You’ve read on this website that the Religious Herald and Associated Baptist Press are merging on Jan. 1, 2014. The decision of the two respective boards is more an act of faith than a business arrangement, in my view. We…
LEADERSHIP LINK: Dealing with criticism and critical people
Eventually, every pastor or staff member will do something about which a church member becomes angry or disappointed. I still remember the time a few weeks into my first pastorate when I learned this painful lesson. One of our deacons…
OPINION: The hand we’re dealt
I spend a lot of time thinking, writing and teaching on the current religious climate in America and how churches and individual Christians can thrive despite the seemingly downward spiral of decline. While practicing Christianity in the 21st century, especially…
REVIEW: ‘Captain Phillips’ offers a cautionary tale to an America facing a growing gap between rich
Captain Phillips is an action movie with an important underlying social message. It is one of those movies that is filled with all manner of exciting scenes that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Yet when you…
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Start being the Church again
I’m so tired of some of the church putting down gay people. When will they see the log in their eye? Come on, you know God loves all of his kids. Sometimes it makes me feel ashamed of calling myself…
VITAL SIGNS: The high cost of self-preservation
A young pastor was recently recounting the events that led to his dismissal. Throughout the painful ordeal, he had relied upon a small group of spiritually-mature trusted advisors to help him navigate the uncertainties he faced. As events unfolded, he…
TRENDING: What our words tell us, part 2: Demoralization
David Brooks’s recent New York Times op-ed column on Google’s “ngram” analysis revealed a stunning surge of individualism reflected in our language and literature in recent years. Another element revealed by analysis of words trending upward is what Brooks calls…
WINN RECOMMENDS: Books that matter
Some of the very best stories are the true ones. Here are two memoirs and one collection of heroic figures that would be worthy of your time. Booked, by Karen Swallow Prior (T.S. Poetry Press) Prior is an English…
TRENDING: What our words tell us, part 1: Me, myself and I
My friend Jim Baucom pointed me to a column written recently by one of my favorite writers, David Brooks. Brooks wrote a wonderful, breezy book in 2001 called Bobos In Paradise, a self-described “comic sociology” of sweeping generalizations about the…
OPINION: Women and the pastoral landscape
I can’t help looking at the little signs outside churches. “Faith makes things possible, not easy” has been the message on the board of the Methodist church near my house for two weeks now. Recently, something else has started to…
VITAL SIGNS: Five essential tools for healthy ministry
Very regularly, ministers ask for my help with ministerial and congregational life in very pragmatic ways. What is the best way to organize, plan, preach, administer, supervise, lead, teach, evangelize, pray, cultivate a spiritual life, raise a family, play? You…
LEADERSHIP LINK: Balancing cost, benefit to build a retirement plan
A comprehensive retirement plan doesn’t just enhance the compensation package your staff receives. It also strengthens your church’s ability to attract and retain the best employees while balancing your costs. When that employee reaches retirement age, having built a good…