When I initially encountered Greg Henson and David Pohlmeier's new infographic on what incoming seminary students bring with them, I found myself gravitating toward the financial data. The data used to generate the graphic comes from surveys completed by 6,900 incoming students at 161 ATS schools during the 2011-2012 school year. Among the findings: 51% of all incoming students enter seminary with educational debt (the image at right shows the debt load of Read More …
Review of Why Priests? (#1029)
Meet the Author Garry Wills joined the faculty of the history department at Northwestern University, and currently serves the university as professor of history emeritus. He is the author of nearly forty books, including multiple bestsellers and a Pulitzer Prize winner based on his study of Abraham Lincoln: Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America. Wills, a frequent contributor to the New York Review of Books, is an historian who Read More …
Pastoral Stressors (#1028)
Bill Reichart, creator of Ministry Best Practices, recently shared an infographic about the pressures of pastoral ministry. The visual is based on data in Pastors at Greater Risk by H. B. London, Jr. and Neil B. Wiseman. So What? Pastoral ministry is a broad category of ordained ministers with varying responsibilities. Clergy, regardless of the amount or type of higher education they have received, must be mindful of and respond to the pressures associated with Read More …
Lenten Carbon Fast (#1027)
This is the third consecutive year that the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ is shepherding an Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast. Participants or interested parties can register to receive a daily e-mail featuring a "suggested carbon-reducing activity, "including information about how significantly such an action will contribute to carbon reduction. Additionally, the campaign features weekly themes for congregations. All content is available via the Read More …
From 5 Million to 4 Million (#1026)
From 2001 to 2011, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America lost just over 1 million members. More specifically: 2001 Membership: 5,099,877 2011 Membership: 4,059,785 Membership Loss: 1,040,092 or 20.39% So What? The decline of the mainline is a popular topic, yet few are familiar with the dramatic nature of the numeric decline in membership and denominational funding. While the numbers presented here reflect the change in the ELCA, similar decline is happening across Read More …
Review of Jesus is _____ (#1025)
Meet the Author Judah Smith and his wife Chelsea serve together as the lead pastors of City Church in Seattle, WA. Previously, Judah served as a youth pastor for ten years at City Church, a congregation that his mother and father led as founding pastors. Book Basics Soon after taking over as the City Church's lead pastor, Smith launched an incredibly successful, creative, and thought provoking marketing campaign designed to reach the city of Seattle: Jesus is _____. The Read More …
Chuck Knows Church (#1024)
Chuck Knows Church is a relatively new educational resource funded by the General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church. Every Thursday, a somewhat goofy yet always personable, pastoral and knowledgeable man named Chuck shares a new 2-4 minute YouTube video on a basic topic related to Christianity. Past topics include liturgical colors, the offering plate, the Narthex, the baptismal font, and Lent. The latest video is on the Lord's Prayer: So What? In Read More …
Review of Making Habits, Breaking Habits (#1023)
Meet the Author Jeremy Dean is a second career psychologist best known for his popular PsyBlog, which features discussion of "psychological studies that are relevant to everyday life." Since leaving his career in law, Dean has earned two degrees in psychology and is currently working on a doctorate in that field. Book Basics Making Habits, Breaking Habits: Why We Do Things, Why We Don't, and How to Make Any Change Stick offers a pragmatic approach to a challenging topic based Read More …
How to Become Pope (#1022)
Almost two weeks ago, C. G. P. Grey uploaded their latest video to YouTube. This five minute educational video explains the path one must take if one seeks to become Pope. It has already been viewed in excess of 1.5 million times. So What? Since a new Pope is elected so infrequently, most people outside of the Catholic Church are not familiar with the process. This video provides a good basic overview. How many men have served as Pope during your lifetime? (check out this Read More …
Religious Diversity in America (#1021)
Philip Cohen, a sociologist at the University of Maryland, recently blogged about religious diversity in the United States (US). He rebuts the claim made by a Harvard professor that the US is “the world’s most religiously diverse nation.” While religious diversity in the US has increased significantly in recent decades (from .53 in 1972 to .68 in 2010), the current level of diversity is less than that present in several other countries. The World Values Survey Read More …