I typically use my Sunday blog post to share my sermon. Since I am not preaching today, I offer instead a comparison of two popular speech acts: TEDx talks and sermons. The basis for such an analysis comes from Nicholas McDonald's, a M.Div. student at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, recent blog post on the topic. More specifically I have chosen to create a chart with columns for the characteristics McDonald suggests are common among TEDx speakers but uncommon Read More …
best practices
Best Youth/Student Ministry (#1352)
Jeremy Zach, a youth minister since 2002 and youth ministry blogger, recently shared his list of common characteristics found in great youth ministries. His list of seven shared attributes includes three that are not directly about the youth/students: maintain and train amazing and healthy leaders, engage 25% of their parents, and invite the senior pastor into the student ministry. So What? Zach is right: great youth/student ministry is never ministry in its own silo. Read More …
Prayer Lists & Privacy (#1214)
For years, most congregations have created and distributed printed prayer lists. As technology has changed the way data is shared, many congregations have updated how they share these lists with interested parishioners. Jonathan Webster is a minister who coordinates chaplaincy and bioethics services for the Western Division of Carilion Clinic, and who serves as adjunct faculty at Jefferson College of Health Sciences and Radford University. He recently wrote about this topic for his Read More …
Remaining Relevant (#0969)
Justin Lathrop, executive search consultant at the Vanderbloemen Search Group, recently suggested five ways churches can remain relevant: Leverage the strengths of church networks Engage social media Expand online offerings, including worship services Consider the possibilities of strategic church mergers Welcome the diverse population of the community So What? Many of the items on Lathrop's list focus on structural matters: the possibility of belonging to multiple Read More …
Review of Social Media for Educators (#0936)
Meet the Author Tanya Joosten is Interim Director of the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee Learning Technology Center (LTC) where almost 3000 instructors (faculty, academic staff, and TA's) are supported in their use of digital technologies to facilitate teaching and learning. She has over ten years experience teaching online and blended courses in communications, co-chairs the UWM Online Program Council, is the campus liaison for online and blended programming, is a mentor for the Read More …
Learning to Be a Better Blogger (#0303)
Matthew Paul Turner is best known for his Jesus Needs New PR blog. Additionally, he is the author of ten books and the former editor of CCM Magazine. Recently he shared nine suggestions for bloggers who seek to improve their craft: Stop reading advice posts about how to blog and instead just go blog something. Chances are, if you follow MY advice, it won’t work for you. Yes, I realize those last two sentences sort of contradict each other, but they’re both true, so you have no Read More …