Find out more about my NEW discipleship series
The Art of Giving and the Art of Journalling are two of the latest installments in my ‘Art of’ book series about discipleship habits.
Evangelism
Evangelism is core to the Christian belief, and core to my mission, ministry, and everyday life. Read more about my evangelism work below.
Discipleship
As one of the champion bishops for missionary discipleship, read more about the work I do to harbour and nurture discipleship .
Leadership
With over 30 years experience, leading congregations of different sizes and social contexts, read more on my work in leadership.
Church Planting
With over 30 years experience, leading congregations of different sizes and social contexts, read more on my work in leadership.
Evangelism
Matthew has recently been appointed Chair of the Archbishop’s College of Evangelists, which works to encourage, connect and develop the ministry of evangelists across the Church of England. He loves inviting people to start following Jesus and seeing new believers be baptised.
Since being ordained in 1996, Matthew has served in a variety of Anglican parishes of differing sizes and demographics in Sheffield and York, seeing people regularly come to faith in Christ and churches grow. As a bishop in the Diocese of Manchester he’s particularly responsible for mission, revitalisation and church planting. While Matthew has studied to Masters level in Evangelism, has a doctorate in Church Planting and is an author, at heart he’s a practitioner and trainer, wanting to equip God’s church to be missionary disciples of Jesus.
Matthew says: ‘I’m delighted to be invited by Archbishops Justin and Stephen to Chair the Archbishops College of Evangelists, building on the excellent work that Martyn Snow has done in recent years. Working with the three Ambassadors I’m praying we see even more evangelists raised up in the Church of England, fulfilling their dual role of bringing evangelistic confidence inside the church while also inviting a response to the good news of Jesus from those outside of church.‘
Evangelism books:
David Watson : Evangelism, Renewal & Reconciliation (2003)
Discipleship
Matthew is one of a number of Church of England ‘Champion Bishops’ for missionary discipleship, encouraging the church to become a church of missionary disciples, where all God’s people are free to live the Christian life, wherever we spend our time Sunday to Saturday.
Having blogged for many years in the field of discipleship, in 2017 Matthew wrote a short, simple introduction entitled The A-Z of Discipleship to help new believers get started and to lay strong foundations for a life of following Jesus. Endorsed by evangelist J John and Creation Fest leader Sarah Yardley, it’s proved to be a great resource for individuals and small groups, with some churches using it as the basis of a discipleship course.
Prayer is central to discipleship and is communication with God, with Clement of Alexandria, a second-century church leader helpfully calling it ‘a conversation with God.’ Matthew often teaches that nothing of lasting significance happens without prayer. That’s why Matthew encourages everyone to start praying and keep praying. His book The A-Z of Prayer (2019) is to help people grow in prayer, and covers a wide variety of prayer practices, especially intercession – where we call out to God for help. It’s endorsed by Jonathan Oloyede (National Day of Prayer) and Johannes Hartl (Augsburg House of Prayer). His next book The Art of Fasting (due to be published in 2025) looks at this key prayer habit and will be subtitled how to become a more prayerful person. It develops his growing experience and understanding of fasting since writing Spiritual Disciplines and Leadership Formation in 2005.
The world thrives through giving, that’s why generosity is a foundational Christian virtue. We grow in generosity by living kindly and giving financially, and it’s modelled for us when we observe the generosity of people in poverty. Many churches struggle to teach on giving, which is why Matthew has written The Art of Giving, to help individuals, families and churches learn to become better givers. This book is sparking much interest, especially from the Church of England’s Giving Advisers, with endorsements from Jonathan de Bernhardt Wood (National Advisor on Giving for Church of England) as well as Stewart McCullough (former CEO of Stewardship and now of Christians Against Poverty).
The Art of Journalling (2024) is to equip all, especially followers of Jesus, to become more reflective by learning to regularly journal. The best way to start doing this is to pick up your pen and write. The book walks readers through a simple five-step approach to journalling and ends by helping us see how journalling can become not just an introspective exercise but a strategic missional tool. Endorsed by Jill Duff (Bishop of Lancaster) and Jonathan Frost (Bishop of Portsmouth) the book is short and practical, and full of quotes and stories.
Discipleship books:
- The Art of Journalling: becoming a more reflective person (2024)
– The Art of Giving: becoming a more generous person (2024)
– The A-Z of Prayer (2019)
– The A-Z of Discipleship (2017)
– Spiritual Disciplines and Leadership Formation (2005)
Leadership
Matthew has blogged in the field of leadership for many years, reflecting on his thirty years of experience of leadership in the church, charity and voluntary sector. He’s produced a widely read annual post entitled ‘10 Good Books for Leaders’, which goes alongside a corresponding annual list on his discipleship blog. As well as leading churches of different sizes and in variety of social contexts, Matthew has been a governor of two schools, been on the Board of two colleges and various charitable organisations. Matthew understands leadership in the non-profit sector, saying ‘I’ve learned leadership first from having it modelled to me over many years by some excellent leaders; second, by reading widely on leadership in a breadth of sectors, from business and politics, to history and church; and third, by much reflection especially on my mistakes and weaknesses.’ Convinced of the need for clear vision and intentional strategy, that the best leaders are servant leaders, and that having a dynamic and diverse team are foundational, Matthew teaches on leadership and will be writing more widely in this field, going ahead.
Leadership books:
Spiritual Disciplines and Leadership Formation (2005)
Church Planting
Church Planting is all about starting new initiatives, from small to large. It’s about planting a new community of people into a local context, who have a vision to see their neighbourhood transformed by the good news of Jesus Christ, expressed through word and action. This might look like starting a brand new small group, expression of church or congregation, or revitalising an old one. Matthew has responsibility in the Diocese of Manchester in the North West of England – where over 2.2million people live – for growth, revitalisation and church planting. The Church of England is committed to starting 10,000 new initiatives in the next ten years, and Matthew is one of a number of northern leaders encouraging planting across the North. He mentors a number of church planters and sometimes advises other leaders on church planting in the UK.
Before becoming a bishop, Matthew led The Belfrey in York, a Anglican church that is now sending out teams of people every two years to plant in the North. Matthew wrote about his experience of church planting in York in his 2020 book Overflow, reflecting on planting today in the light of the church of Antioch in the Acts of the Apostles, which he often says is his favourite church in the Bible.
Planting books:
Overflow (2020)