Mike Bossingham

Rev'd Dr Mike Bossingham Mike grew up in West Cornwall and still has family ties in that part of the world. He studied Computer Science at Hatfield Polytechnic and was awarded a BSc. He is also a Member of the British Computer Society and a Chartered Engineer. He worked in IT for 15 years initially for GEC and then for a company called Compeda. In the later years ran his own company supplying and maintaining design software for some of the largest engineering companies in the world. In those years he travelled all over the world, even into Eastern Europe. He was working with PCs within weeks of them being launched! He was called to the ministry in 1987 and studied for a BD at Birmingham University and completed a PhD at the same institution in 1999. His PhD brought together his bibical and computer skills. He has served the Methodist Church in Maidenhead, King's Lynn and Cambridge. While in these places boosted the number of children and families worshipping in his main churches considerably! Mike has worked with children, young people and families in a Church setting for the last 25 years. He has led in Junior Church and has run both 'fellowship' and 'open' Youth Groups. He was instrumental in setting up the 'Share Jesus' Family Missions, which saw many families working on mission together around the country. He has also line-managed children's work at Easter People for several years and also led the All Age worship at the Llandudno site.

Mike has continued to use his computer skills for the church. He has set up websites for both the London SW and East Anglia Districts and was part of the team that set up the Methodist Connexional website. He ran an IT training unit for the East Anglia District and has been seen at several Methodist Conferences running the cyber cafe or running the main PowerPoint display. Having been given an early data projector in 1997, he has developed skills in using projection in worship and has produced the beautiful PowerPoint version of At the Breaking of Bread for the Methodist Publishing House and used at the Conference Communion. Later he developed with Ann, his wife, and David Hollingsworth the All Included set of all age communion liturgies.

He has become increasingly alarmed at the decline in the numbers of children, young people and families in churches. He blames a church culture that does not generally encourage and nurture young people. It is this concern that prompted him to use his precious sabbatical to research this problem and visit churches that bucked the trend. The result of this work is his first book, Building Family Friendly Churches, published by the Methodist Publishing House. This concern has also prompted him to form the Family Family Churches Trust an organisation committed to helping churches of all denominations draw children, young people and families back into worship. He is also committed to the task of helping churches make effective and economic use of modern technology.

He is producing a range of CDROMs known as The Digital Hymnbook which now offers over 700 PowerPoint files of traditional hymns with photographic and artistic backgrounds. These are designed to match the words offered in a range of hymn and song books. With Ann he produces the Lectionary Videos and places a video of one of the lectionary readings on the web site.

Mike is also concerned to improve the quality of worship and so, again with Ann, has produced and published a Worship Leaders course.

Mike also appears occasionally in the media. He has recently appeared on Manx Radio

He is married to Ann, also a Methodist Minister, and has 2 children, both committed and active Christians. Ralph is a musician and talented worship leader and Sally is training to be a Methodist Lay Preacher. Ann is also well known as the author Ann Barker

He now works full time for the Family Friendly Churches Trust

Latest News

There are now over 500 hymns and songs in the IDEAS Collection - a user driven and convenient collection of ready to project hymns and songs.

Mike is researching for a new book on "Transforming Churches" and has a Questionaire about change.

IDEAS February 5th
(Ordinary 5)
- the theme is "Supported by His Strength" looking at the bigness of God and waiting upon Him

You can now sign up for all the July to December 2011 IDEAS resources for just £15

See Mike and Ann's blog of their Holy Land tour.

February's Offer
The Worship Leaders Course for just £25