By David Gushee Follow David on Twitter: @dpgushee Across the United States, many churches are fading, some churches are closing, and a handful of churches are surging with explosive growth. Sunrise, sunset; sunrise, sunset. One of the topics I want to address in…
Lessons from the rumble strips
By Bill Wilson You’ve probably been helped by a rumble strip. You know, the series of grooved cuts in the pavement just off the right side of the road that rattles your car when you drift off the highway. The…
No wiggle room on a church staff
By Marion Aldridge Most churches are small. Compared to the government’s various definitions of “small business,” which can be 50-500 employees, our congregations are tiny. It is a rare church that has a dozen employees. Most have one (the pastor)…
Looking for GameChangers
By John Chandler Royal Dutch Shell ended 2013 as the largest revenue company in the world. Their mission is to become “the world’s most innovative company.” To that end, within the company is a unit called “GameChanger.” This 12-person team…
Pastor: a unique calling to serve a unique community
For 34 years now, I have had the privilege of serving as a pastor. Even after all of these years I consider myself to be a student of ministry, not an expert. I have been privileged to serve remarkable congregations…
Nurturing innovation and valuing tradition
By Terry Maples I recall sitting in a business meeting several years ago while the congregation I served wrestled with a significant change. After much dialogue, the recommendation from the staff and church council passed. Here’s what happened next: An…
The sound of (congregational) silence
By Bob Burroughs There is a lot of energy, excitement, discussion, change, pluses, minuses and a world of opinions about the subject of worship in today’s churches. To discuss all these would take several articles. But for now I’d like…
I’m a Christian minister
“Well it was nice to meet you, but I’ve go to go. Maybe I’ll see you around.” That’s what he said after we’d been talking for almost 15 minutes. Who knows, we could’ve become pretty good friends, but he had…
Who does God want to win the Super Bowl?
I remember watching the pregame coverage of Super Bowl XXXII in 1998 and being shocked when a reporter asked Green Bay Packers’ defensive end and ordained minister Reggie White if he thought God wanted him to win the Super Bowl….