Missional Leadership on Monday, 9th November 2026
Church flourishes when it engages with the world around it, Revd Graham Brownlee told delegates at Monday’s missional leadership seminar, drawing on years of ministry in the public space and among the communities he has belonged to.
Graham is a Baptist minister and community organiser. He has led churches in Birmingham, Teesside and Leeds, served as a regional church leader, and helped shape organisations that bring churches and decision makers together across Yorkshire and nationally. He is now a Senior Community Organiser with Citizens UK, a charity that partners with local leaders to train them and win change for justice.
His session shared what he has learned and where he has seen God at work. It included mistakes as well as successes, and the surprises alongside the plans. It was designed to be challenging and encouraging, accessible and practical.
An exciting but risky calling
At the heart of the session was the conviction that being salt and light, or seeking the peace of the city, is not an optional extra for the church. Graham argued that it is God’s purpose for us. He was also honest that this kind of engagement carries risk.
“If Christ is bringing God’s Kingdom to all creation, the church will flourish authentically only as it engages with the society around it. This exciting yet risky calling reminds us that being salt and light, or seeking the peace of the city, is not an option but God’s purpose for us.”
Stories from public ministry
Graham told stories that explored:
- how we search for and find growth and possibility
- what it means to take risks for a bigger priority
- how we work out accountability
- the importance of knowing yourself and understanding your time
- how being with a community works out for church and for leaders
An invitation to those leading in mission
The seminar invited those leading in mission to consider what might change if the church stepped further into the life of its neighbourhood, and to see what God does there.