“Find your own parking place. We get here first on Sundays and get all the good places. We have paid for them.” I arrived about the time the late morning worship services began at a congregation where I was serving as…
DNA of an Unfriendly Church
Categories: Church Culture, Culture Imagine the worst church experience you have ever had. Perhaps you can relate. I walked in wondering if anyone had ever visited this church. I do not believe we should have a critical attitude towards churches….
They are your brothers
The news of late has been enough to depress just about anyone who longs for and fights for justice, fairness, and equality. We have seen states trying to limit a woman’s access to healthcare and limit her right to make her own…
Not budgets, programs, and projects
I am always amazed as I visit some of our smaller communities at the way God is at work through the congregations. Too often we tend to look at the numbers and the programs. We lose the story of the…
Fifty years from now
What might it mean to be a Baptist Christian at the mid-point of the 21st century? I’m hesitant to try and answer such a question. In my experience, actual developments over time usually take unanticipated forms. If someone 50 years…
Strangers among us
Most churches can, and should, do a better job of making sure that visitors feel welcome. Where were these words spoken? 1. “Greetings! How are you today?” 2. “Hello! I’m so very pleased you are with us today. How can…
They lost me when they said this was not a letter about AIDS
Back in the 1980s when the world was still trying to figure out how to get a handle on the pandemic of AIDS, I came home from work one day and had a letter from the American Red Cross. I…
The Gospel according to the Ewoks
Disney bought Star Wars for $4 billion! I simply can’t imagine $4 billion. I am confident that is enough to handle Han Solo’s debt to Jabba the Hutt. My first response was to be critical. Lucas had always said he…
Looking forward to November 7
Election Day is a day away and living in a battleground state feels like being the lone bachelor on a reality show in which contestants fight over you. I have received more phone calls, mailings, and emails begging for my…