We are now roughly half way through 2023 (a point that will officially be reached on July 2). This offers a good reason to reflect on the year thus far, including where I've worshipped. Cathedral of Hope My home church is Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ. I've worshipped there most Sundays. And, even on weeks that I've not been able to be a part of the Sunday morning worship experience, I've stayed connected through the congregation's small group ministry. In fact, my wife and I Read More …
worship
In-Person Worship Attendance: Continued Challenges (#1981)
In a pre-pandemic world, when people mentioned attending worship, I assumed they were speaking of an in-person experience. This assumption in no way minimizes the many ways in my lifetime people have heard and/or seen services of worship without being physically present - from the days of audio cassette tapes to the more recent options of livestreaming. I was taught that these supplemental approaches worked well for niche audiences, such as those who were homebound, ill, or traveling. Since Read More …
Worship Attendance Cut in Half (#1972)
Three common measures of success for local churches are worship attendance, annual budgets, and facilities (sometimes referred to as butts, bucks, and buildings). Worship Attendance Congregations vary widely in size. Comparing them based on membership appears attractive until you learn that membership means different things in different traditions, and even within a given denomination individual congregations have different expectations of how one becomes a member and what one must do to 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 …
Top 10 Posts of 2021 (#1965)
2021 has been a year of striving to live into a reality known best as "new normal" or "next normal." This year's top posts (posts published in 2021 with the greatest number of page views as of December 19) consider timely topics of reopening congregations for in person worship, pastoral transitions, current trends, permanent church closure, and great new books. Top 10 Books of 2021 (December)A Decade in the United Church of Christ (August)Reopening for In Person Worship - 5 Congregations Read More …
All Saints & All Souls in a Pandemic (#1959)
To say that All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day are more meaningful to me this year than in prior years is an understatement. Like so many people, the pandemic has caused me to spend more time thinking about, talking about, and even writing about mortality. Death and dying are topics nearly every person I know have struggled with during the pandemic. This is understandable considering that COVID-19 has claimed the lives of nearly 750,000 American and more than 5,000,000 people worldwide. Read More …
Pandemic Worship: 10 Sacred Spaces (#1955)
A year before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, I wrote "Visiting 50+ Churches in Dallas-Fort Worth," highlighting congregations I had worshipped with since relocating to Texas from Florida. When the pandemic started, I stopped attending worship in person. After experiencing a full year of life without attending corporate worship, I gradually reentered that world. March 7 - I attended my first outdoor worship serviceMarch 14 - I attended my first indoor worship service Now, seven Read More …
My First Complete In Person Worship Experience (#1942)
Until March 2020, I took for granted that nearly every Christian congregation would offer a weekly in person worship experience that would include congregational singing and musical worship leadership by a choir, orchestra, and/or a praise band. Starting in March 2021, I began to learn experientially about the many ways congregations are moving toward a "new normal" or "next normal." During the first two months Mainline Protestant congregations in the Dallas - Fort Worth area were Read More …
Pandemic Regathering: 8 Experiences (#1929)
When I first learned about COVID-19, I had no idea what to expect. In March 2020 when in person gatherings of all kind were discontinued, I never imagined it would be more than a year before I would next set foot in a sanctuary to worship alongside other followers of the Way of Jesus (I even blogged about the extended wait in posts like 6 Months Without In Person Worship and 10 Months Without In Person Worship). The First 8 Weeks My journey back to indoor worship and to intentionally Read More …
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 …