The decade of the 2010s will end in just a few days. To celebrate my lived experiences this decade, I created a list of my Top 20 Experiences of the 2010s. Rather than present a single lengthy list of twenty items, I've grouped the top twenty into four categories. The first two are primarily professional in nature (employment and education) while the final two (homes and happenings) are primarily personal. Employment (9) In addition to working as a consultant, I worked for nine Read More …
Top 10 Posts of 2019 (#1842)
2019 has been quite a year. My return to the Mansfield Mission Center and decision to join First Presbyterian Church (Fort Worth, TX) both made the top ten list of most viewed blog posts written in 2019. The full list appears below. Volunteer Appreciation – Closing Prayer (April)Book Recommendations - March 2019 (March)I’m Back: My Return to the Mansfield Mission Center (March)Our Search for a Church 2.0 is Over! (May)Visiting 50+ Churches in Dallas – Fort Worth (February)Book Read More …
Sermon Length: Comparing My Experiences to Pew Research Findings (#1841)
How long should a sermon be? In my experience the number of answers to this question are equal to or even greater than the number of people participating in the conversation. How long are sermons preached in America? According to a Pew Research Center analysis of nearly 50,000 sermons preached earlier this year (2019) the median sermon length of American congregations is 37 minutes. This number, however, varies widely based on the tradition of a given house Read More …
Top 10 Books of 2019 (#1840)
In 2010, I started publishing a list of my top books of the year each year here at So What Faith. The 2019 edition (aka the 10th Annual) of the best books of the year follows. Author Title Chris Arnade Dignity: Seeking Respect in Back Row America Claire Brown and Michael T. McRay Keep Watch with Me: An Advent Reader for Peacemakers Bruce Deel Trust First: A True Story About the Power of Giving People Second Chances Lenny Duncan Read More …
5 Star Books Published in 2019 (#1839)
Over the course of this year, I've provided ratings here at So What Faith for well over 100 books published in 2019. This year 17% of those volumes earned a rating of 5 or better (including 4 books that received a rating of 5+). These books are listed below in alphabetical order by author last name. Author Title Chris Arnade Dignity: Seeking Respect in Back Row America Susan Beaumont How to Lead When You Don't Know Where You're Going: Leading in a Liminal Read More …
Book Recommendations – December 2019 (#1838)
My final monthly list of recommended reads for the year features thirteen books published in 2019, including three focused on Advent. (5.0) Keep Watch with Me: An Advent Reader for Peacemakers by Claire Brown and Michael T. McRay (Abingdon Press, 2019)(5.0) The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall (Simon & Schuster, 2019)(4.5) Light of the World: A Beginner's Guide to Advent by Amy-Jill Levine (Abingdon Press, 2019)(4.5) Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Read More …
A Sunday School First (#1837)
I attended Sunday school class as a child and teenager then after graduating from college transitioned to teaching Sunday school and/or overseeing Sunday school and other discipleship opportunities for people of all ages. Not only have I spent quite a bit of time in Sunday school classrooms, I also wrote my doctoral dissertation on the topic. For the last 12 weeks, I had the pleasure of teaching a Sunday school class as a volunteer for the first time in my life. My students were also trying Read More …
Religion is Losing Influence (#1836)
A new survey conducted by Pew Research Center shows that Republicans and Democrats strongly agree that religion is losing influence in American life. In an era where Republicans and those who lean Republican tend to disagree with Democrats and those who lean Democrat on nearly every issue (e.g, check out Partisan Polarization - 3 Critical Issues) it is interesting how much support there is in both groups for the statement that religion is losing influence in American life (Democrat/Lean Read More …
Reflecting on Ministry in the 2010s (#1835)
The 2010s will soon be over. During the last 24 hours I found myself in a couple of conversations that included the fun fact that the 2010s will be ending soon. This evening I read through some of the many remarks in a Twitter thread focusing on what individuals accomplished during this decade. With heightened awareness that the 2010s will soon be behind us, I started reflecting on my ministry experiences during this time period. I realized that during the last decade I Served (and Read More …
Partisan Polarization – 3 Critical Issues (#1834)
PRRI recently released a report titled "Fractured Nation: Widening Partisan Polarization and Key Issues in 2020 Presidential Elections" that presents key data from the 2019 American Values Survey. The following image shows just how wide the partisan gap is for the top three critical issues. White Christians A religious divide also exists. While 42% of Americans self-identify as white Christians, the survey found 69% of Republicans compared to 30% of Democrats self-identify as Read More …