Glynn Harrison

Glynn Harrison is Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Bristol. He was formerly a consultant clinical psychiatrist, a past president of the International Federation of Psychiatric Epidemiology, and he has acted as advisor the UK department of Health and WHO. He is a lay minister and leads the men’s ministry in his church. He lectures widely on pastoral issues, human sexuality, and the interface between mental health and spirituality.

2012 Forum Sessions

Afternoon Workshops

What is it with Men and Commitment? Developing a Men’s Ministry to Encourage Growth and Maturity

Surveys of religious trends show a marked deterioration in the church-going ‘gender gap’ over the last few decades. Other data suggest that those men who do attend are less involved and less committed. They seem to reflect the secular ‘Peter-Pan’ phenomenon of men who refuse to grow up. In this workshop the speaker will explore specific strategies focused on re-balancing the ‘masculine’ in evangelical spirituality, developing men-friendly Christian rites of passage, and the crucial role of mentoring and leadership in the bid to grow commitment and maturity.

A Dangerous Vocation: How Christian Leaders Need to Shepherd Their Own Hearts, as Well as Those of Their Followers

In this session the speaker will confront the ‘dangers to the heart’ that lie in wait for the unsuspecting leader. With their natural emphasis on outward vision, implementation and team building, leaders often neglect to look inward, to the dangers that lurk in their own hearts. Participants will think about some of the character flaws often found in Christian leaders, linked to issues of drivenness and perfectionism, ‘co-dependency’, and status anxiety. Attendees will reflect on the potential for abusive behaviours and exploitation, as well as the common issue of burn-out. The key question throughout the workshop will be, how can we guard our hearts against these and other dangers?

How to be an Effective Mentor and Develop a Church Mentoring Scheme

There has been huge growth of interest in recent years in mentoring and coaching as integral components of effective leadership development. Much of this has been developed within a secular setting but here the speaker will explore, with a practical emphasis, the theory and practice of the Christian mentor, and especially those involved in leadership development. The group will explore the differences between mentoring and coaching, counselling, and pastoral care and think through how to develop effective mentoring skills and a mentoring network.

Self-esteem and the Christian Leader: How to Stop Comparing and Judging Yourself and Embrace Your Biblical Identity

This workshop will build on previous seminars with a more practical emphasis, but will be fully accessible to first-timers. Over the past 30 years we have witnessed the rise and fall of the self-esteem movement, although the concept continues to be popular with self-help gurus, educationalists, and many Christian authors.  In this session the speaker will review the potential hazards of trying to ‘build’ self-esteem, whether we are using secular or so called ‘Christian’ models, and explore how biblical teaching on identity provides an alternative framework for managing confidence and the Christian leader’s fears of going unnoticed.

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