I was scheduled to be the supply pastor at Central Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Dallas, Texas this morning. A winter storm arrived on Saturday bringing the Dallas - Fort Worth area to a standstill, a pause that will last at least through tomorrow. Like many congregations in the region, Central Lutheran made the difficult decision to close the church campus and cancel all in-person activities, including worship. After more than thirty years of preaching, I finally experienced my first cancelation. Read More …
UCC
Southern Baptist Membership Drops Every Year Since 2006 (#2245)
I am not a Southern Baptist and have never been part of that Protestant denomination. I am, however, someone who has lived most of my life in Texas and who has followed the macro changes within American Protestantism. Since the Southern Baptist Convention's Annual Meeting was held in Dallas this summer, I've been drawn into more conversations than usual about what is happening in this denomination. Finally, as the largest Protestant denomination in America, long-term changes in membership in Read More …
Long-Term Church Membership (#2201)
Somehow I've managed to do what I once assumed impossible: become a long-term member of a local congregation. I've been part of several congregations for three years and one congregation for four years, however, those medium-term experiences included both church membership and paid service on the church staff. And, in the case of my four years at Naples United Church of Christ not only was I both a church member and a member of the church staff, I was not present for worship on Sunday mornings Read More …
My First Year as an Ordained UCC Minister (#2166)
One year ago today I was ordained to ministry in the United Church of Christ and installed as the CEO of White Rock Center of Hope through a four way covenant (for more on that experience from my experiences as a Member in Discernment to the ordination service see My Ordination and Installation). On the occasion of the first anniversary of my ordination, I decided to reflect on some of what this first year included. White Rock Center of Hope I serve as CEO of White Read More …
Preaching Abundant Life (#2045)
This morning I had the opportunity to preach at Central Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Dallas, Texas. This was a truly one of a kind opportunity since a member of Central Lutheran was the founder and first Executive Director of White Rock Center of Hope, which is the organization I now lead. The Sermon My message, "Abundant Life," was based on the lectionary passages (Psalm 23, Acts 2:42-47, 1 Peter 2:19-25, and John 10:1-10). A Radical Excerpt Let’s get the radical stuff out of Read More …
Welcome Isn’t Enough (#1830)
Yesterday I attended Connecting the Dots: Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity Training. The event was co-sponsored by More Light Presbyterians and Just Texas and hosted by Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ in Dallas. The Rev. Alex Patchin McNeill, Executive Director of More Light Presbyterians, served as the primary trainer. My biggest takeaway from the day was a reminder that simply saying "all are welcome" on websites, worship bulletins, and other materials is not enough. Read More …
Adese Fellowship (Social Enterprise) (#1712)
Two months ago I wrote about experiencing "many first days" in a relatively short period of time. One of those first days was starting my role as Director of Social Enterprise at the Wesley Mission Center in Mansfield, Texas. Shortly after starting that position I learned that the United Church of Christ was accepting applications for a social enterprise fellowship targeting those interested in changing the world for good via social enterprise. Adese "Adese" comes from Read More …
Mainline: Lacking Racial Diversity (#1573)
Race related topics have been featured in the news more in recent months than any time I can recall. Mainline Protestants generally tend to have healthy perspectives on race. Such philosophical and even theological understandings do not necessarily translate into action (for example: read my summary and reflection of Bradley Wright's recent research showing that Mainline Protestant congregations had the highest rate of discrimination to prospective visitors) nor do they Read More …
PostChristian Opportunity (#1482)
Christian Piatt's new book postChristian: What’s Left? Can We Fix It? Do We Care? topped my list of September reading recommendations. In January, he will be making a stop in Southwest Florida at two UCC congregations: Tuesday, January 13 @ 7pm - Naples United Church of Christ, and Wednesday, January 14 @ 10am - United Church of Marco Island. Note: Registration is not required for these free events. All are welcome. About the Book Check out Christian's new book tour Read More …
Bread for the Journey (#0725)
I have been privileged to be a part of Christian communities that celebrate Communion differently. Among these differences: Name: Holy Communion, Lord's Supper, or Eucharist Frequency: weekly, monthly, or periodically Who Presides: only ordained clergy or only lay leaders or both groups are welcome in this role Presence: a complex continuum of understanding how Jesus is present Elements: (1) bread - a single shared loaf or multiple loaves - single option for all or for Read More …