According to a new list of the happiest nations, the United States has considerable room for improvement. Created by 24/7 Wall St., the list relies on data from the new Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Better Life Index, which is based on measurements of quality of life including housing, income, jobs, community, education, the environment, health, work-life balance, and life satisfaction. According to these standards, the world's happiest nations Read More …
Is Christianity on a Path Toward Extinction? (#0398)
John Shelby Spong served as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark for 24 years before his retirement in 2001. In retirement, he has been a prolific writer and speaker. He concluded a recent essay outlining his thoughts on the future of Christianity with these words: The problems facing institutional Christianity today in the Western world cannot be addressed by tinkering around the edges of our theological formularies or structures . . . We are not today in a temporary Read More …
Could Church Membership Soon Be A Thing Of The Past? (#0397)
Will Mancini is an author, pastor, and speaker who founded Auxano – a church consulting group with a unique approach to developing a church’s vision frame before providing traditional consulting services. He recently blogged about why church membership is no longer as helpful a construct as it once was. In addition to references to churches that have moved away from church membership in favor of partnership, Mancini suggests five reasons churches should consider making the Read More …
Understanding Organizational Culture (#0396)
Michael Schrage is a research fellow at MIT Sloan School’s Center for Digital Business who advises organizations on the economics of innovation through rapid experimentation, simulation and digital design. He recently wrote an article for the Harvard Business Review exploring an important way one can learn about organizational culture. Schrage writes: Paying close attention to customer complaints is a leadership "best practice." Here's a better practice: Pay even closer Read More …
Your Church’s Facebook Page (#0395)
Eric S. Anderson, Minister of Communications and Technology for the Connecticut Conference of the United Church of Christ recently posted an excellent guide to creating and effectively utilizing your church's Facebook page. He encourages those congregations that have not yet created a presence on Facebook to do so, especially in light of recent research that shows the majority of Americans age 12 and older now have Facebook accounts. Newcomers will benefit from his step-by-step Read More …
The Abbreviated Sermon on the Mount (#0394)
Drew Willard, pastor of the United Church of Christ of the Villages, FL, will be leading a session on Biblical storytelling, entitled "The Three Point Sermon on the Mount," on July 3 at the United Church of Christ's General Synod. Recently he shared what he calls "the Cliff Notes of the Sermon on the Mount" with some of the folks in the Florida Conference: You have heard that it was said, "One Way," but I say to you, "God is still speaking..." Don't pray, donate or serve Read More …
Twitter for Middle School Students (#0393)
CNN.com recently featured Dan Simon's report on how one eighth grade history teacher is using Twitter in the classroom on the news site's home page. Enrique Legaspi reminds his students to BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology), but his classroom also includes computers for any students without a device that connects to the internet. During class, he asks students to tweet their responses to his questions. Legaspi finds that using Twitter in this manner helps students find their Read More …
More than the Buildings (#0392)
Tari Stage-Harvey, pastor of Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Juneau, AK, recently wrote an article for the Juneau Empire suggesting that it is time for Christians to move beyond their fascination with church property and buildings. She writes: Something happened in the history of Christianity where the assembly of Jesus’ followers fell in love with buildings. The building became church. The building became something we went to and often quickly exited so we could move Read More …
Sowhatfaith.com – The First 2 Years (#0391)
Happy 2nd birthday to sowhatfaith.com! Over the course of the last two years, a great deal has changed in my life and with this site. I have transitioned from full-time to part-time ministry in a local congregation transitioned from serving a Presbyterian (PCUSA) parish to serving one affiliated with the United Church of Christ (UCC) started working full-time for a university Sowhatfaith.com has transitioned from posting new content twice a week (101 posts in the Read More …
Review of A Spiritual Life (#0390)
Meet the Editor and Authors Allan Hugh Cole, Jr. has been on the faculty of Austin Presbyterian Seminary since 2003. Currently, he serves as Academic Dean and Nancy Taylor Williamson Professor of Pastoral Care. Previously, Cole served in pastoral ministry in Upstate New York and on Long Island, and was visiting lecturer in pastoral theology at Princeton Theological Seminary. His teaching and research interests include pastoral theology, loss and bereavement, Read More …