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George Lings

George thinks of his involvement in Re-imagining Church of church as a vocation. His first one, in 1965, was to be a Christian, the second to be ordained arrived in 1970, this one in 1984. All have been surprises. For years after 1984 he followed the third call as a part time hobby, though a 1992 sabbatical helped.

After 22 years of vicaring, from 1997 he has worked for Church Army, directing its research unit, the Sheffield Centre. It has been a fascinating ride. He comes alive by visiting pioneers and catching up with what they are doing. Then somehow by listening connections get made, hypotheses begin to form, diagrams come and analogies multiply. Out of this mix of sources, he has acted as consultant to national Anglican and inter-church committees, as well as advising new or existing church plants across the country. As well as lecturing at the Wilson Carlile College of Evangelism in Sheffield, he lectures at St John's College Nottingham, and Cliff College. The Sheffield Centre has been publishing the fruits of his and Claire's research in the quarterly booklets of stories called of stories,, since 1999. He has also written chapters within various books and journals.

He was a member of the House of Bishops' Working Party on Church Planting and its report "Breaking New Ground" in 1992-4. He is the only person from that to be involved in the sequel. He is delighted to have been part of writing the Mission-shaped Church report and to have witnessed its seminal effect in several continents. It has been an honour to talk about it around the world and so keep learning about context and what principles cross them.

Dog rescue sometimes features. Sorry Bramble.