The decline of American Christianity has long been the most popular topic at So What Faith. As the pandemic continues, the significance of the decline becomes more apparent both at the macro level and in the lives of individual congregations. Trend 1: Declining Membership in Congregations One data point has received greater consideration this year than any year since I've been a part of the conversation about the decline of American Christianity: church membership. A Gallup article Read More …
My First Complete In Person Worship Experience (#1942)
Until March 2020, I took for granted that nearly every Christian congregation would offer a weekly in person worship experience that would include congregational singing and musical worship leadership by a choir, orchestra, and/or a praise band. Starting in March 2021, I began to learn experientially about the many ways congregations are moving toward a "new normal" or "next normal." During the first two months Mainline Protestant congregations in the Dallas - Fort Worth area were Read More …
Looking Up & Looking Ahead (#1941)
Almost every day is the same; I spend most of my day looking straight ahead and a much smaller portion looking down. It is rare that I shift my visual focus upward, and rarer still for my upward gaze to persist for any length of time. On July 4, I found myself making an exception as I watched an impressive and lengthy (almost 30 minutes!) fireworks show from my home in Fort Worth, Texas. And, now, I'm recognizing that this temporary visual reorientation provided me with a larger Read More …
Great New Books – July 2021 (#1940)
The ten best new books I've read over the last month are (5+) We Aren't Broke: Uncovering Hidden Resources for Mission and Ministry by Mark Elsdon (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2021)(5.0) Staying Awake: The Gospel for Changemakers by Tyler Sit (Chalice Press, 2021)(4.5) In Defense of Kindness: Why it Matters, How it Changes Our Lives, and How it Can Save the World by Bruce Reyes-Chow (Chalice Press, 2021)(4.5) Out of Many, One: Portraits of American Immigrants by George W. Bush Read More …
Top Posts of 2021 (January – June) (#1939)
In a few days, we will reach the midpoint of 2021. Many of my blog posts this year have focused on how churches and other ministries are reopening, and how the next normal will differ from what had been normative in a pre-pandemic world. Additionally, the first post of the month each month introduces great new books. Not surprisingly, all five of the top posts for the first half of this year fit in one of those two categories (top posts as defined by total page views): Reopening for Read More …
Giving Thanks – Mansfield Mission Center (#1938)
Over the last four years, I've had the joy of serving the Mansfield Mission Center (MMC). In short, MMC is the place people turn when unexpected challenges arise, and it is the center of opportunity for individuals, families, and the entire community. Introducing the Mansfield Mission Center Founded as the benevolence ministry of First Methodist Mansfield and originally known as the Wesley Mission Center, the organization became its own non-profit in 2013, and was renamed Read More …
My “Next Normal” Communion Experience (#1937)
COVID-19 has forever changed the church. While exactly what the "next normal" of worship will look like will vary regionally and, within regions, between congregations, it will not return to how it was before the pandemic. With this in mind, I included worship changes as one of five changes I expect in the life of the church in the months and years ahead (for more on that check out Giving Up the Church I Always Knew). Returning to Indoor Worship After more than a year of worshipping Read More …
Celebrating 12 Years of So What Faith (#1936)
In the spring of 2009 I decided to give blogging a try. After doing a little research, talking with several friends and colleagues who had already been blogging for awhile, and brainstorming possible names, I launched So What Faith in June 2009. While I'd love to say that when I launched the site I knew what I was doing and imagined that the site would still be going strong a dozen years later, in reality I simply knew that I was ready to share some of my short form writing about matters of Read More …
Great New Books – June 2021 (#1935)
The ten best new books I've read over the last month are (5.0) United States of Grace: A Memoir of Homelessness, Addiction, Incarceration, and Hope by Lenny Duncan (Broadleaf Books, 2021) (4.5) White Evangelical Racism: The Politics of Morality in America by Anthea Butler (University of North Carolina Press, 2021) (4.5) Praying with Our Feet: Pursuing Justice & Healing on the Streets by Lindsey Krinks (Brazos Press, 2021) (4.5) Made, Known, Loved: Developing Read More …
It’s Time to Live Again (#1934)
Passage for reflection: Ezekiel 37:1-14 Church is predictable. Over the course of my lifetime, I’ve served nine congregations, and been part of worship services in over one hundred. In the denominations I know best, worship happens in an orderly manner and without surprises. The church year is predictable. Each new year begins with Advent, then come Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Ordinary Time. While that listing is correct it is intentionally incomplete; it omits Read More …