The Profile

The unorthodox pastor Mick Fleming is a man on a mission, to change the Church – and society in the process. In this interview with Premier Christianity's Emma Fowle, the Burnley-based leader tells his story of abuse, homelessness and salvation. His own story of being thrown out of church, and miraculous experiences which prompted him to forgive the man who raped him, has resulted in a desire to serve those on the rough edges of society. "Stained-glass windows won’t feed children," he says. Instead, Christians must step up to serve the lonely, lost and hungry. "We need to repent so that God can move...we haven’t provided for the poor as we should have done," he says. 

Premier's resident leadership expert interviewer Andy Peck has been having conversations with preachers and pastors for the past 17 years. This week Andy talks to Nick and Becky Drake who launched the ministry ‘Worship for Everyone’ in 2010 in order to unite all ages in worship. They serve at Gas Street Church in Birmingham, Nick as Associate vicar and Becky running ‘Worship for Everyone’ in the church and further afield. They talk about how to transform the ‘all-age’ service from something ‘no-one enjoys’, to a service that blesses all ages. The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity magazine. Subscribe for news, features and analysis from £3.95 (UK) or $1 (International) at premierchristianity.com/subscribe

After leaving the army, Patrick Barrett turned to alcohol to cope with trauma, but God called him back to his childhood faith using the most unlikely means. He tells Rachel Matthews the full story. 

In the midst of ongoing pressures on all our finances, Emma Fowle sits down with Emma Revie, CEO of the UK’s largest network of foodbanks, Trussell Trust. In this in depth interview, Emma talks about how her faith motivates her work and what she thinks should be done about the cost of living crisis. 

Powerful Leaders? is a book that exposes and explores how leaders are tempted away from a biblical model of leadership into illegitimate - and in the worst cases abusive - use of authority and power. It's written by Marcus Honeysett, the director of Living Leadership, a charity that focuses on healthy leadership and church culture. In this conversation with Andy Peck, Marcus explains how leaders can safeguard themselves against moral failure.  The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity magazine. Subscribe for news, features and analysis from £3.95 (UK) or $1 (International) at premierchristianity.com/subscribe

Calvin Robinson has attracted a huge following online in recent months, and is known for espousing strongly held opinions on contentious subjects such as the Covid vaccine. He's said that to be labelled a "conspiracy theory" is a "badge of honour", yet he doesn't want to be known as "controversial", arguing instead that he's voicing views which are shared by millions of others. In this interview with Premier Christianity's Sam Hailes, Calvin explains how the Church of England "blocked" his ordination at the last minute, and argues there's "no place" for conservatives in the CofE. Now ordained in the Free Church of England, Calvin is continuing his media work, presenting a new show on GB News entitled 'Common Sense Crusade', where he speaks on a range of topics, including sexuality and transgender. The Church needs to get back to tradition and scripture, he says. "That's what people want, and that's why the Church has survived for 2,000 years."   The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity, the UK's leading Christian magazine. Subscribe from $1 at premierchristianity.com/subscribe

The Profile podcast is now bringing you a bonus interview every week! Premier's resident leadership expert interviewer Andy Peck has been having conversations with preachers and pastors for the past 17 years. You'll now be able to hear some of the best of his interviews. This week Andy meets the founder of Christian mental health charity Kintsugi Hope and author of Bouncing Forwards, Patrick Regan.  The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity magazine. Subscribe for news, features and analysis from £3.95 (UK) or $1 (International) at premierchristianity.com/subscribe

Anthony Ray Hinton spent 30 years inside an Alabamian prison waiting to be executed. Hinton doesn’t use the word “hell” lightly; nevertheless, that’s what decades of solitary confinement was like, he says. So how did he cope? “Faith keeps you from getting caught up in everyday trauma, because your life is so consumed with trying to live like Jesus. And it was no different for me on the row. I had a job to do, and that was for those men to see Christ in me." Remarkably, Hinton believes God had a plan all along, and he was sent to death row on a special mission. He has also been able to forgive those who were responsible for this grave injustice. In this in-depth interview, Hinton shares his story with Premier Christianity's Sam Hailes, and explains why he believes US Christians must campaign against the death penalty.    The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity. Subscribe now from just $1 at premierchristianity.com

The Profile podcast is now bringing you a bonus interview every week! Premier's resident leadership expert interviewer Andy Peck has been having conversations with preachers and pastors for the past 17 years. You'll now be able to hear some of the best of his interviews. This week Andy meets the UK Director of Care for the Family, Katharine Hill, who is the author of Left To Their Own Devices? Confident Parenting in a World of Screens The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity magazine. Subscribe for news, features and analysis from £3.95 (UK) or $1 (International) at premierchristianity.com/subscribe

Joseph D’souza is a civil rights advocate and Anglican bishop whose work in India has drawn the praise of many civil and religious leaders. In this interview with Premier Christianity's Sam Hailes, the primate of the Good Shepherd Church of India talks about his calling to advocate on behalf of poor and marginalised groups, and stand against the caste system, which he says is pervasive not just in India, but around the world. Neither Christians nor other religious groups have a good track record in this area, he argues. Bishop Joseph also speaks about the reality of persecution which is faced by many Christians in India (see Premier Christianity's special report on the subject here), why the sacramental tradition of Anglicanism is so appealing, and his own story of coming to Christ.  The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity. Subscribe now from just $1 at premierchristianity.com