Today I preached my first sermon as the Interim Senior Minister of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in downtown Fort Worth, Texas (you can learn more about this new role here). Sermon My message, “Living Water is for Every Body” is based on John 4:1-42. You can watch the sermon below or read the manuscript. Excerpt Jesus is taking a trip. He’s heading from Judea to Galilee. For those of us who are accustomed to travel by car, this would be quite the walk. Read More …
Disciples of Christ
My New Role: Interim Minister at First Christian in Fort Worth (#2302)
20 months ago I announced that I was Returning to Parish Ministry as Interim Pastor at Advent Lutheran (ELCA). 14 months later that role concluded and I devoted myself to guest and supply preaching. Now, I am pleased to share that, beginning this week, I will serve as Interim Senior Minister at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in downtown Fort Worth. Returning to Fort Worth It is a joy to return to downtown Fort Worth where my wife and I lived until moving to our current Read More …
Ecclesial Innovator: Best Job Ever or Unfortunate Job Title? (#2091)
A month ago Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University posted a job that has received more attention than any I've encountered this year. The job title is novel. My own research yielded 0 exact matches to the job of Ecclesial Innovator and even lacked any near matches. Broader Lived Context In my attempts to process this possibility, I was reminded of a few other occasions when I was called upon to expand my thinking about ministry opportunities, including the times Read More …
Mainline Decline: 1990 to 2020 (#1989)
I've been hearing about Mainline decline for my entire life. As a lifelong participant in multiple denominations within this tradition, I don't remember a time when I was not a part of conversation about what's been happening and why. And, as someone who has served 9 congregations affiliated with denominations in the Mainline Protestant world, I know the practical challenges this trend presents to the local church and to denominations. Decline - The Last 30 Years I was confirmed in Read More …
Pandemic Worship: 10 Sacred Spaces (#1955)
A year before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, I wrote "Visiting 50+ Churches in Dallas-Fort Worth," highlighting congregations I had worshipped with since relocating to Texas from Florida. When the pandemic started, I stopped attending worship in person. After experiencing a full year of life without attending corporate worship, I gradually reentered that world. March 7 - I attended my first outdoor worship serviceMarch 14 - I attended my first indoor worship service Now, seven Read More …
Central Christian Church: Concluding 158 Years (#1927)
On Easter Sunday 2021, Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the oldest continually meeting congregation in Dallas, Texas, (est. 1863) held its final service of worship. A week later, the congregation held its final public gathering: an outdoor legacy lunch - an opportunity for current and past members, community partners, ministers, and others to celebrate the ministry and mission of the congregation, and to bless it's transition into a new stage of life. Getting Started My Read More …
Reopening for In Person Worship: 5 Congregations (#1926)
Over the last four weeks I've visited five mainline Protestant congregations in the Dallas - Fort Worth metro area that have recently reopened for worship. All five experiences required that I pre-register to attend, and that I commit to a covenant or list of expectations regarding my participation (i.e., not attend if I had a fever or was experiencing COVID-like symptoms, while attending wear a mask and remain socially distanced from others while indoors, etc.). Additionally, all five Read More …
Giving Thanks: 10 Ministry Experiences (#1900)
Thanksgiving is a lifestyle, not simply a holiday scheduled the fourth Thursday of November. In the spirit of continuing the focus on thankfulness, today I'm reflecting on and giving thanks for the ten different ministry settings I've served. These settings vary in many ways, yet are all committed to making more real God's kin-dom on earth Founding: Less than 10 years ago to more than 150Size: Less than 100 active participants to more than 2,000Denomination: 5 Mainline Protestant Read More …
Connecting with Historic Congregations (#1704)
A year ago I was in Connecticut preaching and leading a Day of Discovery for leaders of Westchester Congregational Church (founded in 1728) . Yesterday I was in Grand Prairie, Texas preaching at West Fork Presbyterian (PCUSA) Church (founded in 1870). Fifteen years ago I was preaching or assisting in leading worship at Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), which claims to be the oldest continually meeting Protestant congregation in Dallas, Texas (founded in Read More …
Politically Partisan Pastors (#1689)
Over the last week I have seen one red, gray and blue graphic more than any other. It seeks to tell the complex story of pastoral political affiliation in the United States in a single image. The widely shared graphic comes from Kevin Quealy's June 12 New York Times article "Your Rabbi? Probably a Democrat. Your Baptist Pastor? Probably a Republican. Your Priest? Who Knows." Quealy's article reports on the most ambitious research of its kind, which was undertaken by Eitan D. Read More …