Outreach Magazine's new special issue focused on the largest and fastest growing churches in America is packed with information. While I always look at the lists of the 100 fastest growing and the 100 largest congregations (based on worship attendance), this year I was struck by the classification of the congregations making both lists. More specifically, both lists are dominated by churches characterized as nondenominational or interdenominational. They comprise Read More …
Before Visiting a New Church (#0858)
Before visiting a new church, most people seek some basic information online. Evan Courtney, Family Life Pastor and Communications Director at The Fields Church, provides the following list of website must haves for would be first-timer guests: What does the pastor look like? What size of church is it? What do I wear? What happens in a service? Will I be asked to give money? What do my kids do? How do I get to your church? So What? Most first impressions are virtual. Read More …
God Is (#0857)
Tripp Hudgins recently blogged about God. He writes: God is who God says God is. God is bigger than the craft that is religion. God is not what we do. Nor is God some Collective Self. God is more than we can contain in even our most imaginative moments. God is more than the people who have claimed God over the years. God is more and thus, when we want to know God we have to pull the Moses Hat out of our bag and ask the Almighty "Who do I tell them sent me?" God is a Who. This is Read More …
Elders + Social Media (#0856)
While senior centers, assisted living facilities, and organizations focused on mature adults have been providing computing classes for years, many have recently added "how to" sessions on Facebook, Twitter, and blogging. Julie Andrews recently wrote about some of the benefits older adults experience when they use social media, including increased connectivity to family and friends. So What? Church is a community. It should also be concerned with connecting people to one Read More …
Review of Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha & Mohammed Cross the Road (#0855)
Meet the Author Brian McLaren served in pastoral ministry for twenty years as the founding pastor of Cedar Ridge Community Church. In 2006, he stepped down from that role to devote his time to writing and speaking. McLaren has written over a dozen books, including Naked Spirituality: A Life with God in 12 Simple Words (2011 - read my review), A New Kind of Christianity (2010), and Everything Must Change: When the World’s Biggest Problems and Jesus’ Good Read More …
Overcoming Embarrassing Church Websites (#0854)
Terrell Sanders is offering a free ebook (email sign up required) designed to help churches overcome embarrassing websites. The ebook leverages his extensive church web design experiences through the work of the company he founded to suggest 10 practical pointers for church website design (or redesign): Use a simple, classic design Design for content Consistent style does not mean boring Start small, design to grow Design for guests A picture is worth 1,000 words Read More …
My First 3 Years on Twitter (#0853)
I just completed my first three years on Twitter. As I have done at the end of prior years (year two / year one), I took some time to review my experience and to ponder future possibilities. According to Tweet Grader, I earned an A (93 out of 100). Tweet Grader also provided me data about trends in the number of people I am following as well as the number who are following me. As the chart below illustrates, over the last two years both groups have grown considerably. Reflecting Read More …
Teaching = Learning? (#0852)
Roger Olson is an evangelical scholar who serves as Professor of Theology at George W. Truett Theological Seminary of Baylor University. Recently he blogged about several unhelpful continuing education experiences in his thirty-one years teaching in higher education. One workshop, focused on communication and teaching, unsettled Olson: . . . the over riding message left me dazed and confused: “If they have not learned, you have not taught.” Huh? No amount of Read More …
A Healthcare Challenge (#0851)
Faith and Health recently posted Teresa Cutts' interview of Dr. Augustus A. White, Professor of Medical Education and Orthopedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School. White is the co-author of Seeing Patients: Unconscious Bias in Health Care (2011), which considers "the largely hidden yet massive injustice of bias in medical treatment." The following excerpt from that interview offers a real challenge to religious leaders: What are your thoughts on Read More …
Unlearning God (#0850)
Jon Acuff recently blogged about his realization that "God is not who I thought he was," which has led him to new experiences of "unlearning God." So What? Our images of who God is develop over time. In honest exploration, it is often appropriate and helpful to unlearn or set aside some aspects of our prior understanding. What about God are you currently seeking to unlearn? Read More …