As we enter into the season of Lent and draw near to Holy Week, we dig deep into narratives of the coming suffering and death of Jesus, and into what has been — across the centuries — a time when…
American Protestants less open to sermons on race in 2020, survey finds
A growing number of American churchgoers weren’t in the mood for sermons on race in 2020, the year that police killings of unarmed African Americans energized the Black Lives Matter movement and sparked widespread social unrest, according to a newly…
What to preach the Sunday between Christmas and New Year
A few days ago, something amazing transpired at a fast-food drive-through window in Atlanta. A young woman named Feroza Syed was waiting in her car to reach the service window when she happened to notice something bizarre happen at the…
Pastors feeling political pushback from both sides — and then there’s the younger generation
Some pastors simply can’t win for losing when trying to navigate the politics consuming many American churches. Those who try to stay clear of contentious issues are criticized for avoiding important issues. Those who take up those topics are accused…
We need to talk about dying
We were riding in a limousine to the graveside. Most of the people in the car were family so — except for the masks — the conversation was comfortable and familiar. Then the funeral director said: “See those smokestacks. That’s…
Q&A with June Joplin on life as an itinerant (transgender) preacher
Earlier this summer, June Joplin made international headlines when she used a Sunday morning sermon at her Baptist church to come out as transgender. Nearly three months later, more has changed than her gender. The Canadian Baptist church she had…
Q&A with Meredith Stone about Baptist Women in Ministry
Meredith Stone is the new executive director of Baptist Women in Ministry, coming to the role from a faculty position at Logsdon Seminary at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. She succeeds Pam Durso, who has gone on to become president…
Here’s another thing they don’t teach pastors in seminary
The coronavirus is challenging the creativity of preachers as the pandemic continues to keep many churches in virtual spaces. Months of speaking into camera lenses, laptop screens or empty sanctuaries week after week leaves some clergy feeling deprived of a…
New book explores pain of preaching after a suicide in the congregation
In January 2009, I sat down at my desk to think about the upcoming season of Lent. I was the pastor at Wilton Baptist Church in Wilton, Conn. I had been there for just over two years but was the…