Peace Congregational Church (United Church of Christ) in Clemson, SC is a new church with a creative marketing campaign designed to share the congregation's progressive form of Christianity, including their extravagant and inclusive welcoming mentality, with their community. The effort includes "a series of 10 catchy, thought-provoking posters lifting up the church’s commitment to re-imagine faith, justice and mission." So What? The United Church of Christ's decade old Read More …
United Church of Christ
Episcopalian Praise for the UCC (#0809)
John Shelby Spong served as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark for 24 years before his retirement in 2001. In retirement, he has been a prolific writer and speaker. His latest essay, "A Salute to the United Church of Christ," portrays the United Church of Christ (UCC) as a denomination with the potential to "inspire, bring about and participate in the necessary reformation required to break the Christian faith out of its dying patterns." While Spong has had Read More …
Golden Rule 2.0 (#0796)
Most Christians know and seek to live by the so-called "golden rule," which calls for a life of treating others as one would like to be treated. Interestingly, an ethic of reciprocity is also found in many of the world's religions and cultures. The Rev. Dr. Jim Antal, Conference Minister and President of the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ, recently challenged participants at the UCC's National Youth Event to live by something he calls the Golden Rule 2.0: Read More …
Review of Mainline Christianity (#0774)
Meet the Author Jason S. Lantzer is an adjunct professor of history at Indiana University, Purdue University and Butler University. His BA (History & Political Science), MA (History) and Ph.D. (History) were all earned from Indiana University. Lantzer is the author of two books: Prohibition Is Here to Stay: The Reverend Edward S. Shumaker and the Dry Crusade in America (2009) and Mainline Christianity: The Past and Future of America's Majority Read More …
It’s Always Pentecost (#0766)
While Pentecost appears on the liturgical calendar just once a year, it is something we can (perhaps even must) experience daily. Watch my Pentecost sermon below and consider your experience of the Life-Giving Wind. So What? Wherever the Life-Giving Wind blows, the church is about unity not uniformity change not constancy renewal not repetition The Holy Spirit's activity is something worth pondering every day. Which of these is the most challenging for you? for your Read More …
Exploring God’s Activity (#0765)
J. Bennett Guess has served in the national setting of the United Church of Christ since 2000. He was the Director of Communications for the denomination from 2007-2011. In 2011 Guess was elected to his current position: Executive Minister of the United Church of Christ's Local Church Ministries and a member of the UCC's five-person Collegium of Officers. In the Spring/Summer edition of the Still Speaking magazine, Guess concluded his article about the denomination's Read More …
Review of the Underground Church (#0659)
Meet the Author Since 1985, Robin R. Meyers has served as the Senior Minister of the 750 member Mayflower Congregational Church in Oklahoma City, which has been recognized as the fastest growing United Church of Christ congregation in the Kansas-Oklahoma Conference. In addition, he serves as a tenured professor of rhetoric in the Department of Philosophy at Oklahoma City University. Meyers has written five books in the last decade, including The Read More …
1,000 Open and Affirming Congregations (#0646)
The United Church of Christ is known for being first: 1785 - first ordained African American pastor 1853 - first woman pastor 1972 - ordination of first openly gay minister Today, the denomination celebrates another first as it welcomes its 1,000th Open and Affirming congregation. Open and affirming congregations have publicly and specifically declared that those of all “sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions” (or “lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender” Read More …
More Decline in the Mainline: UCC in Florida (#0645)
I recently received the latest statistics about the Florida Conference of the United Church of Christ. Between 2000 and 2010 membership declined 23.6% and giving through congregations to Our Church's Wider Mission (provides funding for the work of UCC Conference and National ministries) declined 42.7%. So What? The Florida Conference of the United Church of Christ is not unique. Mainline churches have been experiencing membership decline for decades. In Read More …
Good Followers . . . (#0604)
Anthony B. Robinson is an ordained United Church of Christ pastor who currently serves as President of Congregational Leadership Northwest, and who has written several books including Changing the Conversation: A Third Way for Congregations (2008 - read my review here). His article in the January 11, 2012 edition of the Christian Century highlights five ways people can be good followers: Good followers recognize that leadership is necessary, important and Read More …