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. Slow to Change I remember learning in seminary that the church in all of its forms tends to change more slowly than the dominant culture. And, I remember hearing cases for why this was positive as well as ways in which it could be negative. Additionally, I recall a phase known to many as the seven last Read More …
Giving Up the Output Oriented Church (#1922)
I've spent my entire life in church. More specifically, I've been a part of a dozen congregations affiliated with a group of denominations most continue to label Mainline Protestant (for more on my departure, check out Giving Up Mainline Protestantism). Defining Success Individual congregations rarely provide stakeholders with a clear definition of success. As a result, most members and many active participants are left to assume their congregation is doing just fine provided it Read More …
First Indoor Worship Service in a Year (#1921)
Last Sunday I attended my first in person worship service in over a year. For that outdoor service at First Presbyterian Church (Fort Worth, TX) I sat masked in a socially distanced chair with fewer than 20 other outdoor attendees - a group which was supplemented by folks worshipping in a nearby parking lot in their vehicles. (For more on this check out my post titled First in Person Worship Experience in a Year.) Today was another milestone day: I attended my first indoor worship service in Read More …
Giving Up Worship in Indoor Sacred Spaces (#1920)
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. Indoor Sacred Spaces as Primary From birth through childhood, adolescence, young adulthood and into middle age I have participated in weekly Sunday morning worship almost every week of every year of my life. At least 98% of those worship services occurred indoors within the walls of congregations I Read More …
First In Person Worship Experience in a Year (#1919)
I attended in person worship for the first time in over a year earlier today! First Presbyterian Church of Fort Worth created and has continually updated and followed a reopening plan that is based on data not dates. After a few months of providing a parking lot service during which all attendees were required to remain in their vehicles (I shared my initial experience in "New Year, New Worship Experience"), the congregation added an in person element to this weekly worship service Read More …
Great New Books – March 2021 (#1918)
Over the last month I’ve read ten recently published books. My March list of recommended reads features one book published in 2020 and nine published in 2021. (5.0) The Black Church: This is Our Story, This is Our Song by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (Penguin Press, 2021) (4.5) A Rhythm of Prayer: A Collection of Meditations for Renewal edited by Sarah Bessey (Convergent, 2021) (4.5) Good Apple: Tales of a Southern Evangelical in New York by Elizabeth Passarella (Nelson Books, 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 …
Giving Up the Church I Always Knew (#1916)
For the last fifteen or so years I've focused on approaching life, ministry, and the life of faith from a both/and perspective rather than the either/or framework that was normative in my earlier years. For Lent, I'm accustomed to both giving something up and adding something on as a way of growing in my faith. In past years, items in both the giving up and adding on categories have been mundane. They were not original. Nonetheless, they were helpful. This year, for Lent I'm formally Read More …
Staying Home, Staying Warm (#1915)
Some assumptions go unspoken. For example, I had always assumed it would be safe (and even wise) to leave my house and to interact with other people every day. That assumption was challenged almost a year ago with the arrival of a global pandemic known as COVID-19. In response to COVID-19, I've learned new ways of being out and about in the larger world, have modified interpersonal interactions to provide enhanced safety, and have increased the percentage of interactions conducted Read More …
Great New Books -February 2021 (#1914)
Over the last month I've read ten recently published books. My February list of recommended reads features two books published in 2020 and eight published in 2021. (5.0) Thrive: The Leader's Guide to Building A High Performance Culture by Andrew Freedman and Paul Elliott (Shift Media, 2021) (4.5) The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again by Robert D. Putnam (Simon & Schuster, 2020) (4.5) How to Fight Racism: Courageous Christianity Read More …