This morning, on Reformation Sunday, I preached the third message in a series based on Debie Thomas’ new book A Faith of Many Rooms: Inhabiting a More Spacious Christianity (Broadleaf, 2024).Today, we focused on story. Sermon My message, “Living the Story” was based on Jeremiah 31:31-34, Romans 3:19-28, and John 8:31-36. Story You can watch the sermon below or read the manuscript. Excerpt I know many of you came to church this morning expecting me to say something Read More …
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Leaving Parish Ministry (#1586)
For the last fifteen years I have served in a variety of parish based ministry positions in Mainline Protestant congregations ranging in size from a few hundred to a few thousand. My job titles have included Director of Ministries with Children and Families Youth Director (and Youth Minister) Associate Pastor Interim Senior Pastor Transitional Pastor Director of Education (and Director of Adult Education). The job title I have held the greatest number of times is Read More …
Millennials & the Bible (#1486)
Barna Group recently released findings from the largest survey it has ever done on a single generation's view of the Bible. Christian Millennials' (those born between 1984 and 2002) views of the Bible vary considerably from those of non-Christian Millennials. Among so-called practicing Christian Millennials 96% believe the Bible contains everything a person needs to know to live a meaningful life, 85% believe the Bible is the literal word of God or is divinely inspired Read More …
InstaChristmas (#1272)
Tis the season for preparing. As a part of your Advent journey, I encourage you to take the less than 90 seconds needed to watch the InstaChristmas video created by Discovery Church (Melbourne, Australia) using 600 Instagram images. So What? The use of many diverse images to weave together a familiar story allows viewers to enter the story in new ways. Which images within the presentation do you still "see" in your mind's eye? What is your main takeaway from the video? Read More …
Effective Church Websites (#0619)
Dave Hakes is a software engineer who seeks to "demystify and make practical the many tools the internet offers so that you and your church can better reach people." Recently he shared 7 elements of an effective church website: Focus on those who are not yet a part of your congregation Emphasize pictures of people not buildings Remove clutter Ensure key information is in plain sight (no scrolling required) Create compelling and relevant content Include a welcome message Tell Read More …
Your Unique Story (#0521)
Every person I have ever met who is seeking to follow the way of Jesus has a unique faith story -- an account of her or his life to date and how it has been impacted by one or more religious traditions. Some of these stories begin with or feature a moment of conversion (often an event on a specific day), but many more explain the transition to becoming a Christian as a long term process. Reflection on one's own journey to date is an important aspect of knowing one's own Read More …