This morning I preached the fifth and final message in a series based on Robert Schnase’s book Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations (revised). Today, we focused on the practice of intentional faith development. Sermon My message, “Doing Life Together” was based on Acts 2:42. Intentional Faith Development I preached from this manuscript. You can watch a recording of the livestream here (the Scripture lesson begins at 16:22 and the sermon begins at 17:30). Excerpt Maybe Read More …
Presbyterian
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 …
My Visit to Trinity Presbyterian Church (#2123)
This morning, I was a first time guest at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Oklahoma City. My wife and I attended the 10:55 a.m. service of worship. While we have no real links to the congregation, I have considerable ties to the congregation’s denomination – Presbyterian Church (USA) – and, some time ago I connected with the congregation's pastor, Rev. Richard Mize. Mize, like myself, is an ordained United Church of Christ minister. (For those not familiar with Mainline Read More …
Preaching Love (#2120)
This morning I completed my month of preaching every Sunday morning at a Presbyterian (PCUSA) congregation by preaching at St. Mark Presbyterian Church at 9:45 a.m. followed by Eastminster Presbyterian Church at 11:30 a.m. This was my first visit to St. Mark and my second to Eastminster (see Preaching Difficult Discipleship for more on my visit last summer). Both congregations have supported the ministry of White Rock Center of Hope, the organization I serve as CEO, for many Read More …
Aging Presbyterians: 3 in 5 PCUSA Members Now Over Age 55 (#2118)
Nearly 3 in 5 members of the Presbyterian Church (USA) are now over age 55 (58.2%). By comparison, only 3 out of every 10 people living in the United States were 55 years of age or older in 2022 (30.3%). Put differently, the percentage of persons in this age cohort in the Presbyterian Church is nearly double (+92%) what is found in the American population. Growing Older According to data provided by the Presbyterian Church (USA) Office of the General Assembly, the percent of the Read More …
My Visit to Westminster Presbyterian Church (#2113)
This morning, I was a first time guest at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Oklahoma City. My wife and I attended the 10:30 a.m. service of worship in the sanctuary. While we have no real links to the congregation, I have considerable ties to the congregation's denomination - Presbyterian Church (USA) - and, I have mentioned Westminster's senior pastor here on So What Faith well before he started in this role. I was raised, confirmed, and preached my first sermon in a Presbyterian Read More …
End of Presbyterianism: Farewell PC(USA)? (#2048)
Ryan Burge's tweets on May 9, 2023, about the decline in membership in the Presbyterian Church (USA), including his suggestion the denomination is less than 20 years away from dissolving, has generated numerous conversations across social media and beyond. The Story of Presbyterian Decline As someone who has spent more years in the Presbyterian Church (USA) than any other denomination, I've been aware of the denomination's decline for many years. And, I've written extensively about it here Read More …
Week by Week, Step by Step (#2040)
My journey toward ordination in the United Church of Christ continues. This Week's Update This morning I preached and led worship at West Fork Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) in Grand Prairie for the second week in a row. Today's message, "Check the Guest List," was based on Matthew 9:9-13. It was an encouragement to engage in intentional and radical hospitality. And, it was a reminder of the importance of truly welcoming everyone at the table and more broadly in the life of the Read More …
Back in the Pulpit Again! (#2039)
Over the course of nearly 20 years in parish ministry, I did a lot of preaching. Early on in my transition into the faith-based non-profit world, I did some preaching. Then, I stopped. I last preached in March of2018. Enough for Everyone Yesterday, I preached at West Fork Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) in Grand Prairie, Texas. My message "Enough for Everyone," was based on Mark 6:30-44 (The Feeding of the 5,000). This was a reminder to look again, to adopt an asset based Read More …
Your Dream Ministry Job is Available (#2032)
Have you always wanted work in a church? Have you always worked in a church, but never quite found your way to the ideal position? Today, I learned of a church that is engaged in the search for a new staff person to fill an unusual role: "Director of 'Your Dream Job' in Ministry." Your Dream Ministry Job Yes, dream jobs really do exist. And, in the case of this creatively marketed position, the job seeker has the opportunity to help write their own job description. Job seekers Read More …