The Spring 2013 edition of Leadership Journal focuses on money, emphasizing how congregations can fund ministries in ways that are consistent with their DNA. While many articles within this edition's pages offer considerable practical insight two that consider the longer term are of particular note. In "Why I Won't Give to Your Church," Robert Jewe explains why as a 23-year-old he may hesitate to fund congregational ministry and mission (p.37). His honest appeal Read More …
Review of The Idolatry of God (#1071)
Meet the Author Peter Rollins is "a widely sought after writer, lecturer, storyteller and public speaker" known for his existential view of Christianity known as pyro-theology. He completed his formal education at Queens University, Belfast with earned degrees in Scholastic Philosophy (BA Hons), Political Theory (MA) and Post-Structural thought (PhD). Rollins is the author of multiple books, including The Idolatry of God: Breaking Our Addiction to Certainty and Satisfaction Read More …
Successful Blogs (#1070)
Srinivas Rao recently shared "Six Pillars of an Effective Blog." The list includes wisdom about focus, style and a few additional resources effective blogs should include. More specifically, Rao suggests effective blogs know their purpose/message/mission, include an optional e-mail newsletter, provide a free e-book/manifesto, are based on a product/business model, emphasize good site design, and engage in effective self-promotion. So What? While there is no Read More …
A Word of Hope (#1069)
Mark Hanson, Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, shared this powerful one minute (71 seconds) message of hope yesterday. So What? As we near the conclusion of what has been an unusual and, for many, challenging week Hanson's reminders are timely and timeless: Wherever you are . . . the promise is Christ is with you. Christ comes and says to you, "peace be with you." There are no God forsaken places and there are no God forgotten people. How did Read More …
Friday Foursome (#1068)
In an effort to share what I am reading with you, I have consistently posted at least one book review a week for the last few years. At times, however, I find my pile of read but not yet reviewed books grows quite large. As I did earlier this month, I am opting to forgo my normal reviews in order to provide a list of four books I have read recently (listed by rating, on a scale of 5.0). (5) The Christian Century and The Rise of the Protestant Mainline (2013) by Read More …
Your Church’s Facebook Presence (#1067)
Monk Development's "2013 State of the Church Online Report" contains data gathered from a diverse group of "over 50 churches spread across the United States" that seek to serve their congregation's through the web (p.2). As I reviewed the report, I found myself returning again and again to a statistic that provides a benchmark for congregations seeking to develop a presence on Facebook. According to Monk's research, "the average for likes vs. total weekly attendance (TWA) is Read More …
No More Sermons (#1066)
David Murrow, author of Why Men Hate Going to Church and founder of Church for Men, recently asked a question worth considering: "Are Sermons Becoming Obsolete?" In that blog post he suggests something most know but don't often consider -- while lectures were once a preferred and popular means of communication, recent technological shifts have rendered them uncommon outside of two environments: universities and churches. Now, universities are beginning to consider other Read More …
E-Books on the Rise (#1065)
Writing for Mashable, Lauren Indvik reports "According to the Association of American Publishers's StatShot study released Thursday, e-books made up nearly a quarter (22.55%, to be precise) of U.S. trade publishers' book sales last year." So What? Just a few years ago e-books were a curious new option with limited adoption. In 2009, e-books accounted to only 3% of U.S. trade publishers' book sales. Put differently, e-books experienced a 650%+ increase in adoption between Read More …
Review of Shadow & Light (#1064)
Meet the Editors Darryl Tippens, Jeanne Murray Walker, and Stephen Weathers each have considerable experience as professors of English. Currently, Tippens is Provost and Professor of English at Pepperdine University, Walker is Professor of English at the University of Delaware, and Weathers is Associate Professor of English at Abilene Christian University. Individually their contributions to their respective specialties within the discipline are significant; together they have Read More …
Pastoral Selling (#1063)
Clergy obviously need more than spirituality, academic preparation, and field education to become great bishops, deans, rectors, and vicars. Retired Navy chaplain George Clifford recently included the above quote in a blog post emphasizing the importance of the skill of selling within the framework of leadership. He writes: Spend a day with the bishop, dean, rector, or vicar of one our relatively few growing, thriving dioceses or congregations and you will observe a Read More …