discipleship | mission | practical theology

and occasionally his demeanour would suggest inapproachability. This is not actually the case.

This is a line of a reference written about me as part of application for training as a priest in the Church of England. I can’t deny it!

With a more positive spin, my end of first year in training report has this to say

Graham presents as a thoughtful, sometimes very serious, hard-working, reflective person, with a great deal of power and presence. But he is also very open, witty, self-disclosing and human

The long and the short of it is that it takes a while for people to get below the hardened exterior to find the real me, who I like to think reflects the grace, love and hope of God. Nevertheless, I have my ‘axe-murderer’ appearance [as my wife calls it], which presents ‘don’t come near’

Working in a parish, as the Vicar who essentially has a relationship with everyone ex officio, one needs to become a ‘likeable’ person. For the person on the street, in the council meeting, at the door of the church, in public and private. And likeable starts with ‘approachable’.

In previous ministry positions, despite being a senior lay minister with cross-church responsibilities and ‘apperances’, I essentially worked with my team and those who were directly in my pastoral responsibility. As a Vicar one becomes the public face of church and to some extent of God, perhaps I need a new look!

Being approachable and likeable does not of course stop me being a thoughtful, serious, hard-working and reflective person. It just means I need a smile to cover it up.