Three common measures of success for local churches are worship attendance, annual budgets, and facilities (sometimes referred to as butts, bucks, and buildings). Worship Attendance Congregations vary widely in size. Comparing them based on membership appears attractive until you learn that membership means different things in different traditions, and even within a given denomination individual congregations have different expectations of how one becomes a member and what one must do to Read More …
Be Ready – Hope (#1971)
Be ready. This is a message I've heard since I was a child. Always be ready. Be ready for everything on your calendar. Be ready for opportunities that are just around the corner. Be ready for the unexpected. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respectI Peter 3:15b, NIV Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you're living the way you are, and Read More …
Be Yourself (#1970)
Passage for reflection: Hebrews 12:1-8 In the 1980s and 1990s the United States Army recruiting campaign was “Be All You Can Be.” Through television commercials, print advertisements, and a wide-ranging messaging tools the Army delivered ads designed to connect with a broad audience and to encourage them to consider the Army as the place where they could maximize their potential. Over the course of my lifetime, I’ve come to know another entity with an even more compelling message: “Be Read More …
Great New Books – January 2022 (#1969)
Welcome to 2022! My first list of great new books for the year follows. (All books were published in 2021 or 2022.) (4.5) Be the Brave One: Living Your Spiritual Values Out Loud and Other Life Lessons by Ann Kansfield (Broadleaf Books, 2021)(4.5) Sharing Leadership: A United Church of Christ Way of Being in Community by Sarah B. Drummond (Pilgrim Press, 2021)(4.5) American Made: What Happens to People When Work Disappears by Farah Stockman (Random House, 2021)(4.0) The Generation Myth: Read More …
Who is Jesus? (#1968)
A few days ago, I found myself traveling West through Arlington, Texas behind a truck bearing an unexpected theological assertion, "Jesus Christ is true God." So What? As we begin a new year, I encourage you to formulate your own statement(s) about Jesus. If you are someone who identifies as Christian or as a follower of the Way of Jesus or as a disciple of Jesus, then I'd welcome hearing a bit about who you know Jesus to be and why that matters in your life. Read More …
22 Must Read Books for 2022 (#1967)
For the last twelve years I’ve published an annual list of my top ten books published each year. While these lists have been alphabetical rather than in rank order, they’ve also included mention of two books from each list that had the greatest impact on my life and ministry during that year. To begin 2022, I'm taking a look back at the eleven most recent lists, which provides 22 must read books for 2022. (The list appears in alphabetical order by author last name.) Diana Butler Bass. Read More …
Top 21 Posts – All Time (#1966)
Since launching So What Faith in 2009, I’ve written more than 1,960 posts about matters of faith that matter. Based on page views, the all time most popular posts on So What Faith (as of December 26, 2021) are listed below followed by year of publication and change in popularity when compared to last year's list of top all time posts. Pastoral Prayer – Love (2014) [+1)Prayers of the People – Youth Sunday (2009) [-1]Are 10,000 Churches Closing Every Year? (2019) [+4]My Visit to Read More …
Top 10 Posts of 2021 (#1965)
2021 has been a year of striving to live into a reality known best as "new normal" or "next normal." This year's top posts (posts published in 2021 with the greatest number of page views as of December 19) consider timely topics of reopening congregations for in person worship, pastoral transitions, current trends, permanent church closure, and great new books. Top 10 Books of 2021 (December)A Decade in the United Church of Christ (August)Reopening for In Person Worship - 5 Congregations Read More …
Top 10 Books of 2021 (#1964)
Welcome to the 12th annual So What Faith list of the top ten books of the year (books are listed in alphabetical order by author’s last name): Brian Alexander. The Hospital: Life, Death, and Dollars in a Small American Town.Diana Butler Bass. Freeing Jesus: Rediscovering Jesus as Friend, Teacher, Savior, Lord, Way and Presence.Dustin Benac & Erin Weber-Johnson (editors). Crisis & Care: Meditations on Faith and Philanthropy.Sarah Damaske. The Tolls of Uncertainty: How Privilege and Read More …
5 Star Books Published in 2021 (#1963)
Welcome to the third annual edition of all books published in the current year that received a rating of 5 or 5+ (on a scale of 1-5) from So What Faith. This year, 15% of all books rated received this honor. After Jesus Before Christianity: A Historical Exploration of the First Two Centuries of Jesus Movements by Erin Vearncombe, Brandon Scott, and Hal Taussig for the Westar Christianity Seminar (HarperOne, 2021)At the Blue Hole: Elegy for a Church on the Edge by Jack R. Reese (William Read More …