What is it about the culture of those churches that encourages a call to ministry among their members? How do they create a “culture of call” that invites parishioners to consider deeply the possibility that God may be leading them into vocational ministry?
Super Bowl MVP offers key to survival for struggling churches, minister says
Leave it to a pastor to find encouragement for churches in a Super Bowl victory speech. That’s exactly what American Baptist Alan Rudnick does in his Feb. 6 blog post, “Churches, listen to Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles.”
Courageous conversations are no longer optional. It’s time to cross boundaries.
We’re going to have to do more, to move past talking (even preaching!) and into the messy and painful work of deep conversation held together by real relationship. In fact, it’s increasingly my conviction that this may be the heart of the faith community’s work in this moment: building authentic relationships upon which these difficult conversations can rest.
Believing what we’ve preached, post-election
For the past two weeks, I’ve crafted my sermons in light of the election that was coming. I engaged the themes raised by the lectionary texts of the day to deal with the difficulty of an election season that put…
Have you prayed about it?
Last Father’s Day I received a gift from my wife and children more precious than I can describe. Without my knowledge, they had repurposed some wood from my late father’s workshop and built a kneeling bench, or prie-dieu, for my…
Of presidents and popes: how we’re looking too high
I know a pastor who left a large, suburban church where he served for 25 years to plant a new church in one of the poorest areas of town. He joined with another non-profit and they formed a new LLC…
Creating a culture of call in the church
In my interactions with churches across the country, one specific conversation nearly always emerges. With furrowed brows and a worried tone, they ask: “Where is the next generation of pastoral leadership for churches like ours going to come from?” The concern…
Ministry involvement a key need for many aging Christians, ministers say
Thanks to medical advancements — along with some other factors — people are living longer. This means the number of older Americans will continue to grow in the coming years. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that by 2050, the number…
U.S. churches face big ministry challenge in aging Baby Boomers
As a large group of Americans, the so-called Baby Boomers, have impacted U.S. society, culture, politics and religion for decades. With the oldest members of that famed generation now turning 70, the Baby Boom generation is poised to leave another…