Gallup recently reported that church membership in the United States has experienced a significant decline over the last two decades dropping from 70% in 1999 to 50% in 2018. This shift is attributed to both an overall decline in religious affiliation and a decline in membership among those who identify with a specific religion. So What? The May 22, 2019 edition of the Christian Century included the following visual that clearly communicates the Gallup data illustrating that the Read More …
Honk if You’re Holy!?! (#1799)
I like to take pictures of religious signs, including those on vehicles. I discovered this "Honk if You're Holy!" sign in a parking lot in Florida back in 2015. Of the three signs displayed on the vehicle it is the one that captured my attention (the other sign on the rear read "JW.ORG Psalms 83:18 and a sign on the side simply displayed the number 144,000). Would You Honk? When I originally shared this image on Facebook I asked the question, "Would you honk?" Some of the more Read More …
Our Search for a Church 2.0 is Over! (#1798)
I know quite a bit about churches. I was raised in the church, studied ministry as an undergraduate, attended seminary, and served 9 congregations. I know far less about searching for a church to participate in as an active member. My wife and I embarked on what I know think of as our original search for a church in March 2015 after I completed an interim ministry role and we moved from Southwest Florida to North Texas. That 70 week long search included attending worship 61 times in 36 different Read More …
Book Recommendations – May 2019 (#1797)
The 10 best books published in 2019 that I read during the month of April are (5.0) Giving Done Right: Effective Philanthropy and Making Every Dollar Count by Phil Buchanan (Public Affairs, 2019) (5.0) Piloting Church: Helping Your Congregation Take Flight by Cameron Trimble (Chalice Press, 2019) (4.5) One Coin Found: How God's Love Stretches to the Margins by Emmy Kegler (Fortress Press, 2019) (4.5) Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World by Read More …
Search for a Church 2.0 – Decision Coming Soon (#1796)
When I announced that we started this search for a church in April of 2018, I did not expect that we would still be searching a year later. In all from start to finish, I am now nearly certain the journey will take us about 13 months (57 weeks to be more precise). Timeline While the general plan has remained consistent throughout, the number of congregations involved expanded twice. Some high points of the timeline follow: March 2018 - selected 10 churches to visitMay 2018 - completed Read More …
1 in 10 Christians (#1795)
Worldwide slightly more than 1 in 10 Christians live in the United States. As of 2015, there were 2,276,250,000 Christians with 248,148,00 (or 10.9%) residing in the United States. Perspective While a higher percentage of people in some other large nations are Christian (e.g., 88.5% in Brazil), the United States is home to more Christians than any other nation. More than 3 out of 4 Americans (76.9%) are Christian. So What? Yesterday much of the focus on American Read More …
Holy Week – Is This Normal? (#1794)
After serving in congregational ministry for most of my life, I'm still learning what its like to journey through Holy Week as a follower of the Way of Jesus who does not have any worship leadership responsibilities. Holy Week Schedule I have, however, managed to attend multiple services of worship and participate in an adult egg hunt. More specifically: Sunday: walked to a nearby church, and attended a service that included elements of both palm and passion Tuesday: Read More …
Walking to Worship (#1793)
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. The fastest way to get to any local destination is by automobile. I learned these simple truths early in life, and rarely questioned them. Traveling to Church As a lifelong churchgoer I made my way from home to a house of worship exclusively by automobile for the first 40+ years of my life. Last year when my wife and I moved to downtown Fort Worth, we started rethinking our reliance on vehicles. And, we've adopted walking Read More …
Volunteer Appreciation – Closing Prayer (#1792)
Earlier today the Mansfield Mission Center held its first annual volunteer appreciation luncheon. This event provided an opportunity to say thank you to many of the people who power this dynamic ministry. I had the honor of providing the closing remarks. After talking a bit about love and family, I concluded with the following prayer: Volunteer Appreciation Prayer Loving God, we have gathered here today in your Many Names to pause the natural rhythm of life and ministry of the Read More …
Top 12 Authors: 2009-2019 (#1791)
Over the last 10 years, I've reviewed, recommended, or rated more than 600 books here at So What Faith. Starting in 2011, I have provided a list of the top ten books I reviewed that year that were published during that year. To date, only 12 authors have appeared on more than one Top 10 List: Diana Butler Bass, 2012, 2015, 2018Marcus Borg, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2017Joan Chittister, 2011, 2017John Dominic Crossan, 2010, 2012, 2015Lillian Daniel, 2013, 2016 Tenzin Gyatso (the 14th Dalai Read More …