Sermon Text: John 4:19-24 Sermon Excerpt Today we focus on passionate worship as one of the five practices of fruitful congregations. Passionate worship isn’t about music style or volume or instrumentation. It isn't a one size fits all experience. Passionate worship sounds like a nice ideal, but how does it compare to what is really happening each week at the services held at America’s many houses of worship? How has worship changed in recent years? Are there any research based best Read More …
Discipleship
United Church of Christ Tribute Song (#1313)
Currently, I serve two churches affiliated with the United Church of Christ. After writing yesterday about reasons why some clergy are leaving their denominations, today I am suggesting that all who are part of a denomination invest some time in learning more about the history and polity of that denomination. I would love to hear the ways you have done so in the past, and any plans you make for deepening your understanding in 2014. Whether or not you are a part of the United Church Read More …
Drop the Churchy Talk (#1310)
Addie Zierman, author of When We Were on Fire: A Memoir of Consuming Faith, Tangled Love and Starting Over, recently wrote about churchy phrases that scare off millennials (those born from 1981 to 2000) or keep them from more seriously considering participation in the church. Zierman, herself a millennial, writes about the topic as one who has recently returned to church while raising two young boys. She returned not because the church was so wonderful, but because she Read More …
Sermon: Growing Together (#1308)
Sermon Text: Acts 2:42 Sermon Excerpt I grew up in the church. More specifically, I was raised in the Presbyterian Church. As a child, I knew that there was one big hurdle between where I was and the world my parents and other adults inhabited: confirmation. In order to become a member, I had to complete a lengthy educational experience led by a rather intimidating woman: The Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Johnson Pense. It didn’t seem fair to me that she taught religion to Read More …
Moving Sunday School Online (#1305)
For as long as I have been in ministry there has been discussion about how best to reform the Sunday School experience for children. I spent many months doing research on this topic nearly a decade ago as a part of my doctoral work. I continue to be intrigued by and appreciative of those who are on the front lines of innovating this important ministry of faith formation. Day Smith Pritchartt's recent blog post is one great example of how a congregation might choose to replace the Read More …
Sermon: All In (#1301)
Sermon Text: Mark 12:41-44 Sermon Excerpt Presbyterian minister Scott Hauser recently shared a list of things that many American Christians often love more than God. His list includes items many may dismiss, but perhaps should not: football, beauty, and technology. It also contains items that some may be more willing to admit often become like gods – at least for a season: the American way, attention, and safety. Whether or not your complete list would look similar to Read More …
Making Church More Fun (#1296)
Michael Lukaszewski, CEO of The Rocket Company, recently shared a list of five ways to make church more fun. His list includes: let someone with a sense of humor write your bulletin, relax during the welcome, and involve fun people. So What? Worship should be serious, but it should also be engaging and have elements that many would label as "fun." When you think of the typical service of worship in your congregation, would you ever use the word "fun" to Read More …
Sermon: A United Church (#1294)
Sermon Text: I Corinthians 12:1, 4-12, 25-27 (The Message) Sermon Excerpt: Our culture teaches us the importance of starting well each New Year. People tend to take New Year’s resolutions very seriously – at first. If you need confirmation, simply visit the gym of your choice sometime this month. Those crowded gyms never last long. While most resolutions are truly good ideas, often our motivation is inadequate to sustain our efforts. One study found that after just one Read More …
Debating Evolution and Creationism (#1291)
On February 4, 2014, the Creation Museum will host a debate between Ken Ham (CEO, Answers in Genesis) and Bill Nye (The Science Guy). This event is like nothing else that has even been offered at the museum, which holds to a position that the world was created in a few days around 6,000 years ago. So What? Since most visitors to the museum embrace a view that is anti-evolution, it seems reasonable that a similar demographic will attend the debate. Nonetheless, it is likely that by Read More …
New Year’s Blessings (#1288)
The Huffington Post recently featured a collection of 2014 New Year's Blessings from a variety of religious voices. As we near the end of the first week of the year, I decided I would share two that resonated with me. Bishop Gene Robinson: O God of our many understandings, bless us with a steady resolve to fight discrimination, hatred and prejudice. Bless us with compassion for those who suffer, thirst for justice and seek a relief from crushing poverty, at home and abroad. Bless us Read More …