An Unconventional Route to Ministry
You don’t need to stay long in a church in Scotland to realise that there is a shortage of men entering the pastorate.
There are many churches that remain vacant year after year as there are just not enough qualified men coming forward to serve full time. Inadvertently Christian Focus has done its bit to meet that shortage.
Our first employee James Beaton entered the Free Church of Scotland Ministry in 1990 having a lengthy ministry in Oban. He was followed by Colin Morrison who left in 1995 to train to be a pastor, eventually retiring in 2023 from Elgin Free Church. Then there was Malcolm Maclean, who, in 2001, entered the Free Church of Scotland ministry, first on the Island of Scalpay in the Western Isles then Greyfriars Free Church in Inverness and it doesn’t end there.
Colin Fast came from Canada in 2022 to become Editorial Manager at Christian Focus and went on to become a highly valued member of the Christian Focus team. Having previously been in ministry in Western Canada Colin’s frequent supply preaching was a blessing to churches across the Highlands and thus it was perhaps inevitable that he became increasingly conscious of God calling him back to pastoral ministry. It is expected that Colin will be presented for licensing to the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland in May 2026 and will likely take up a full-time charge shortly thereafter, making him the fourth individual in his role to enter the ministry in the Free Church. We will be very sorry to see him go and wish him, his Elise and son Abel every blessing as they settle into their new place.
As for us here at Christian Focus, we will begin the search for a new Editorial Manager. It is a critical role for the work we do, so we would value your prayers as we begin. If you or anyone you know might be a good fit, you can find more details here.