By Bill Wilson Are you tired of the doomsday rhetoric about the church in America? Have you noticed that the bandwagon of those predicting the imminent demise of congregational life is filled to capacity? Are you ready to tune out…
The stress of the movable Sabbath
Someone at church once asked me, “When is your day off?” I replied, “Friday.” “Wow.” He said. “I wish I could have Friday’s off. Must be nice.” “Well, I don’t get many Sundays off. That must be nice to have…
Church uses vandalism as social media message
What do church leaders usually do when someone vandalizes the side of a church with graffiti? Cover it up, repaint, or remove the vandalism. A church in Randolph, New York was recently vandalized with the words, “Can I still get into heaven…
The oxbow church
By Bill Wilson A friend was recently talking about an organization that is struggling to adapt to some very necessary changes. While not a church, the observation she made about their inability to adjust to a changing world rings true…
A safe space to be vulnerable
By Amy Butler Last week I watched a TED talk by University of Houston social work professor Brené Brown. In the video, Brown talks about her research on human connection. We all crave human connection, she says, but the shame…
Recovering spiritual vitality
By Terry Maples I love the church. I committed my life to serving God through the local church. After 27 years as a congregational educator, I now find myself in more of a consulting/coaching role with congregational leaders. Like many…
Good news for exiles
My morning routine is pretty standard. After my alarm goes off, I hop in the shower, fix some breakfast, and head to work. Sometimes I find a few minutes to read my Bible and pray, but even then, I have…
There is life after the storm
In 1994 I was serving at the First Baptist Church of Williams near Jacksonville, Ala. when a tornado touched down on Palm Sunday near Ragland and cut a trail to Rome, Ga., demolishing hundreds of homes, destroying five church campuses,…
Young ministers want to be mentored
Starting out in any field is not easy, but ministry has its own challenges. Most congregations expect that their new pastor or staff member will “hit the ground running” and be ready to deal with both the routine and the…
Success or significance?
By Bill Wilson Novelist Walker Percy often said that the trouble with most people is that they are not up to anything significant. In his book Halftime: Moving From Success to Significance, Bob Buford suggests that many of us come…
Gene Puckett, my father, and the best member of our family!
In 1978, Gene Puckett was the major speaker at the retirement dinner for my father, G. W. Bullard, as executive director-treasurer of the Baptist Convention of Pennsylvania-South Jersey. He and dad had gotten to know one another in 1966 when…
Life balance for clergy remixed
Life balance is important and necessary for sustained ministry over time, but there are some things that life balance is not.