Over 20 years ago, Bill Hybels wrote a terrific book, Too Busy NOT to Pray . In it he challenged our passive willingness to allow busyness to muscle out time for prayer in our daily schedules.
Congregations without vision cannot see Jesus
Seeing Jesus is a powerful image in the New Testament. Matthew 25:37-40 as an example says, “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?…
Churchless Believers: Searching for mystery, not the mission of church
There is a difference between ‘church work’ and ‘the work of the church’. For many churchless believers, they are weary of the ‘busyness of churchwork’ and hungry to engage the mystery of the ‘work of the church’. The ‘work of…
Congregational vision is about seeing Jesus with your heart, soul, mind, and strength
My mother, Mozelle Bridgers Bullard, was a person of great Christian vision and insight. She could see Jesus with her heart, soul, mind, and strength even when she could not see him with her eyes. Among the many ministries she…
21st century ministry: Like growing potatoes on Mars
While engaged in a conversation with some of my closest colleagues about the changes and challenges of pastoral ministry, Bill Wilson, Director of the Center for Healthy Churches, made a comment that summarized some thoughts that had been simmering in…
I abuse my church
I have a confession: I abuse my church. When I write abuse, I don’t mean it in the contemporary sense of the word. I mean it in the traditional sense, like when your grandfather abused those old work boots by wearing them in…
Your congregation needs to know what Lyle Schaller taught me about vision
The father of post World War II practical church consulting, Lyle Schaller, was my most significant consulting mentor and spoke prophetically into my life. He taught me amazing things about congregations, how to consult with them, and how to bring…
Churchless Believers: A fresh path for engaging inactive members
A notable prevalent trend among church life is about half or more of members are absent from church services on any given week. In fact, in many traditions, most cannot even locate half or more of their membership. Could it…
I’m not tolerant.
It seems progressive Christians are often being attacked by other Christians for our “tolerance.” I don’t know about my fellow clergy, but I don’t recall that I have ever used the word tolerant in a sermon. I haven’t applauded tolerance…
Love already won
My grandmother, Eva Mae Thomas, was my first catechizer and theologian. At the age of 12, she put a pen and notepad in my hand and asked me to “write down all the Scriptures that the preacher says.” There were…
Confessions of a middle-aged pastor
Thirty seven years ago this past month I was called to my first church staff position at the age of 18. Thinking about those early beginnings has led me to reminisce about the peculiarity of my calling and my pastoral…
Theology: A focus for thinking
This is the seventh article of a nine-part series on empowering a faith community to impact the world. Already hospitality, evangelism, missions, ethics, Bible, and spirituality have been explored. In his book Becoming a Thinking Christian, John Cobb promotes the…