By Amy Butler I had the great pleasure of spending a few days last week at the New Baptist Covenant meeting in Atlanta. We gathered to talk about congregations making covenants with each other, committing to the work of healing…
Don’t Push the River
Our guide shouted, “Don’t push the river!” I was white-water rafting (poorly) down the Amazon. With the raft swirling and the water splashing, the guide’s command made about as much sense as choosing what you are supposed to do with…
What needs to rise from the ashes of the church?
CHRISTIANITY21: Visceral, Diverse, and Friendly Christianity21 takes seriously a daring and daunting conversation for dispelling the notion of a Christian meta-narrative. While most attenders are Gospel-committed people, all work toward mutuality found in the Jesus meaning of Mark 9:40 that…
Payday loans and potato chips
“Payday loans are the Lay’s potato chips of finance; you can’t have just one and they’re terrible for you.” Comedian John Oliver dropped that line during a segment on his new show Last Week Tonight back in August. The HBO…
What pastors value in lay leaders
At a recent staff meeting, a minister assigned to lead our closing segment, which I routinely call “Prayers for the Church,” gave us all a twist. She asked each minister to think of one lay leader in the congregation who…
Who’s blessing whom?
By Scott Dickison Norma is one of my favorite church members. I’m sure pastors are not supposed to have favorite parishioners just like parents aren’t supposed to have favorite children, but hear my confession. I could go on and on…
‘American Sniper’ focuses on a hero. But whose?
American Sniper is a polarizing movie. If you have paid attention to the stories in the media you can see all manner of opinions about whether it is good or bad. Those opinions generally fall along the lines of the…
Your world is too small
By Brett Younger Less than 10 percent of the world’s population speaks English as their primary language. Less than 5 percent of the world lives in the United States. Less than 2 percent of the world is Baptist. Less than…
Virtual assistants, delegation, and monkeys
I have a virtual executive assistant. Her name is Misty. She lives 999 miles away from me. A virtual executive assistant management firm connected us. After observing us for several months, eaHelp.com asked me to be a presenter on a…
Holy dreams
By Molly T. Marshall What makes possible a visionary such as Martin Luther King Jr.? What sustains the hope of an Aung San Suu Kyi, a Mahatma Gandhi or a Marian Wright Edelman? They envision a different world and then…
When bad religion makes headlines
The recent hoopla over using the Duke University chapel for Muslim prayers raises interesting issues, and is just another sign of our highly-religious nation’s deeply troubled understanding of its own convictions. The value of religious principles to our nation’s values…
Pastors as social entrepreneurs
Seldom do I meet a pastor who, when they find out I’m in fundraising, asks about raising money. Ironically, most seminaries don’t teach this elemental aspect of ministry—congregations are nonprofits; contributions are elemental to their growth. However, before congregations and…