CAN WE START AGAIN?

develop leaders at an earlier age. Millennials were raised in a period of technological advancement, globalisation and economic disruptions. We are enthusiastic about reformation and activism; our approach helps to shape the economy by forcing businesses to consider how they buy and sell. Similarly, we are keen to steer reforms in the Church. Where the doors are closed to these views, many in my generation have left and are considering leaving the Church. Notably, leaving the Church is not always synonymous with leaving the faith.

I wholeheartedly advocate for the extinction of the term ‘next-generation leaders’ in the Church as it relates to Millennials. It does not recognise the plain truth: Millennials are the now generation; the maturing of Generation Z as next-generation leaders should have been in full effect already.

Millennials are enjoying leadership roles in their secular work, managing multimillionpound budgets, leading large teams, and making decisions that could impact the lives of millions. The Church openly applauds these achievements; however, some thought is required on the amalgamation of these leadership skills and competencies within ministerial formation and practice.

I am frequently asked if I have quit my role in medical sciences and academia yet. Interestingly, a Millennial has never approached me with this question; it is very much fact finding associated with established leaders. I see the complementarity and convergence in all my pursuits; there is no chasm. I am confident there is room for a ministry paradigm that develops leaders to be prophetic in their secular professions. For example, in my secular role I embrace the conviction to disrupt a workplace culture that restricts the representation of Black people in medical and scientific careers. In doing so, I advocate for funding streams, mentoring initiatives, and fairer recruitment policies to be implemented to bridge the gap. This is in line with the Gospel that I preach from the pulpit weekly and my practice of Pentecostalism.

Millennial leaders are reimagining church and require the covering and the confidence of their seniors to make great strides. “Does he know what he’s doing?” also comes in different forms. I have been on the receiving end of “Did you take any qualifications to be a Pastor?” and “How old are you? I am sure I must be three times your age.” These opening lines revealed an initial suspicion underscored by a lack of confidence. They also showed a disparity between the language of senior leaders who promote the need for more millennial leaders on one hand and question their legitimacy as leaders on the other.

Following the wisdom of my church member, I say to leaders of all generations: “Can we start again?”

Counselling specialist, Karen Carberry, shares the importance of mental well-being and why Black people should get counsellors who understand their culture and history

Talking about one’s mental health and mental well-being has historically been a taboo in the Church. As a family and systemic psychotherapist, I work with children, adult individuals, couples and families. I have often witnessed the dilemmas of Christians and non-Christians, who struggle with internal feelings of ‘righteous anger’ when encountering an offence to their character or feelings, rather than following the guiding scriptural principles on how to manage emotional upsets.

Family breakdown can cause generational wounds and therefore the Scripture, ‘Honour thy father and thy mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you’ (Exodus 20:12), can be troubling to those with adverse early childhood experiences, who are then looking for help to either move on, process the difficulties, or find healing through therapy.

With the recent demise of Tina Turner, many are switching on to watch the acclaimed film ‘What’s love got to do with it?’, and asking themselves, what happens when the person you ‘turn the other cheek to’ is your husband or wife (Matthew 5:38-40) and how can I get support to manage my emotions, our couple relationship, and/or the effects on the children? Find a specialist to work with who is experienced