Ministry on Two Wheels

Title: On Your Bike: Reflections of a Pedal Pilgrim

Author: Bishop John B Thomson

Publisher: Darton, Longman & Todd

ISBN: 9781913657901

Price: £12.99

I don’t use my bike for transport as often as I’d like because it takes time I don’t always feel I can afford.

John Thomson, the cycling bishop of Selby, would certainly argue time peddling is a positive boon for Christian ministry because the two activities hold so many features in common. For Bishop John, cycling and ministry share a sense of direction and pilgrimage, a sense of adventure and the need to be flexible in responding to changing circumstances, a recognition of the importance of place and understanding local circumstances, the need for perseverance and to build character, opportunities for chance meetings, shared journeying and mutual support, and also a need to be in tune with Creation.

Bishop John started cycling as a child in Uganda and continued through decades of ministry in Yorkshire, using time in the saddle to pray, commune, reflect and compose, as well as make friends, share journeys and sometimes lead them. The book is less a travelogue and more reflections on various aspects of contemporary ministry. Each chapter opens with observations on how cycling relates to the theme in hand, such as formation for ministry, suffering, or types of leadership. Then follows the reflections of a long-time Christian minister combining both practical and academic approaches to Theology.

It’s very much a book aimed at those involved in Christian ministry, perhaps most relevant for clergy but also for committed lay church leaders. There are questions at the end of each chapter, not for study groups but rather to aid personal reflection on one’s own ministry.

There is certainly wisdom and insight to be mined from these pages but, that said, I’m not quite sure who the book would really appeal to most. Probably those who know and value Bishop John and would like to accompany him as he reflects on his life and draws conclusions. There’s not enough cycling to appeal to a cycling Christian who isn’t in public ministry, and not enough reflection on ministry to be a go-to book on the subject. But if you love cycling and need refreshment in your public ministry it might just hit the spot for you.

Revd Canon Marcus Zipperlen