Seventeenth century Baptists would have known exactly what was happening when two Rowan County, N.C., state legislators recently proposed a resolution, affirmed by 11 other legislative colleagues, that declared that the United States Constitution does not “prohibit states or their…
LEADERSHIP LINK: Does your church need an administrator?
I sometimes recall with nostalgia that courageous country church that called me as its college-student pastor. This group of deeply committed Christians allowed me to gain valuable experience and also served to mentor me since many of them knew more…
VITAL SIGNS: How to ruin a sermon
Healthy churches are marked by engaging worship. Engaging worship is nearly always marked by excellent preaching. Good preaching comes in a myriad of forms in a multitude of settings. Don’t let anyone fool you: there is no one way to preach…
VITAL SIGNS: There’s no excuse
Are you an excuse maker? When someone makes a compelling case for action or movement, are you prone to start your response with the phrase “Yes, but …”? Do you see yourself as an exception to most rules? Making excuses…
OPINION: A ragamuffin homecoming
Life is full of events which remind us how far we are, at times, from the peaceful kingdom promised to us by Jesus. For the last week, so many of us have been saddened by the bombing of the Boston…
OPINION: Living and deadly worship
In Living Theatre, we would each day approach the rehearsal putting yesterday’s discoveries to the test, ready to believe that the true play has once again escaped us. But the Deadly Theatre approaches the classics from the viewpoint that somewhere,…
TRENDING: ‘Virginia Baptist’ to ‘General Association’
Ten years ago, American prophet and all-time dean of church consultants Lyle Schaller wrote one of my favorite of his 96 books. From Geography to Affinity: How Congregations Can Learn From One Another was a prescient look at the fundamental…
OPINION: On questioning God
I’ve often heard folks — good, churchgoing folk s— say something like, “I know we’re not supposed to question God, but ….” And then they unload a perplexing theological question or a life situation for which they have been unable…
OPINION: Returning to Schleitheim
In February 1527, an Anabaptist group known as the Swiss Brethren gathered together at Schleitheim, Switzerland, to help solidify and establish this small movement on the brink of disintegration. The movement had begun less than two years earlier one night…