I've written more than 2,000 posts here at So What Faith over the last 13 years. The Top 1% of these form the Top 20 Posts of All Time (based on total page views). The list below includes the title of each post, year of publication, and change in popularity when compared to last year's list of top all time posts. Prayers of the People – Youth Sunday (2009) [+1]Pastoral Prayer – Love (2014) [-1]Are 10,000 Churches Closing Every Year? (2019) [unchanged]Review of Not a Read More …
United Church of Christ
Top 10 Posts of 2022 (#2020)
2022 has been a year of transition and change - planned and unplanned. My wife and I relocated to a new home and said goodbye to a congregation, I survived a brutal assault, and I parted ways with the academic institution that awarded my M.Div. The top ten posts published on So What Faith during 2022 (based on page views in 2022 to date) reflect these life happenings and also feature posts about the two Mainline Protestant denominations I know best: Ten Reasons for Concern About HSU's Read More …
Giving Thanks – 10 Experiences in 2022 (#2015)
I am thankful for all of the life experiences I've had since last Thanksgiving. Today, I highlight 10 that are particularly memorable and when possible provide links to additional writing related to those experiences: Surviving a brutal assault (Surviving an Attack & Living a Hope-Filled Recovery)Celebrating my partner's promotion to Dean, enjoying our life together, and relocating to my hometown of Arlington, Texas (Heading East)Completing my first year as Executive Director of the Read More …
The Church of Hope (#2011)
One congregation stands alone on my faith journey as the church of hope. It is the congregation I joined in 2017 following an extensive search. It is the only congregation I've been a part of for an extended period of time in my adult life where I've not been employed. And, it is the local church that has taught me much about hope and inspired me to engage more deeply in the work of hope. Discovering Hope After serving 8 congregations, I chose to leave congregational ministry. In 2015, Read More …
The Church of Renewal (#2004)
A few months after I completed my first role as an Interim Senior Pastor in a United Church of Christ congregation (see The Church of New Beginnings), I took a step of faith and started another. My story of renewal at Fort Myers Congregational United Church of Christ began when I spoke more bluntly in an interview than I ever had in my life. I explained to the search team what I had learned of the congregation's significant numeric decline and the many challenges before them, and assured Read More …
The Church of New Beginnings (#2003)
In the spring of 2013, I was content. At the time I was serving Naples United Church of Christ in a part-time role overseeing adult discipleship (see The Church of Unsticking for more about that experience) while serving full-time at Hodges University. When I received an unexpected call from someone representing United Church of Marco Island asking if I would consider becoming their Interim Senior Pastor my initial reaction was to decline. Life was good and I was not seeking new or Read More …
God is Doing a New Thing – My Experiences in UCC Congregations (#2000)
The United Church of Christ came into being in 1957, and is currently comprised primarily of congregations that were founded in and originally affiliated with one of its predecessor denominations. According to the United Church of Christ Statistical Profile 2021: 84.9% of current congregations were organized prior to the founding year of the UCCFewer than 1 in 20 current congregations have been founded since 2000 (4.6%)Average founding date of current congregations is 1873Median found date of Read More …
Blogging in the 2010s (#1991)
When the 2010s began, I had been blogging for seven months. While I planned to continue, I had no idea that I would blog for the entire decade (and beyond). During this decade, I continued to write about matters of faith that matter. Content included discussion of hundreds of new books, sharing of resources I created for use in worship (sermons, prayers, etc.), reflections on my lived experience, and exploration of new data focused on American religious belief, belonging and behavior. Over Read More …
Mainline Decline: 1990 to 2020 (#1989)
I've been hearing about Mainline decline for my entire life. As a lifelong participant in multiple denominations within this tradition, I don't remember a time when I was not a part of conversation about what's been happening and why. And, as someone who has served 9 congregations affiliated with denominations in the Mainline Protestant world, I know the practical challenges this trend presents to the local church and to denominations. Decline - The Last 30 Years I was confirmed in Read More …
Top 21 Posts – All Time (#1966)
Since launching So What Faith in 2009, I’ve written more than 1,960 posts about matters of faith that matter. Based on page views, the all time most popular posts on So What Faith (as of December 26, 2021) are listed below followed by year of publication and change in popularity when compared to last year's list of top all time posts. Pastoral Prayer – Love (2014) [+1)Prayers of the People – Youth Sunday (2009) [-1]Are 10,000 Churches Closing Every Year? (2019) [+4]My Visit to Read More …