If you have been following along recently and are a clergyperson, or someone interested in the goings on of church life, you may be feeling like this has been a “terrible, horrible, no good, very bad … season.” Several research…
In Botswana, a booming economy lures U.S.-educated pastors home
The tiny nation of Botswana — with 2.6 million people — is arguably the U.S.’s most reliable diplomatic and military friend in Africa. Now, a booming economy driven by diamond, copper and rare earth minerals is attracting U.S.-educated Baptist, Pentecostal…
What would happen if clergy unionized?
From the successful unionization of Starbucks baristas in Buffalo to striking actors and writers in Hollywood, support for labor unions is on the rise in a post-pandemic world. A Gallup poll from August reported 67% of Americans approve of unions…
The need for authenticity
Back in 1496, the young aspiring Italian artist Michelangelo recreated a sculpture of the sleeping Eros. The forgery depicted the Greek god of passionate love laying on his side in deep slumber. Collectors of his day highly sought these small…
Why some retired clergy lose faith and leave church
“Be merciful to those who doubt.” — Jude 22 I belong to a support group of seven retired Mainline clergypersons. Six of the seven no longer affirm historic, creedal, orthodox, traditional theology. The same six members of the group…
Don’t call it burn-out
Earlier this month, Alexander Lang’s blog post “Departure: Why I Left the Church” lit up clergy social media. To date, it has garnered north of 380,000 views. The day it hit, I saw it on the Facebook feeds of three…
In biblical truth-telling, we need to mind the gap between clergy and laity
It doesn’t surprise me that new research shows white mainline Protestant clergy are more supportive of LGBTQ rights, abortion rights and racial justice than their congregations. I’ve been there, done that and have the scars to prove it. From my…
Why I’ve stayed
On Aug. 27, Alexander Lang preached his last sermon at First Presbyterian Church in Arlington Heights, Ill. A few days later, he wrote a column titled “Departure: Why I Left the Church.” Since then, I have seen Lang’s column shared…
On the other side of the pandemic, the report from America’s churches is mixed
Increases in attendance, giving and participation, and a decline in internal squabbling, may signal America’s churches are emerging from the dark days of the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath, new research shows. But the study — “Back to Normal? The…