as the Assistant Minister of North Cheam Baptist Church. From there I moved down to Counterslip in Bristol for just under ten years before being asked to become Area Superintendent for what was then the Western Area prior to WEBA being formed.
What are you really interested in?
Too much that is for a normal life: Football, sport generally, running, birdwatching, DIY, reading, films, gardening, photography, art, people-watching, hill-walking, exploring foreign cultures and countries. On a Christian front I have many interests, but they revolve around what we're know calling missional leadership. Oh and I love the Church. Basically a jack of all trades master of none kind of person!
If you had to write a personal purpose statement, what would it be?
Being the kind of person who enables others to become more like Jesus.
How can you help churches?
Where do we go from here? How do we take the next step? How do we get out of this mess? How might we begin to connect with our community? Where can we find a decent Minister? What does fruitful mission look like? How can we develop the reality of being a team? Basically, I see my responsibility to help Churches discover their own answers to their place in the mission of God. I can be a small cog who is frequently amazed that I have the privilege to engage with Churches at turning points
What's the best way to contact you?
Definitely e-mail is the best way - you can always try an answer-phone message, but my human failings are less likely to surface via e-mail - I will get back to you, even if it's not straight away.
Email: nigelcoles@webassoc.org.uk
Need content for your church magazine?
Download an article by Nigel here
Read Nigel's blog here
Alisdair Longwill - Regional Minister for the Development of Churches
Role within WEBA
To support colleagues and churches by working in partnership together. To develop resources and make available existing resources that help colleagues and churches to have a more missional focus. To oversee the application of various Mission grants to BUGB. Head up the association Mission Team. Represent WEBA on the BU Mission Network and the BU Grants Committee. Preaching in WEBA churches
Can you give us an idea of what this involves by describing your 'average' day?
I don't have an "average day", but recently my days have included:
Trying to re-write/ adapt a mission audit/ support resource for use in WEBA churches [This will be used initially in the churches that receive a Mission through Ministry grant (previously known as a Home Mission grant) and then made more widely available].
Visiting church leadership teams to help them reflect on how they can become more missional.
Receiving grant applications, writing a report on these churches and forwarding these to BUGB.
Leading (with my colleagues) the third round of the "Imagine" events.
On average I usually spend about 2 days in my office (study) and 3 days on the road (or vice versa). And I try (not always successfully) to limit my mid-week evenings out to 3 per week.
When were you ordained?
1986
What job did you do before that?
I worked in a teaching hospital in Glasgow as a Medical Laboratory Scientist in the Histopathology Dept.
What roles have you had since then?
Assistant Minister - Shoeburyness and Thorpe Bay Baptist Church (1986-1990); Minister -The Baptist Church, St. Peter's (1990 -1996);
Minister - Minchinhampton Baptist Church (1996-2007).
What are you really interested in?
(Got to be careful here. In the 1980's the foreign ministers of various countries were asked, "What do you want for Christmas?" Most replied by saying: world peace, an end to nuclear proliferation, an end to global warming etc. However, one replied, "Some new socks and a box of cigars").
How to make the shift from being an attractional church to an incarnational one.
How churches can better engage with their communities - showing and sharing God's grace.
How we can reach out to people for Jesus by living more like Jesus.
I have a love-hate relationship with golf.
I used to play guitar - but kind of got out of the habit (a bit like the nun who went on holiday).
I enjoy watching football on TV (but am not so small minded as some people I know who obsess over particular teams such as Liverpool and Manchester City!).
Contrary to the opinions of my family - having a laugh!
If you had to write a personal purpose statement, what would it be?
(aspirationally) To increase God's kingdom by showing and sharing God's grace in all my relationships.
How can you help churches?
By working in partnership together:
With church leadership teams: exploring their future, missionally; reflecting on the status quo and the challenges of building God's kingdom in an ever-changing culture; exploring and developing a clear and appropriate sense of purpose
With churches: by facilitating a mission audit; in exploring the shift from being oriented to maintenance to becoming oriented to mission.
By exploring and applying for any appropriate BUGB grants.
What's the best way to contact you?
Definitely e-mail is the best way.
Email: alisdair.longwill@webassoc.org.uk
Need content for your church magazine?
Download an article by Alisdair here
Gordon Hindmarch - Regional Minister for Pastoral Care and Development
Role within WEBA
To offer appropriate pastoral care to ministers, other church leaders and their families.
To guide people considering ministerial training through the BU application process
To support newly accredited ministers during their early years in ministry.
To provide mediation when churches experience conflict situations.
To assist churches with any child protection issues.
To encourage churches wherever possible through preaching, training, prayer and acting as moderator.
To facilitate clustering for fellowship among church leaders and retired ministers.
To ensure a WEBA viewpoint is heard on various BU Groups and at Churches Together.
Can you give us an idea of what this involves by describing your 'average' day?
Most days begin with a cup of tea and a time of personal prayer and reflection on the Bible at home. Then I'm dealing with emails, reading the post and making phone calls, with a piece of buttered toast somewhere in the vicinity.
Mornings continue with a car journey along the M4, just after the rush hour period, to places like Bristol, Swindon or even Weston Super Mare! Sometimes it's a meeting about group work on a committee and at other times a one to one get-together with a colleague in ministry. Increasingly I use lunchtimes to meet up with others, such as ministers' cluster meetings where we share and pray for one another, or to meet with one of our newly accredited ministers. Much of the day is spent listening carefully to others and reflecting on how best to support them.
Afternoons are often a good time to prepare talks, deal with constant stream of admin, read the mountains of paperwork or simply to think creatively. There is of course the inevitable car journey and the opportunity to listen to the radio or CD collections - Vivaldi this week, Brahms last week. At some stage I try to buy a paper but often never find time to read it till much later - It is not unusual for me to complete Monday's crossword on Thursday.
Evenings typically involve a Church or Deacons Meeting, This is occasionally preceded by wonderful hospitality at someone's home (In my memoirs there will a chapter devoted to this topic). As someone who greatly enjoys being with others, none of this is as demanding as it might seem. Finally there is the late night journey home along quiet roads, listening out for the football scores and phone-in on Radio 5. After another cup of tea and a few minutes to relax, I usually fall asleep immediately.
When were you ordained?
July 1992 at Andover Baptist Church
What job did you do before that?
After graduating as a Chemical Engineer, I worked in the Oil, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industries for 11 years - travelling extensively throughout Europe.
What roles have you had since then?
Minister - Lower Earley Baptist Church, Reading 1992-98. I was the first minister of a newly created church plant which grew from 35 to over 100 people over 6 years.
Senior Minister - Moortown Baptist Church, Leeds 1998-2007. I served in a large suburban church which was fully committed to mission among the local community (especially children and youth), in support of other Baptist Churches and abroad through BMS and the Romania Support Group.
What are you really interested in?
People coming to know and experience God for themselves.
Developing teams for mission and discipleship which see the Church built up.
Biographical history, canals and railways.
The footballing trials and tribulations of Manchester City and Forest Green Rovers.
Rachel, my wife, and John Mark, Rosalyn and Thomas, our children.
If you had to write a personal purpose statement, what would it be?
Make the most of life by serving God, working hard, relaxing purposefully and enjoying the hilarious moments.
How can you help churches?
By offering prayer, pastoral support and, where appropriate, guidance.
What's the best way to contact you?
Email: gordon.hindmarch@webassoc.org.uk
Need content for your church magazine?
Download an article by Gordon here
