2020 has been the year of the pandemic, and a year marked by more changes in the life of the American church than any in my lifetime. This year's top posts reflect this reality while also including content focused on the always popular topics of good books and Mainline decline. My Seminary is Closing (February)Dear HSU Trustees (February)My Seminary is Closing - The Bigger Picture (February)May Love Overcome and Justice Roll Down (January)Easter Miracles: Empty Tomb, Empty Churches Read More …
blogging
Celebrating 11 Years of So What Faith (#1875)
I started this blog in June 2009, and have been writing about matters of faith that matter ever since. Thank You Thanks for your support! Your readership, engagement, and encouragement are a tremendous gift. Today I pause my normal content creation to reflect and to celebrate. Ministry Over the last 11 years I've spent most of my time serving four congregations and an ecumenical mission center: First Presbyterian Church - Naples, FLNaples United Church of Christ - Naples, Read More …
Blogging in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic (#1869)
After blogging for 10+ years and publishing nearly 1,900 posts here at So What Faith, writing content about matters of faith that matter has become part of my identity. COVID-19 COVID-19 has disrupted all areas of life, and impacted how people experience community, including communities of faith. In recognition of this, I shifted from wide ranging content to focus on a series of posts about differing aspects of what is happening in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic alongside a continuation Read More …
Top 20 Posts of the 2010s (#1845)
You voted with your readership. The top 20 posts of the 2010s are the best of the best. Only the top 1% of all posts published during the decade made the cut. Based on the most views per Google Analytics, the top 20 posts are Pastoral Prayer – Love (2014)6 Decades of Decline in the United Church of Christ (2018)12 Marks of Convergence Christianity (2012)Valentine's Expectations (2013)My Visit to Next Level Church (2012) Pulpit Plagiarism (2014) Leaders Clear Read More …
A Decade of So What Faith (#1805)
I decided to start a blog in the spring of 2009. On June 11, 2009, I published my first blog post. Over the last decade, I've written over 1,800 posts - a post about every other day! Top Posts My attempt to determine the top all time posts is somewhat limited since I did not add Google analytics to this site until October 2012. From that date to present, the 18 most viewed posts (roughly the top 1%) are Prayers of the People - Youth Sunday (2009)Pastoral Prayer - Love (2014)Review Read More …
Celebrating 9 Years of So What Faith (#1744)
Earlier this week Facebook memories showed me that five years ago that day I had posted the following Marking a milestone - did you know that I have now written a blog post at least once a day for the last 1,000 days? So What Faith In June 2009, I launched this blog with the goal of writing about matters of faith that mattered to me. I assumed that this would be of interest to those in the congregation I served, and perhaps others. Stats and More Stats Over the last nine years, Read More …
8 Years of So What Faith (#1662)
When I launched So What Faith back in 2009 I didn't really know what I was doing, but I had an adventurous spirit, adequate tech skills, and a desire to write about matters of faith that mattered. The first year I managed to publish 59 posts, which I shared primarily with those in the congregation I was serving and a few former colleagues. Growth Once I got the hang of how to blog, I started to expand my horizons through more intentional use of a variety of social media and interactions Read More …
No Sermon Sunday #1 (#1591)
I did not preach today, and I will not be preaching again anytime soon. Last Sunday I preached my final sermon as Transitional Pastor of Fort Myers Congregational United Church of Christ (Fort Myers, FL). During my nine months there and for ten months while serving as Interim Senior Pastor of United Church (Marco Island, FL), it was my habit to post my sermon here each Sunday. Those posts contained the Scripture reading, a sermon excerpt (along with a link to the manuscript and Read More …
Summer Shifts (#1449)
Summer has always been one of my favorite seasons of the year. It is also a time when many people temporarily shift their normal routine. I will be making shifts in several areas for the summer, including: Blogging I have published one blog post a day for the last 10 months, and a total of 1,450 since launching this blog in 2009. This will be my last daily post for the summer. I will continue to post on occasion rather than taking a month off as I did last year (a much Read More …
Elements of a Great Blog Post (#1293)
Paul Steinbrueck, co-founder and CEO of OurChurch.Com, recently shared 7 must have elements for a great blog post: tantalizing title, hook in the opening paragraph, connecting image, unique style and perspective, new insight, formatted for easy reading, and conversation-starting question. So What? I have been blogging since 2009, and am always interested in learning how to be more effective. While many of my posts contain these seven elements, a good number contain a Read More …