Colin Bolton, Pastor
Colin has been the Pastor at St James’ since September 2012, and his vision for both the local and wider church is to see the body equipped for the work of ministry. With a strong emphasis on the priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:9) his mission is to build up the individual and release them into the ministry of the church, operating in the authority that we have in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.
In Colin’s own words ” It is not about the person at the front it is about everybody – about each of us taking our part in the ministry of the Church.”
He is married to Anne, who works for a local funeral director and they have three grown-up children : Daniel, Emily and James. Colin enjoys walking their three dogs and is sole care-giver and chief egg-collector to the family chickens. A lover of good coffee, Colin can often be found with his nose in a book, and he admits that his collection has ballooned somewhat in recent years. When he isn’t reading to the chickens, Colin is also a fan of Blackburn Rovers (well, someone has to be), a keen follower of cricket and by his own admission “an armchair sportsman”.
Paul in his letter to the Ephesians says this “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head – Christ – from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective work by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” (Ephesians 4 11-16 NKJV)
I believe that we are all Priests I believe in the Priesthood of all believers and that we all have a part to play in the ministry and witness of Gods Church. It is not about the person at the front it is about everybody about each of us taking our part in the ministry of the Church.
I believe that it is time that Gods Church woke up to the challenges of the 21st Century that in some ways we stop feeling sorry for ourselves and that we stand together and work together in the authority that we have in Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour.
On a more personnel note I am married to Anne who is employed part time by Dignity Funeral Care as a Funeral arranger at their branch in Halesowen. We have three grown up children Daniel who is a freelance Chef in Cheshire and Merseyside, Emily who is currently training at Worcester University to become a Paramedic and James who is also employed by Dignity Funeral Care as a Funeral Service Operative.
My hobbies include walking the three dogs – Poppy a Blue Roan Cocker Spaniel Naina a rather stubborn but lovely Basset Hound and a Teddy who is a bundle of white fluff and ensuring that the chickens are fed, watered and eggs collected on a daily basis.
I love to have a drink of coffee and to read a book or two. My library has extended somewhat in recent years.
I am Blackburn Rovers follower (well somebody has to be) I enjoy Cricket and most sports although these days mainly from the comfort of my arm chair using the remote control on the TV.
