This is an interview with Rev. Stuart Mennigke, who is the pastor of the All-Saints Anglican Church. We met for about an hour and a half several days ago, and as I’ve come to expect from the people I have sat down and interviewed, he was imminently gracious and the consummate host. Its probably worth noting that Stuart agreed to the interview without ever having read the blog, which I found commendable.  I’ve put his responses in bold, in case you want to skip ahead to the questions you want to hear. As usual my questions have been simplified and edited for brevity and clarity.

PART 1

1. Can you give us a quick background of who you are and what brought you here to Fort McMurray? 0:20

2. What bible passages have impacted your approach to preaching? 3:45

3. How long does it take to prepare a sermon, from start to finish? 7:15

Part 2.

4. When making your sermon, do you use any sort of commentaries, and if so which ones? 0:08

5. What bible translation do you use, and why do you tend to use that one? 2:10

6. What do you mean by inclusive language? 2:50

7. What kinds of sermons are hardest for you to preach? 5:30

8. How have you grown as a preacher in the last 5-10 years? 8:20

9. What well known preachers, teachers, bloggers, theologians do you hold in high regard that have shaped your ministry and that you really enjoy? 9:50

Part 3

10. What grade level do you preach your sermons towards? Are you preaching to the unchurched and the guests, verses people who have been in your church for 5-10 years, who are more seasoned believers? 0:15

11. Would you say that the church exists as a place where people go to be edified, or is it a place where the unknown church guest would be ministered to? what is the purpose of the local church in your mind, and how does that purpose affect your preaching? 1:45

12. Do you offer and sort of catechists classes or bible studies for those who are looking for that sort of thing? 5:32

13. I know there’s two Anglican churches in town, there’s you guys and St. Thomas. is there any kind of cross over there? What is your relationship to them? Are there any sort of joint services? How closely linked are you guys? 7:46

14. In terms of worship, is it more contemporary or traditional? 9:35

Part 4

15. Where do you hope your church is in 5  years? 0:20

16. Does your church practice church discipline biblical discipline, and how does that play out in a practical sense? 4:05

17. According to your observations, what kinds of doctrines and beliefs need to be paid special attention to? what should be brought to the forefront of peoples minds in terms of doctrine and have them just understand and be part of their lives? 6:40

18. What is your position on the innerancy of scripture? is it infallible? Is it a collection of myths or books, or how would you view scripture in terms of its accuracy or its position in the church? 8:20

19. My next question was actually about the literalness of Genesis of 1-4? [About how literal it is] Are Adam and Eve real people?  11:05

20. What is your view on homosexuality in the church, and is it acceptable? Can there be gay marriages, gay clergy, etc? 14:45

21. If you could impart one thing to your flock- one central message that they would get and understand would be quick to put into practice in their lives and in their community.  18:58

Well that is pretty much it. Pastor Mennigke and I spoke for about 15-20 minutes after that, chatting a bit and becoming better acquainted. If you like what you heard and you are looking for a Church to attend, they are located at 9902 Manning Ave, their phone number is 780-742-3171, their service time is 10:30am on Sunday, and if you want to know more,  you can check them out on their website here.