There are the well-meaning ladies who ask you about your husband and children and, when you say you don’t have any, suddenly run out of things to say to you. There are the women’s Bible studies scheduled on weekday mornings,…
Fulfilling the promise of the ADA: 5 things congregations can do
Unemployment among Americans with disabilities inched up with the start of the New Year, the U.S. Labor Department said Friday, February 6. The jobless rate for people with disabilities was 11.9 percent in January, up from 11.2 percent in December….
De-toxifying charity
Many years ago, I was prompted to rethink my own presuppositions about stewardship after reading Ron Sider’s probing book, Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger: Moving from Affluence to Generosity. More recently many of us have been thinking more…
New pastors, small churches
Update March 2015: The program described in this story has been renamed Small Church Residency Program. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), like many denominations, has two challenges: thousands of small churches in need of pastors and hundreds of new seminary graduates…
FaithSoaring churches are fueled by vision and flavored by relationships
Melinda sat down in the sanctuary and prepared for worship. Her mind wondered and she thought, “I love this church, our worship, and my friends. But I want more. I want to be part of a church with a clear…
Missing Church: Why I’m not a “Done” (Even If I Want to Be)
A couple of months ago, I posted about the experience of taking a break from attending church. It somehow garnered a lot more attention than I expected, enough that it prompted a follow-up question: Why go back? It’s a question that…
Before you criticize your pastor
Something your pastor or a church staff member has done has set you off. You can’t believe he or she had the audacity to do (or not do) or say (or not say) such a thing. Before shipping off a…
Four emerging trends in small town churches
Today kicks off a new series of blog posts called “What’s Trending,” where I will specifically discuss cutting edge trends that might push a few boundaries for many rural churches. The trends I will name in this series will range…
Kick ’em out: Why it’s gotten so hard to work together
Altitude is a key factor in future stories of Christian ministry
For many years I have helped congregations and denominational organizations write their future story of ministry. Generally these stories look a decade into the future to imagine what their ministry might be like. It pulls movements forward rather than pushes…
An open letter to all the people writing open letters about what’s wrong with the church
I’ve read them. I feel like I’ve read them all-the letters from well-meaning, well-written peers of mine. Posts penned by young (well, relatively young) people unhappy with and enlightened by the woes of the Church.
Can you survive the invasion of a mega church?
If you are like many pastors, some Monday mornings can be very blue. Your sermon did not go as well as you had imagined. A widow complained to you after the worship service that you did not visit her in…