There’s an old story that goes something like this: At the end of the age, billions of souls from across eternity are gathered at the Great-White-Throne-Judgment awaiting divine adjudication. At some point, the multitudes at the rear hear tumultuous hoorahs…
The civility of discourse
“They’ll tell anything on you down in town.” So the serpent-handling woman says as she sits on her Appalachian front porch, killing flies and defending her church’s approach to the sixteenth chapter of Mark’s Gospel. Whether in cheap novels, academic…
How to welcome a new pastor to your church
When Beth McConnell was being introduced to our congregation as our new pastor, someone asked her what we could do to make her transition easier. Beth is too humble to give you this list. Over the decades, I have given…
Clergy discouragement and satisfaction: part one
Recently, I’ve read a number of posts on various sites dealing with the topics of clergy discouragement and satisfaction. For what it may prove worth, I’ll add my observations to the conversation. Let’s start with discouragement. Based on my own…