Over the last four weeks I've visited five mainline Protestant congregations in the Dallas - Fort Worth metro area that have recently reopened for worship. All five experiences required that I pre-register to attend, and that I commit to a covenant or list of expectations regarding my participation (i.e., not attend if I had a fever or was experiencing COVID-like symptoms, while attending wear a mask and remain socially distanced from others while indoors, etc.). Additionally, all five Read More …
United Church of Christ
Giving Up the Old and White Church (#1924)
I've spent my entire life in congregations affiliated with Mainline Protestant denominations. For Lent, I’m giving up something big: the church I always knew. And, unlike past Lenten disciplines that ended on Easter, this change is one I expect to be permanent. Here in the final post in this series, I'm giving up the old and white church. Old According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median age of all Americans is 38.4 years (2019). By comparison, the Pew Research Center Read More …
Giving Up Mainline Protestantism (#1917)
For Lent, I'm giving up something big: the church I always knew. And, unlike past Lenten disciples that ended on Easter, this change is one I expect to be permanent. My Christian Identity For all of my life, I've self-identified as a Mainline Protestant. Despite this unchanging identification, I've spent significant time outside my own tradition. My experiences beyond the Mainline include Worship. I've visited and worshipped in dozens of congregations affiliated with a variety Read More …
Top 20 Posts – All Time (#1907)
Since launching So What Faith in 2009, I've written more than 1,900 posts about matters of faith that matter. Based on page views, my all time most popular posts (as of December 28, 2020) are Prayers of the People - Youth Sunday (2009) Pastoral Prayer – Love (2014) Review of Not a Fan (2011) 12 Marks of Convergence Christianity (2012) My Visit to Next Level Church (2012) Sermon: Lost --> Found --> Party (2015) Are 10,000 Churches Closing Every Year? (2019) Reading Read More …
Top 10 Posts of 2020 (#1905)
2020 has been the year of the pandemic, and a year marked by more changes in the life of the American church than any in my lifetime. This year's top posts reflect this reality while also including content focused on the always popular topics of good books and Mainline decline. My Seminary is Closing (February)Dear HSU Trustees (February)My Seminary is Closing - The Bigger Picture (February)May Love Overcome and Justice Roll Down (January)Easter Miracles: Empty Tomb, Empty Churches Read More …
Giving Thanks: 10 Ministry Experiences (#1900)
Thanksgiving is a lifestyle, not simply a holiday scheduled the fourth Thursday of November. In the spirit of continuing the focus on thankfulness, today I'm reflecting on and giving thanks for the ten different ministry settings I've served. These settings vary in many ways, yet are all committed to making more real God's kin-dom on earth Founding: Less than 10 years ago to more than 150Size: Less than 100 active participants to more than 2,000Denomination: 5 Mainline Protestant Read More …
In Person Worship: Worship Capacity in the UCC (#1890)
In recent months I've seen hundreds if not thousands of images of empty sanctuaries or other sacred spaces used for worship shared on social media. And, I've seen nearly as many images with just a few people who are leading or preparing to lead virtual worship services during the COVID-19 pandemic. While average weekly worship attendance has long been among the common statistics used to communicate the size of a congregation that statistic usually stands on its own with no mention of how Read More …
6 Months (and Counting) Without In Person Worship (#1888)
After participating in corporate worship weekly or more often for all of my life, I've now gone six months without doing so as a result of COVID-19. Both of the congregations I belong to continue to provide virtual worship alongside other virtual opportunities for connection and discipleship. And, both congregations have yet to set a date to return to offering worship services that parishioners can attend in person. The Unexpected: Virtual Worship Only As I reflect on Read More …
UCC Decline Enters 7th Decade (#1853)
Sixteen months ago I wrote a post titled "6 Decades of Decline in the United Church of Christ," which presented a detailed analysis of the decline in number of congregations and number of members from the time the denomination was formed in 1957 through 2017. (I was surprised to learn this was my second most popular post of the 2010s since I published over 1,800 posts during the decade). In recent days, I learned that the first year of the denomination's 7th decade resulted in continued Read More …
Open and Affirming: Significant New Stats (UCC) (#1848)
I have long been an advocate for the full inclusion of LGBTQ persons in the life of the Christian church, and have been privileged to be a part of three Open and Affirming (ONA) congregations in the United Church of Christ (UCC): Naples United Church of Christ - Naples, FLFort Myers Congregational United Church of Christ - Ft. Myers, FLCathedral of Hope United Church of Christ - Dallas, TX Note: According to the denomination: ONA is the UCC's designation for congregations, campus Read More …