My season of being involved as a member at First Presbyterian Church in Fort Worth is drawing to a close. How it All Began In January 2018, my partner and I moved from Corinth (just outside of Denton, Texas) to downtown Fort Worth. At the time, I was engaged in a short-term ministry venture, which included preaching every Sunday. When that role concluded in March 2018, we started looking for a church home. This journey, which came to be known as our search for a church, lasted over a Read More …
PCUSA
New Beginnings at First Presbyterian (Fort Worth) (#1928)
First Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) has been a part of the Fort Worth community for 148 years. Originally established in 1873, this urban congregation moved to its current location in 1956. Like many congregations, it ceased all indoor gatherings early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike most congregations, it also completed a search for a new pastor and head of staff during the pandemic. On February 7, 2021, the congregation elected the Rev. Dr. Brian Coulter to serve as its next pastor 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 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 …
First Indoor Worship Service in a Year (#1921)
Last Sunday I attended my first in person worship service in over a year. For that outdoor service at First Presbyterian Church (Fort Worth, TX) I sat masked in a socially distanced chair with fewer than 20 other outdoor attendees - a group which was supplemented by folks worshipping in a nearby parking lot in their vehicles. (For more on this check out my post titled First in Person Worship Experience in a Year.) Today was another milestone day: I attended my first indoor worship service in Read More …
First In Person Worship Experience in a Year (#1919)
I attended in person worship for the first time in over a year earlier today! First Presbyterian Church of Fort Worth created and has continually updated and followed a reopening plan that is based on data not dates. After a few months of providing a parking lot service during which all attendees were required to remain in their vehicles (I shared my initial experience in "New Year, New Worship Experience"), the congregation added an in person element to this weekly worship service Read More …
New Year, New Worship Experience (#1908)
It has been ten months since I last walked into the sanctuary of a church to participate in worship. Given the current spike in COVID-19 cases where I live and the slower than expected distribution of the vaccine, I am unsure when I may next participate in worship as I'd always known it before COVID-19. Today, for the first time since the onset of the pandemic, I gathered in the same physical place as others for worship. Preparation Last month, First Presbyterian Church (Fort Read More …
Top 10 Posts of 2020 (#1905)
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 …
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 …
6 Months (and Counting) Without In Person Worship (#1888)
After participating in corporate worship weekly or more often for all of my life, I've now gone six months without doing so as a result of COVID-19. Both of the congregations I belong to continue to provide virtual worship alongside other virtual opportunities for connection and discipleship. And, both congregations have yet to set a date to return to offering worship services that parishioners can attend in person. The Unexpected: Virtual Worship Only As I reflect on Read More …