Description
Zac's Place is a church in Swansea. It is a small chaotic community of Jesus followers where the most fragile of life's walking wounded try to work out their faith, because they quite simply wouldn't fit anywhere else. It's also the spiritual home for the local chapter of the motorcycle club God's Squad. Zac's Place was founded in 1998 and for nearly twenty years has been led by Sean Stillman - a "painfully shy, nervous preacher's kid" - whose front-line ministry, at Zac's Place and on the road, has cost him dearly, including physical beating. In Zac's Place, chaos and disorder sit alongside community and grace in an environment that sometimes resembles an AA meeting mixed with a casualty department. This is Sean's personal story of a transformed faith alongside the broken, the story of the church he started and the European-wide growth of an unlikely bunch of biker missionaries. The thread that will run through it is the `greater righteousness' that Christ was looking for - what can happen when our concern for the perfect performance is stripped bare and replaced with poverty of spirit.
The story of how Sean Stillman, a shy preacher's son from Reading, started and led a long-term outreach to the motorcycle clubs and street people of Swansea.
About the Author
Sean Stillman works in Christian ministry primarily among those many consider to be far removed from many church cultures. Much of Sean's work has been among fringe groups including biker communities and associated groups, where he has operated in both a missional and a chaplaincy role - a role which has been hard earned over many years and many miles on the road. His work has also given him opportunities of speaking in mission gatherings, prisons and in a wide variety of mainstream churches throughout the UK and overseas - including Australia, New Zealand, Ukraine, Finland, Germany, USA and Holland. He was a regular contributor at Spring Harvest for many years and has previously been an associate of Youth for Christ and a supported missionary of Baptist churches in his hometown of Reading and also Swansea. Aspects of his work have been widely covered in the press over the years, including `The Guardian', `The Independent', BBC1, CH4, Scottish TV, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio Wales and he has worked in conjunction with HTV on a TV series. Having been in Christian ministry since 1988, he was ordained in November 2002, by Rev. Dr. John Smith and the leadership of St. Martins, in Melbourne, Australia, with whom he and Exousia Trust have had a long association. Sean has also been an Associate Missioner for Fresh Expressions.
Reviews
An extraordinary, authentic example of discipleship, and the honouring and validation of the radiant "broken jewels" on society's margins. -- Stewart Henderson, poet, broadcaster and lyricist
Sean is a remarkable man with a wonderful story. His ministry resides among the margins, the outliers, the broken, the forgotten. Rides a mean bike too. -- Rick Elias, recording artist and producer
I put some miles on my bike alongside Sean back in the day, and he remains the kind of Christian and human being I aspire to be. Compelling. -- Sean Gladding, author of The Story of God, the Story of Us and Ten
Read God's Biker at your own peril, and with a significant bit of fear. The closer we connect with God, the more he changes us. Sean transformed from a "painfully shy, nervous preacher's kid" to working with motorcycle clubs and shepherding the "sometimes chaotic community of Zac's Place." A dangerous process? Absolutely. But man, what a ride you get when striving to fully follow Jesus. Sean would say that's the normal Christian life. I agree. -- Tim Riter, author of God, a Motorcycle, and the Open Road
The mystique of pioneering ministry can easily be alluring to those who want to do things differently. But Sean Stillman has always done things differently and, in this powerful and moving book, he shows how deep trust in God can lead to costly mission which makes a real difference to fragile lives. If you are looking for full-on glamour and minute by minute excitement this isn't for you. But if you want to see a transformative God at work in pioneering ways and far from easy places, go out and buy it - now! -- Norman Ivison, former BBC TV producer and Director of Communication at Fresh Expressions UK
A very human story of a self-aware, flawed individual who has used his faith . . . to help and support people on the fringes of society. -- Andy Hornsby, American-V Magazine
You don't need to have interest in motorbikes to find principles that we do well to apply to any demographic of the population who would struggle to enter our church gatherings. -- Peter Grier, author of Travel: In Tandem with God's Heart
His whole story challenges us to learn from fragile people. -- Roy Jenkins, broadcaster and Baptist minister
Memorable and moving. -- Ian Coffey, author and Director of Leadership Training, Moorlands College
Sean challenges Christians to rethink what the church is throughout and offers a wake-up call to the bigger picture of what it means to be a part of the body of Christ. -- Ruth Clemence, award-winning blogger
This is the best kind of challenging Christian book. It pushes readers to face their preconceptions and hunger for a countercultural but deeper way to live for God. -- G. Connor Salter, writer and blogger
Raw and gut-wrenching. -- Mandy Bayton, freelance writer and speaker.
