I had a very positive seminary experience, and graduated well prepared for pastoral ministry within a congregational context. When I reached my final semester of my M.Div. program I began to seek my first pastoral position. The search process went very much like I expected it would, and I secured a role as Associate Pastor. I managed to navigate similar discernment processes to secure positions in congregations affiliated with multiple mainline denominations for both permanent Read More …
Ministry
Top 5 Posts of 2017 (#1716)
2017 has been a year marked by transitions in my personal life. And, not surprisingly, posts about two of those transitions rank among the top five posts of the year here at So What Faith (ranking determined by number of page views during this calendar year among all posts made during 2017). The top five are I'm Back: My Return to Ministry Christian Alternative Facts The Immigrants Creed Our Search for a Church is Over The Least Educated Americans: Read More …
I’m Back: My Return to Ministry (#1694)
Today, I am pleased to announce my return to ministry. In just a few weeks I will begin serving as Director of Social Enterprise at the Wesley Mission Center (WMC) in Mansfield, Texas. In sharing the news with those closest to me, I am answering the same important questions over and over again. What exactly will you be doing? When did you become a Methodist? What about your love of education? Director of Social Enterprise Social enterprise is a term that has Read More …
Top 5 Posts of 2015 (#1601)
My most popular posts written in 2015 (according to the number of page views during this calendar year) are Sermon: Lost –> Found –> Party Effective Leaders Ask for Feedback Leaving Parish Ministry World Religions from 2010 to 2050 Leaders Clear Obstacles So What? Leadership is the only topic to appear more than once on this year's list. While four of last year's top posts related to worship, only one worship related post made this year's list. Which of these Read More …
Leaving Parish Ministry (#1586)
For the last fifteen years I have served in a variety of parish based ministry positions in Mainline Protestant congregations ranging in size from a few hundred to a few thousand. My job titles have included Director of Ministries with Children and Families Youth Director (and Youth Minister) Associate Pastor Interim Senior Pastor Transitional Pastor Director of Education (and Director of Adult Education). The job title I have held the greatest number of times is Read More …
Toward Church Renewal (#1522)
Cameron Trimble, CEO of the Center for Progressive Renewal, recently offered five suggestions to aid in the work of congregational renewal: Stop settling for mediocre worship. Turn members into ministers, not managers. Create environments of innovation. Seminaries are great, but we need more learning partners. Start embracing technology. I agree with Trimble that each of these is an important step toward renewal. Furthermore, I believe the time for conversation that Read More …
Ways to Engage Volunteers (#1431)
I have been in more than a few meetings this year when someone at the table said "people don't volunteer like they used to" or "we just don't have enough volunteers." Churches should be about helping every member (as well as every active participant!) be engaged in ministry. Creating a congregational culture that promotes volunteerism doesn't happen by chance. Phil Bowdle, creative arts director at West Ridge Church (Atlanta, GA), recently shared four ways his congregation Read More …
Ministry in 2014 (#1354)
Todd Rhoades, a prolific blogger on matters of faith, recently reminded his readers of the importance of churches doing ministry in the present using 2014 friendly approaches. Not only is Rhoades troubled by congregations that behave more like what one would expect in 1984, 1994, or 2004, he also believes many congregations that have moved beyond those years but are not quite up to date are nuts: If you’re using the same communication methods, technology, music, delivery style, and format Read More …
The Retirement Boom (#1353)
Casey N. Cep recently wrote about the importance of listening to the elderly. She notes that those age 65 and better are a significant part of the American population now, and that they will grow significantly over the next few decades: OLDER AMERICANS ARE ONE of the fastest growing demographics in our country: Baby Boomers began turning 65 in 2011, and by 2030 older Americans will number 72 million, nearly 20 percent of the total population. In a culture so obsessed with youth, Read More …
Pastor: Best Job Ever (#1341)
Carol Howard Merritt, a Presbyterian pastor and the author of Tribal Church: Ministering to the Missing Generation (2007 – read my review here) and Reframing Hope: Vital Ministry in a New Generation (2010 – read my review here), recently shared her list of 10 reasons why being a pastor is the best job ever. It included relating to anyone, writing, and variety. So What? Pastoral ministry is one of the more diverse professional pursuits. Read More …