Adelle Banks recently wrote a piece for Religion News Service about research conducted by Grey Matter Research & Consulting on behalf of the nonprofit fundraising firm the Russ Reid Co. The research suggests: Houses of worship and other charities often aren't in competition for dollars but instead tend to reap donations from similar donors . . . the more Americans give to a house of worship, the more they donate to other groups. So What? In the article, Banks quoted Ron Read More …
Discipleship
A Shift in Theological Education (#0292)
In the last two weeks two United Church of Christ (UCC) related seminaries have announced plans to launch or expand hybrid or online educational offerings. Andover Newton Theological Seminary will partner with The Alban Institute to offer "courses in church leadership and vitality . . . using Andover Newton’s online learning system and Alban’s authors as instructors." These four week offerings are designed primarily as continuing education for clergy. Eden Theological Seminary will Read More …
World Day of Prayer – Will You Pray? (#0291)
The first Friday of March is the World Day of Prayer. According to a suggested press release available from the World Day of Prayer USA Committee's website: World Day of Prayer (WDP) is a worldwide ecumenical movement of Christian women of many traditions who come together to observe a common day of prayer each year on the first Friday in March. Services begin at sunrise in the Pacific and follow the sun across the globe on the day of celebration. Each year a different country serves Read More …
Multiethnic Calling (#0290)
Mark DeYmaz is the founding pastor of Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas and the co-founder and current Executive Director of the Mosaic Global Network, which is a relational network of local church pastors/planters, researchers, educators and ministry leaders, that exists to catalyze the growing movement toward multiethnic economically diverse churches. His article in the March/April edition of "Outreach" featured brief excerpts from key speakers at the Multi-ethnic Church Conference, Read More …
What is Progressive Christianity? (#0287)
Progressive Christianity is a relatively new term that might not exist today without the work of ProgressiveChristainity.org. In 1994 when the Rev. Jim Adams (shown at right), then the rector of St. Mark's Church on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., founded the organization as The Center for Progressive Christianity there "was no known organization, scholar, or church leader publicly using the term, 'progressive Christianity.'" Within eight years, the term was regularly used "by scholars, Read More …
Decoding the “I’m Not Being Fed” Complaint (#0284)
Steve Mathewson is the Senior Pastor of the Evangelical Free Church of Libertyville, Illinois and the author of The Art of Preaching Old Testament Narrative (2002). He wrote "What 'I'm Not Being Fed' Really Means" for the March/April edition of Collide. In the article he suggests five possible meanings people may intend when offering this remark: I really am not being fed The church is not meeting my needs You are not addressing my struggles and challenges I do not Read More …
Interfaith Possibilities(#0281)
Hundreds of students from around the nation spent this past weekend at Princeton University for the 5th Annual Coming Together Interfaith Conference (CT5). The conference promoted "the importance of inter-religious engagement and understanding at American universities" and provided the student participants opportunities to "discuss how interfaith councils are formed, the role they have on campus and ideas for meaningful programs that promote unity and peace." Attendees at Read More …
An Overview of American Church Membership (#0279)
Earlier this week the National Council of Churches released its annual analysis of church membership: 2011 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. According to the Rev. Dr. Eileen Lindner, editor, the data in this year's report suggests that recent membership trends have continued: "That is, churches which have been increasing in membership in recent years continue to grow and likewise, those churches which have been declining in recent years continue to decline." The yearbook reports Read More …
Is Virtual Community Real Community? (#0278)
While most followers of Jesus who have been on the journey of faith for many years grasp both the theological and pragmatic need for community, newcomers to the faith may be unfamiliar with the concept given the increasingly individualistic society in which we live. Many local congregations would benefit from a renewed focus on Christian community. One helpful example of restoring an intentional emphasis is Our Savior's Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Circle Pines, Read More …
Evolution Weekend: Worth Celebrating? (#0269)
You may be surprised to learn that this weekend, February 11-13, is the sixth annual Evolution Weekend. While not found on any liturgical calendars, it affords congregations of all faiths a focused opportunity to consider the compatibility of religion and science. Meet the Founder Michael Zimmerman (pictured at right) is the founder and director of The Clergy Letter Project , which is the international organization of more than 14,000 religious leaders and scientists that sponsors the Read More …