Clergy obviously need more than spirituality, academic preparation, and field education to become great bishops, deans, rectors, and vicars. Retired Navy chaplain George Clifford recently included the above quote in a blog post emphasizing the importance of the skill of selling within the framework of leadership. He writes: Spend a day with the bishop, dean, rector, or vicar of one our relatively few growing, thriving dioceses or congregations and you will observe a Read More …
Church Marketing Shifts (#1062)
Lindsay Christian's recent Capital Times article, "Marketing God: Churches Turn to the Web, Social Media to Attract Members," explores how many congregations in her area have shifted their marketing time and monies from print efforts to online endeavors. Christian's piece effectively explores how a significant trend has impacted congregations in her community. To highlight the significantly diminished return on investment and increasing irrelevancy of print advertising (especially Read More …
Mistreating Atheists? (#1061)
Intriguing Article Earlier this week my wife sent me a link to Tania Lombrozo's recent NPR article: "Atheist Shoemaker Loses Faith in U.S. Postal System." The article explores a study by the maker of Atheist Shoes considering what appears to be unfair treatment of their shipments by the USPS. Troublesome Experiences Atheist Shoes is a "cadre of shoemakers & artists in Berlin, Germany who hand-make ridiculously comfortable, Bauhaus-inspired shoes for people who don't Read More …
Don’t Believe Easter, Live It (#1060)
David Henson, a candidate for Holy Orders in the Episcopal Church who received his Master of Arts from Graduate Theological Union (Berkeley, CA), recently wrote what has become for me the most thought provoking post I have read this year on the topic of Easter. He writes: Frankly, I don’t care if you believe Jesus was literally or metaphorically resurrected. And neither does Easter. I find it laughable we try to reduce the power of Easter to a proposition, as if the resurrection Read More …
Bible Ownership & Readership (#1059)
According to "The State of the Bible 2013," a poll conducted by The Barna Group for American Bible Society, there is a significant gap between Bible ownership and readership. More specifically, almost 9 out of 10 Americans (88%) surveyed own at least 1 Bible & the average household contained 4.4 Bibles, and only 1 in 5 Americans read the Bible on a regular basis. So What? While this gap isn't surprising, a related statistic is: 3 in 5 (61%) wish they read the Bible Read More …
Don’t Wreck Your Ministry (#1058)
Ben Reed, pastor of small groups at Long Hollow Baptist Church (Hendersonville, TN) and communications director for the Small Group Network, recently blogged about how people wreck their ministries. Reed shared a few obvious ways people ruin their ministries before sharing a list of 17 additional ways he labeled "not so obvious," including: quit dreaming, never build relationships with people outside of the faith, spend 98% of your time in your office, never go to Read More …
Review of Faithful Generations (#1057)
Meet the Author John R. Mabry is a pastor, spiritual director, musician, professor, and author. Since 1994, he has served Grace North Church (affiliated with the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches, and are currently in-care with the United Church of Christ) in Berkeley, CA. Since 1999, he has been in private practice as a spiritual director, directing those of differing generations. Mabry teaches spiritual guidance, world religions, Read More …
Time for Leaders to Stop (#1056)
Scott Williams has considerable leadership experience as a prison warden, lead pastor of a congregation that grew to an average weekly worship attendance of over 3,500 during his tenure, consultant, and social media guru. He is also the author of Church Diversity: Sunday the Most Segregated Day of the Week (2011 – read my review here). Recently, he shared his list of "21 Things Leaders Need To Stop Doing." Stop treating your employees like they are just another Read More …
Teen Pregnancy – Reality Check (#1055)
Perception and reality often differ dramatically. According to a national telephone survey conducted earlier this year for The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy by Social Science Research Solutions, most American adults are not aware that the rate of teen pregnancy has declined significantly since 1990. FACT: Since 1990, teen pregnancy has decreased 43%. FACT: Since 1991, the birth rate among teens has decreased 49%. Reality Check: 68% of those surveyed who Read More …
Pastor of Innovation (#1054)
When I was a seminary student, it was understood that the vast majority of students would go on to pastoral ministry in a parish setting. Most of these individuals would spend all of their years in ministry as solo pastors serving smaller congregations. In recent years, the expectations have shifted significantly. Only about half of all recent seminary graduates enter parish ministry. For those who do enter this form of ministry, increasing numbers serve in large, mega, Read More …