In a recent Religion News Service article, Piet Levy reports that interfaith worship services have doubled in the decade following 09.11.01. Specifically, he writes about a survey conducted by an interfaith team of over 11,000 houses of worship that " found that about 14 percent of U.S. congregations surveyed in 2010 said they have engaged in a joint religious celebration with another faith tradition, up from 6.8 percent in 2000." During the same time frame, numbers for Read More …
In 5 Words or Less (#0502)
Jonah preached what is arguably the shortest sermon in the Bible (Jonah 3:4): just 8 words in the NRSV: Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown! just 7 words in the Message: In forty days Nineveh will be smashed just 5 words in the original language (Hebrew) So What? One need not be long-winded to be effective. The results of Jonah's five word sermon were nothing short of amazing. In our sound bite culture where big ideas are often conveyed or Read More …
American Congregations Are Weaker (#0501)
Eric Marrapodi, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor, recently wrote about the experiences of American faith communities during the first decade of the new millennium. His article focuses on The Hartford Institute for Religion Research recently released report titled "A Decade of Change in American Congregations, 2000 – 2010," which was authored by David A. Roozen. Among the findings: Forty-seven percent of congregations that said their worship experience was "innovative Read More …
Should Religion and Business Mix? (#0500)
When I was a young adult, I learned that religion and business were independent spheres. Since that time, I have, thankfully, learned that any such division is necessarily artificial. One does not cease being guided by one's faith because one enters the marketplace any more than one is only guided by it while on the campus of her or his religious gathering space (e.g. mosque, synagogue, church, etc.) or in some other space set aside for religious purposes. A person must, Read More …
Reflecting on 500 Blog Posts (#0499)
In 2009, I moved from an observer to a participant in the growing world known as social media. In January, I joined Facebook. Within a few months, I was logging in to Facebook several times a day. In May, I secured a domain name. In June, I launched this blog. Initially, I wrote a few posts a week In September, I joined Twitter. Within a few months, I was tweeting several times a day. As I wind down my third year in social media, I recognize that statistics tell a Read More …
Review of Cognitive Surplus (#0498)
Meet the Author Clay Shirky teaches at New York University where he has a joint appointment as Arts Professor at the graduate Interactive Telecommunications Program in the Tisch School of the Arts, and as a Distinguished Writer in Residence at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute in the Faculty of Arts and Science. He is best known for his work with the "social and cultural effects of the internet and mobile phones, particularly where they allow for amateur access to Read More …
Social Media Tools for Churches 101 (#0497)
Alys Drake, communications manager for Howell Marketing Strategies, recently wrote a guest commentary in the Commercial Appeal that provides churches with a "social media primer." She includes six basics: Blogs Twitter Flickr and Tumblr Facebook Geolocation (e.g. Foursquare) Other (YouTube, Ustream, Vimeo, podcasting, QR codes, Google+) So What? In the article, Drake states, "Information is spread at lightning speed via social networks like Facebook and Twitter in a way Read More …
Can You Be a Leader? (#0496)
Terry "Starbucker" St. Marie is a seasoned executive leader with over two decades of experience in the cable television industry, who has partnered with Liz Strauss to create Inside-Out Thinking (a venture centered around the development of great leaders who can make a difference in any organization) and SOBCon (a business "think tank" with a Social Media twist). On his blog, he recently shared his experience of his first job interview with a CEO, which happened while he Read More …
Less Educated = Less Churched (#0495)
Religion News Service contributor Nicole Neroulias, recently wrote an article that begins with these words: A recent study reports that white Americans without college degrees are dropping out of church faster than their more highly educated counterparts . . . The study, by University of Virginia sociologist W. Bradford Wilcox, found that since the 1970s, white Americans with no more than a high school diploma have been leaving the pews twice as fast as other Read More …
Should Church Be More Like an Apple Store? (#0494)
Michael Buckingham is the founder of Holy Cow Creative (a church creativity and design studio) and the creative director for the Center for Church Communication and Church Marketing Sucks. A few weeks ago he blogged about the tendency of churches to take ourselves and our rules too seriously, which is in complete contrast to typical Apple store environment. To illustrate the "all are welcomed" approach of Apple stores, he shared a YouTube video of Mark Read More …