Report Of The Ministry

Self-supporting ministers are wonderfully non-standard. They are deployed in a wide variety ofways and have a range of motivations, working patterns and training needs. Sometimes underused or overworked, they may feel unrecognized and under-supported. As the Church turns increasingly to its volunteer minsters, however, there are encouraging signs that SSMs are being given more creative opportunities than in the past. ‘This handbook is full of sound common sense. . . [it] is both an encouragement and a challenge in the task of re-imagining ministry today.’ Robert Atwell, Bishop of Exeter

Twelve Presidential addresses given by Charles Haddon Spurgeon to the Annual Conference of the Pastors’ College. His affection and concern for the students and serving pastors is very evident throughout. A fearless stand for doctrinal purity (then under threat due to the Downgrade) is blended with passionate appeals for evangelistic endeavour and practical godliness. This is a book that every pastor should read for both challenge and inspiration. It was always Spurgeon’s intention to publish these addresses but they were only finally made available posthumously in 1900. C H Spurgeon (1834-1892) was pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in south London for many years, and thousands were converted under his ministry.

For the sixth successive year, the Ministry of Defence Accounts were qualified. The Qualifications covered non-compliance with international reporting standards on the treatment of some contracts; lack of audit evidence on the valuation of inventory (worth some £3 billion) and of capital spares (worth some £7 billion); and on the regularity of the Accounts because of the failure to obtain approval for the remuneration package of the Chief of Defence Materiel. The MoD was also five months late in submitting its audited accounts to Parliament. The National Audit Office had found errors in its sample examination of accruals and so the MoD decided to resolve these problems before submitting the accounts. The MoD said they did not have the necessary expertise to manage the financial complexity that featured in the implementation of the Strategic Defence and Security Review so sought assistance. The MoD should ensure its people have the right skills to deal with all financial problems so that they do not need to bring in expensive external accountants. There is also concern about the MoD's reluctance to estimate the full costs of its operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. The NAO did not consider that the MoD has adequate information, especially with respect to recording the cost of its activities and outputs, to run its business effectively. The MoD should set out its commitment to improving its management information. It is also vital that defence spending remains at more than 2 per cent of GDP in line with the UK's NATO commitment.