One of the polarities every minister must navigate is between ministry within the congregation and ministry in the surrounding community. Is the minister called to serve the members of the local church exclusively, or is there a larger call to…
VITAL SIGNS: Are we flying our churches into the ground?
Spatial disorientation is the condition in which an aircraft pilot's perception of direction does not agree with reality. It typically results from flying into poor weather conditions with low or no visibility. Under these conditions the pilot may be deprived…
VITAL SIGNS: Why faith and health are inseparable
Compartmentalization is the bane of authentic faith. When we begin to divide the realms of our life from one another, the end result looks very different than loving God with “all your heart, soul, mind and strength.” We become a…
VITAL SIGNS: We can do better
I recently spent a memorable and meaningful few days with a group of music ministers. Throughout our times of worship, breakouts and social interaction, I had many significant conversations with these men and women about their life in the 21st…
VITAL SIGNS: The shredding machine
It was a very impressive group of church leaders. Clergy and laity alike, they were successful and savvy men and women who had been patiently listening to me make repeated invitations to engage in a spiritual discernment process rather than…
VITAL SIGNS: Third pig thinking
You remember the story of the Three Little Pigs, don’t you? Sent out by their mother to make their way in the world, they live in fear of the Big Bad Wolf. Their first order of business is to build…
VITAL SIGNS: What the gloomy predictions about church overlook
Are you tired of the doomsday rhetoric about the church in America? Have you noticed that the bandwagon of those predicting the imminent demise of congregational life is filled to capacity? Are you ready to tune out another diatribe proclaiming…
VITAL SIGNS: The oxbow lake church
A friend was recently talking about an organization that is struggling to adapt to some very necessary changes. While not a church, the observation she made about their inability to adjust to a changing world rings true for many of…
VITAL SIGNS: Success or significance?
The novelist Walker Percy often said that the trouble with most people is that they are not up to anything significant. Bob Buford once wrote a book titled Halftime: Moving From Success to Significance in which he suggests that many…
VITAL SIGNS: How to ruin a sermon
Healthy churches are marked by engaging worship. Engaging worship is nearly always marked by excellent preaching. Good preaching comes in a myriad of forms in a multitude of settings. Don’t let anyone fool you: there is no one way to preach…
VITAL SIGNS: There’s no excuse
Are you an excuse maker? When someone makes a compelling case for action or movement, are you prone to start your response with the phrase “Yes, but …”? Do you see yourself as an exception to most rules? Making excuses…
VITAL SIGNS: Is your church a Corvette?
One effect of growing up in 20th century America is that I love cars. Early on, I got the fever. Played with them as a kid, worked on them, collected them, admired them, dreamed of them. I’ve owned around 25…