Last week I shared 5 Ways to Create a Moral Tomorrow. That list includes general issues that impact our entire nation. This week, I focus on local issues. What issue(s) within your own local community demand(s) attention? Finding Your Ferguson The Rev. Starsky Wilson has become widely known as the result of his tireless work in and around Ferguson. He served as co-chair of the Ferguson Commission and is one of three incorporators for a nonprofit called Forward Through Read More …
Discipleship
5 Ways to Create a Moral Tomorrow (#1622)
Deanna Vandiver, Executive Director for the Center for Ethical Living and Social Justice Renewal (New Orleans, LA), recently challenged her readers to recognize their "spiritual responsibility for a moral tomorrow." That responsibility means taking action to insist that Black Lives Matter respect the gender spectrum and offer hospitality to everyone unlimited by their pronoun welcome the immigrant stranger as friend and work for #not1moredeportation fight for $15 and living Read More …
When “It Still Works” Isn’t Good Enough (#1621)
For the better part of a year, my wife and I have been renovating the house we call our home. While we have updated many houses over the years, this time our efforts are more comprehensive. We are committed to refashioning it to our tastes and to remaking it for 2016. As the first phase was nearing completion, it became clear a second phase was needed to handle items that still worked fine but were no longer good enough. When 1989 was placed side-by-side with 2016, it was hard Read More …
Keep Creating (#1617)
Rob Bell's new book: How to Be Here: A Guide to Create a Life Worth Living (HarperOne, 2016) is as thoughtful as it is thought provoking. When I get around to officially rating it, I will certainly give it 5 stars. Always Creating Just a few pages into the first part of the book in a section titled "Ex Nihilo-ness," Bell offers this wisdom about our ongoing creative role as humans: You create your life. You get to shape it, form it, steer it, make it into something . . . Read More …
Search for a Church – Taking Recommendations (#1616)
Almost every study I have ever read finds that at least 3 out of every 4 people find a new church because of a recommendation. More specifically, someone already involved in a community of faith invited them to visit. So What? Now that my search for a church is in its fifth month, I am taking recommendations. In other words, feel free to invite me to your church - especially if you really think I would be a good fit. (If you have no idea whether or not I would be a good fit simply share what Read More …
Search for a Church – Under Construction (#1615)
The house my wife and I purchased late last summer has been under construction for the last six months. For the last five months, our search for a church has also been an ongoing experience. The construction at home has given me new eyes with which to observe the various faith communities at home and to recognize that whether thriving, declining or somewhere in between each congregation is also under construction. So What? We know better than to look for a perfect Read More …
Love Your Non-Christian Neighbor (#1612)
I fondly remember taking a course called "Contemporary Theologies of Mission" from Dr. Rob Sellers in seminary (Hardin-Simmons University’s Logsdon Seminary). It was a class that transformed my perspective on what mission can and should look like in the twenty-first century, especially that which is done in God's name by those who seek to follow the Way of Jesus. Earlier this week, I happened upon Ken Camp's recent article in the Baptist Standard that summarized Sellers' remarks Read More …
Reflections on Average Worship Attendance (#1610)
Most American churches have relatively small memberships. Since the accuracy of membership roles varies widely, average weekly worship attendance is often used to compare congregational size. Median American congregation has 75 attend weekly worship (National Congregations Survey) Average American congregation has 186 attend weekly worship (US Congregational Survey) Half (50%) of all church attendance is accounted for by the largest 10% of congregations - those with 350+ average Read More …
Completing the Dream (#1605)
More than fifty years have passed since Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I have a dream" speech in 1963. While there are many signs of progress toward racial equality that progress is inadequate, incomplete and inconsistent. Far too much work remains yet unfinished. Next Steps The work of moving our nation forward requires everyone's involvement. As a white male I need to become more intentional about knowing who I am and how I can help. Over the weekend I Read More …
My 2016 Search for a Church (#1603)
How does someone with more than fifteen years of parish ministry experience search for a church when presented with the opportunity to connect with a community of faith as an active participant rather than serving as a pastor or staff member? In my case the answer is a work in progress. Last September I relocated to North Texas after living in Southwest Florida for eight years. Immediately, my wife and I started our search for a church. Despite my travel for work, we have managed to Read More …