This week’s edition is not hard to write. Yet I am finding it difficult to determine what to include and what to leave out. I’ll start with the bad news. Then it’s all uphill. The Ransomed Heart Team I was…
Ministry as tug-of-war
By Terry Maples Did you play tug-of-war as a child? I did. It was lots of fun, except when the rope burned my hands. The game was even more exciting if a mud pit or some other unpleasant obstacle separated…
Evangelism run amok
I fell for the trap and barely saw it coming. Got reeled in hook, line and sinker. And I should have known better. For several years, an anonymous emailer who portrays himself as a devout Roman Catholic has been taunting…
Five tools for ministry success
By Bill Wilson Ministers regularly ask for help with ministerial and congregational life in very pragmatic ways. What is the best way to organize, plan, preach, administer, supervise, lead, teach, evangelize, pray, cultivate a spiritual life, raise a family, play?…
What you don’t know about Millennials
The Baby Boomer generation is often thought as the generation that worked hard, helped get us where we are, and was the backbone of the 20th century. Now that Baby Boomers are retiring, many have asked the question, “Who will…
The pastoral prophetic edge
By Mahan Siler Prophetic is such a vigorous word. It brings to mind the courageous actions of an Amos, Shiphrah and Puah, Ghandi, Day or King. Prophets stand up, stick out with their actions for justice in the face of…
Does facebook reveal my compassion or my passion?
A few weeks ago, a friend challenged me about my posts on my personal facebook timeline. It seemed to this person that a lot of what I post I do so because I feel I have to. I do post…
Government shutdown comes to church
By Amy Butler Little did I know last year when I planned this month’s sermon series on the cost of prophecy — the story of Jeremiah — that we’d be living at such an intersection of despair and hope. But…
The new (de facto) Apostles Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, And I am against abortions, And I am against homosexuality, And I am against women in leadership in the church, And I believe every word of the Bible,…
Locating the church
By Molly T. Marshall Identifying the true markers that locate the church has been an ongoing debate since the early centuries of Christianity. Unity, holiness, catholicity and apostolicity were the classic marks distinguishing the new expression of the people of…
Forever Changed #4: ‘union is strength’
“The Lion and the three Bulls,” written by the Greek fable writer Aesop: Three bulls lived together for a long time in a pasture. Though they ate and lived side by side, they never spoke with one another. One day…
What churches need to know about the Affordable Care Act
By Gary Skeen With the Health Insurance Marketplace now open, what do church leaders, pastors and administrators need to do to comply with the Affordable Care Act? In planning and evaluating health insurance coverage for the 2014 calendar year, there…