Last week I was asked to summarize my experience of 2018 with a single world. After a slight pause, I replied "change." 2018 has been a year filled with personal and professional change. Here's my Top 10 List: Living. For the first time in my life, I'm living an urban lifestyle (in the 15th largest city in the United States). Moving. My wife and I moved from a two story suburban home with a golf course view to a four story downtown dwelling with a city view. Read More …
Mansfield Mission Center
Search for a Church 2.0: Taking a Detour (#1747)
The first few months of our search for a church went according to plan. Each week we visited a new congregation until we had visited all 10 that were on our short list of prospects (check out First Five Visits and Five More Visits). Next Steps After these ten experiences, we narrowed the possibilities down to three congregations. Our plan was to visit each of these again multiple times, and to begin to connect in ways beyond worship in each of these communities of faith. Read More …
My Year of Social Enterprise (#1746)
A year ago this week I announced that I had accepted the position of Director of Social Enterprise at the Wesley Mission Center. Over the last twelve months, I've been blessed to serve the people living within the bounds of Mansfield Independent School District - a geographic area that includes the city of Mansfield as well as parts of Arlington, Grand Prairie, Rendon and other areas. Founded as an outreach ministry of First Methodist Mansfield, the organization grew and became its Read More …
Love the Problem – Not Your Solution (#1745)
Some of the greatest wisdom is easy to process at the level of intellectually understanding, but much harder to embrace and enact consistently. Love the Problem - Not Your Solution Unpacking the Big Idea I was reintroduced to this big idea by Rabbi Elan Babchuck, Director of Innovation at CLAL and Founding Director of the Glean Incubator, when he facilitated a session titled "Love the Problem - Not Your Solution" at a gathering of the Adese Fellows in Louisville, Kentucky in June Read More …
Prioritizing Core Values (#1743)
Core values are an essential part of organizational DNA. They tell the story of what is important within a given church, non-profit organization, or for profit business. And, core values should guide all that an organization is and does. Since core values are so significant they should be named often, and embodied always. Two faith-based organizations that I know well serve as good examples. Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ We believe we are here to serve, not to be Read More …
Now Open! (#1725)
Last summer, I started a new role as the first ever Director of Social Enterprise at the Wesley Mission Center in Mansfield, Texas. Over the last seven months I've helped this young (est. 2013) , community oriented, justice focused, faith-based non-profit scale its largest funding source and flagship social enterprise: a Thrift Store and Boutique. Learning For many years before the Wesley Mission Center became its own separately incorporated 501(c)3, it was the Community Outreach Read More …