Book Information
ISBN 9780281079421
Author Sean Stillman
Format Hardback
Page Count 256
Imprint SPCK Publishing
Publisher SPCK Publishing
The story of how Sean Stillman, a shy preacher's son from Reading, started and led a long-term outreach to the motorcycle clubs and street people of Swansea.
About the Author
Sean Stillman works in Christian ministry primarily among those many consider to be far removed from many church cultures. Much of Sean's work has been among fringe groups including biker communities and associated groups, where he has operated in both a missional and a chaplaincy role - a role which has been hard earned over many years and many miles on the road. His work has also given him opportunities of speaking in mission gatherings, prisons and in a wide variety of mainstream churches throughout the UK and overseas - including Australia, New Zealand, Ukraine, Finland, Germany, USA and Holland. He was a regular contributor at Spring Harvest for many years and has previously been an associate of Youth for Christ and a supported missionary of Baptist churches in his hometown of Reading and also Swansea. Aspects of his work have been widely covered in the press over the years, including `The Guardian', `The Independent', BBC1, CH4, Scottish TV, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio Wales and he has worked in conjunction with HTV on a TV series. Having been in Christian ministry since 1988, he was ordained in November 2002, by Rev. Dr. John Smith and the leadership of St. Martins, in Melbourne, Australia, with whom he and Exousia Trust have had a long association. Sean has also been an Associate Missioner for Fresh Expressions.
Reviews
An extraordinary, authentic example of discipleship, and the honouring and validation of the radiant "broken jewels" on society's margins. -- Stewart Henderson, poet, broadcaster and lyricist
Sean is a remarkable man with a wonderful story. His ministry resides among the margins, the outliers, the broken, the forgotten. Rides a mean bike too. -- Rick Elias, recording artist and producer
I put some miles on my bike alongside Sean back in the day, and he remains the kind of Christian and human being I aspire to be. Compelling. -- Sean Gladding, author of The Story of God, the Story of Us and Ten
Read God's Biker at your own peril, and with a significant bit of fear. The closer we connect with God, the more he changes us. Sean transformed from a "painfully shy, nervous preacher's kid" to working with motorcycle clubs and shepherding the "sometimes chaotic community of Zac's Place." A dangerous process? Absolutely. But man, what a ride you get when striving to fully follow Jesus. Sean would say that's the normal Christian life. I agree. -- Tim Riter, author of God, a Motorcycle, and the Open Road
The mystique of pioneering ministry can easily be alluring to those who want to do things differently. But Sean Stillman has always done things differently and, in this powerful and moving book, he shows how deep trust in God can lead to costly mission which makes a real difference to fragile lives. If you are looking for full-on glamour and minute by minute excitement this isn't for you. But if you want to see a transformative God at work in pioneering ways and far from easy places, go out and buy it - now! -- Norman Ivison, former BBC TV producer and Director of Communication at Fresh Expressions UK
A very human story of a self-aware, flawed individual who has used his faith . . . to help and support people on the fringes of society. -- Andy Hornsby, American-V Magazine
You don't need to have interest in motorbikes to find principles that we do well to apply to any demographic of the population who would struggle to enter our church gatherings. -- Peter Grier, author of Travel: In Tandem with God's Heart
His whole story challenges us to learn from fragile people. -- Roy Jenkins, broadcaster and Baptist minister
Memorable and moving. -- Ian Coffey, author and Director of Leadership Training, Moorlands College
Sean challenges Christians to rethink what the church is throughout and offers a wake-up call to the bigger picture of what it means to be a part of the body of Christ. -- Ruth Clemence, award-winning blogger
This is the best kind of challenging Christian book. It pushes readers to face their preconceptions and hunger for a countercultural but deeper way to live for God. -- G. Connor Salter, writer and blogger
Raw and gut-wrenching. -- Mandy Bayton, freelance writer and speaker.
Book Information
ISBN 9780281079421
Author Sean Stillman
Format Hardback
Page Count 256
Imprint SPCK Publishing
Publisher SPCK Publishing
