In 2015 I announced that I was leaving parish ministry. Now, almost a decade later, I'm pleased to share that I'm returning. On June 30, I'll begin a new role as Interim Pastor at Advent Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Arlington, Texas. Ministry Background For those who may be reading this post as an introduction to me and/or to So What Faith (a blog I started back in 2009), some background information is helpful. After earning an undergraduate degree in ministry and spending a few years Read More …
ELCA
My Religion is Dying: A Deep Dive into Mainline Decline (#2128)
Confession: I am a lifelong Mainline Protestant. While I've switched denominations many times - from Presbyterian (PCUSA) to Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) to Lutheran (ELCA) to Presbyterian (PCUSA) to United Church of Christ to Presbyterian (PCUSA) to United Church of Christ - I've never left this religious tradition. Stating the Obvious For my entire lifetime, Mainline Protestant denominations have all been experiencing a numeric decline in membership. The narrative of decline Read More …
ELCA Membership Cut in Half (#2125)
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) was formed in 1988 by the merger of three Lutheran denominations: American Lutheran Church, the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches and the Lutheran Church in America. And, almost every year since its creation, the denomination has experienced a decline in membership. This trend is consistent with what has happened in Mainline Protestantism at large (a grouping used by sociologists for seven theologically progressive denominations, Read More …
A Pentecost First (#2124)
Today I worshipped at First United Lutheran Church in Dallas. It was my second time to worship with this congregation (the first was last April on the occasion of the celebration of their first 100 years of ministry). And, this was the tenth congregation I've worshipped with in 2024 (for the ninth and links to the others check out My Visit to Trinity Presbyterian Church). Preaching During my years of parish ministry I had a number of opportunities to preach on Pentecost. Today, however. Read More …
Preaching God is Still Speaking (#2101)
This morning I served as guest pastor at Central Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Dallas, Texas. It was a joy to be with them for a second time (last year I joined them for worship as a guest preacher). Central Lutheran Church is among the founding member churches of White Rock Center of Hope. It was also WRCH's founder, Donagene Christian's church. I'm thankful for their continued strong support of WRCH and for Rev. Veronika Czutor's invitation to step in this morning while she is Read More …
Happy New Year! Celebrating Visits to 12 Churches (#2093)
Happy New Year! Or, more precisely happy new church year. For those in liturgical traditions, Advent starts a new year in the life of the church. Advent is about preparing for what's to come. And, in many traditions, today started with an emphasis on hope. In the year that just ended, I found much to be hopeful for in my experiences with many local communities of faith, especially the 12 congregations located in the greater Dallas Fort Worth metropolitan area that are profiled below. Read More …
The ELCA is Missing 4 Million People! (#2056)
I deeply appreciate and have personally been involved in the life of the Mainline Protestant denomination known as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Given my prior involvement in this tradition, I strive to tell the whole story of how the denomination has arrived at its present state so that those involved can use this information as they plan for a brighter future. Mainline Decline Much has been written about Mainline decline in general, and about the decline of the Read More …
Seeking Ordination – Update #8 (#2049)
Since a month has passed since my last update (see Seeking Ordination – Update #7), I figured it was time for another post. During the last month, I Preached at Central Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Dallas (see Preaching Abundant Life)Completed boundary trainingPublished a devotional through the Center of Congregational Ethics (see Holy Ground Ahead)Started a second year as Board Chair of the Texas Association of Charitable Clinics Participated in a clergy retreatAttended the 42nd Annual Read More …
Preaching Abundant Life (#2045)
This morning I had the opportunity to preach at Central Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Dallas, Texas. This was a truly one of a kind opportunity since a member of Central Lutheran was the founder and first Executive Director of White Rock Center of Hope, which is the organization I now lead. The Sermon My message, "Abundant Life," was based on the lectionary passages (Psalm 23, Acts 2:42-47, 1 Peter 2:19-25, and John 10:1-10). A Radical Excerpt Let’s get the radical stuff out of Read More …
Giving Up the Old and White Church (#1924)
I've spent my entire life in congregations affiliated with Mainline Protestant denominations. For Lent, I’m giving up something big: the church I always knew. And, unlike past Lenten disciplines that ended on Easter, this change is one I expect to be permanent. Here in the final post in this series, I'm giving up the old and white church. Old According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median age of all Americans is 38.4 years (2019). By comparison, the Pew Research Center Read More …