By Amy Butler I had the great pleasure of spending a few days last week at the New Baptist Covenant meeting in Atlanta. We gathered to talk about congregations making covenants with each other, committing to the work of healing…
Small town churches embracing identity as sacred space
I was once on staff at a small church in the Houston area. We had less than 150 people weekly, but our property situated on a busy road where nearly 30,000 cars a day passed us by. One might think…
Tasting the Kingdom
By Bill Leonard Each January for the last three years I’ve joined a group of students in visiting the Haywood Street Congregation in Asheville, N.C., and each time we’ve gotten a taste of God’s New Community (aka the Kingdom of…
Pastor credits God for transforming once-seedy neighborhood
By Ken Camp Elmo Johnson rejects any personal credit for transforming Houston’s 4th Ward since he arrived as pastor of Rose of Sharon Missionary Baptist Church 30 years ago. But he’s eager to give God the glory. “The Lord has done some…
Rethinking the ‘stand and greet’ time
This past week I posted a short excerpt from a Thom Rainer article where he discussed the disdain that many people have for the “Stand and Greet” time that is a part of many Sunday morning worship services. He argues…
5 communication mistakes your church is probably making
After a combined 15 years as an administrative assistant, communication manager, educator, communication specialist or communication consultant (or any other title sent my way), I’ve had time to reflect on what we’re doing wrong when it comes to effective communication….
3 community development principles the church should apply to all ministries
“What would it take for us to have those we wish to serve be part of the strategy of serving?” That’s what John Maher, vicar of St. Francis Episcopal Church in Manakin Sabot, VA, said during an interview.
Weekly communion heals, unites N.C. church and community
By Jeff Brumley It was back around 2008, during a monthly Friday Lenten service at First Baptist Church on Highland Avenue in Winston-Salem, N.C., that Pastor Darryl Aaron made an unsettling observation. “The economy was real bad, tilting into the…
No longer singing alone
By Amy Butler Last Sunday I stood at the front of the church, as I do most weeks, to welcome the community to worship. After I finished my remarks, I made my way to my seat on the side of…