Eddie Long has served as pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church near Atlanta, GA since 1987. A few months ago he took a leave of absence after his wife filed for divorce and former members (all male) of his congregation accused him of sexual abuse. Bishop Long, as he is called now by his parishioners, is now back to shepherding his flock. Last Sunday he returned to the spotlight again when a guest speaker, Ralph Messer, proclaimed Eddie Long a "king" in an Read More …
Just How Small Are Most Congregations? (#0627)
Recently the Presbyterian Church (USA) released information about the distribution of its congregations by size. The chart below provides the data in a manner that clearly displays the prevalence of small congregations. Put differently, 51.9% have 100 or fewer members 83.7% have 300 or fewer members 3.6% have 800 or more members So What? Since completing my education I have served exclusively in mainline congregations with well over 800 members, including a PC Read More …
Imams, Pastors & Rabbis – Holy Compensation (#0626)
During the month of January, I read several articles outlining the differing average pay for clergy in the United States, including Brian Palmer's very direct approach: "What Type of Clergy get the Highest Salary". He lists the following average compensation: Rabbis - $140,000 Pastors - $40,000 Imams - $30,000 Other research suggests these numbers are most accurate: Rabbis - $80,000 Protestant Pastors - $40,000 Imams - $30,000 Roman Catholic Priests - Read More …
Less Religious Charitable Giving (#0625)
According to William G. Enright, Executive Director of the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, leaders in American congregations should be aware of a challenging trend in charitable giving: When we look at the data we have from our own center, if you look at about 1970 to about 1995 and if you look at all charitable giving, giving to religion was roughly half of all charitable dollars. Since 1995, what was one-half has Read More …
Review of Cathedral of the World (#0624)
Meet the Author Forrest Church (1948-2009) wrote or edited more than two dozen books and served for three decades as the minister of the Unitarian Church of All Souls in New York City, which grew to be among the largest congregations affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association. Church received the FDR Four Freedoms Award from the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Foundation (2008) and the Art Buchwald Spirit Award from the National Hospice Foundation (2009). Read More …
Wisdom from the Analects (#0623)
Last semester I taught an undergraduate introductory course in world religions. While my students knew of Confucius, none had previously read his Analects. If you have never done so, I encourage you to take a few minutes to do so online (you can do so here thanks to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Whether or not you read the Analects in full, consider the following excerpt: Tsze-kung asked what constituted the superior man. The Master said,"He acts Read More …
What Anchors Your Spirituality? (#0622)
Rev. Otis Moss III, Senior Minister of 8500 member Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, recently wrote the following words in the Huffington Post: "the cultural motif of Jazz and the theological weight of Jesus' love ethic anchor my spirituality." So What? Take a few moments to think about your spirituality. Then, in a sentence or less, share what acts as its anchor. Read More …
Does He Speak For You? (#0621)
"Why Does MSNBC Invite Hateful, Anti-Gay Liars on TV to Represent Christians?" is a question I cannot answer and the title of Nick Sementelli's recent post on Faith in Public Life's blog. MSNBC recently responded to critics by severing ties with Pat Buchanan who has written and said things that are troubling, prejudiced, and un-Christian. They have, however, as of this writing, continued to welcome Tony Perkins as a regular contributor. Perkins is the president of Read More …
Quotes to Ponder (#0620)
William Bole (pictured at right) is an American journalist whose "writing is situated on the borders between religion, ethics, politics, and intellectual life." Recently he wrote a blog post that included several quotes from progressive pastor William Sloane Coffin's book The Heart is a Little to the Left: Essays on Public Morality (1999), including: Socrates was mistaken. It’s not the unexamined life that is not worth living; it’s the uncommitted life. It is a Read More …
Effective Church Websites (#0619)
Dave Hakes is a software engineer who seeks to "demystify and make practical the many tools the internet offers so that you and your church can better reach people." Recently he shared 7 elements of an effective church website: Focus on those who are not yet a part of your congregation Emphasize pictures of people not buildings Remove clutter Ensure key information is in plain sight (no scrolling required) Create compelling and relevant content Include a welcome message Tell Read More …