Lent has always been a big deal to me. I grew up Presbyterian. I spent 20+ years in parish ministry. And, I tend to appreciate anything that inspires more focused action in life or in the life of faith. Lenten Reflections: The Last 10 Years Not surprisingly, I've written quite a bit about Lent here at So What Faith over the years. A sampling from odd numbered years follows: 2011 - Social Media: Fast or Engage? - consideration of a then current article and interview with Bruce Read More …
relational
Youth Minister/Director as Advocate (#0378)
Lars Rood is the Lead Youth Minister at the 4700 member Highland Park Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) and the author of the forthcoming book Youth Ministry on a Shoestring: How to do More with Less (2011). Recently, he blogged about youth ministry job descriptions. In contrast to the common expectations of job descriptions that emphasize either a youth director/minister's relational skills or programming and administrative skills, Rood proposes a third way: . . . I want to throw out Read More …
Truly Welcoming Visitors on Easter (#0342)
In almost every congregation, Easter is the most attended Sunday morning of the year. Many congregations feature additional services to provide these religious consumers with the greatest number of options possible and to ensure that there is room (especially parking and seating) for everyone. Most parishes seek to do what they can to ensure visitors have a positive experience and are likely to visit again. Toward that end, I suggest: Providing an extravagant welcome is not Read More …