Here’s what’s going on in America today: There’s a steaming pile of goopy food flying about in the next room, and too many of us are asking someone to please put up a curtain so we don’t have to see and smell that unpleasantness. We just can’t be bothered by other people’s problems right now; we’re too stressed out already.
All in church life
There's a double standard on pastors and politics
In this momentous year of presidential politics, COVID-19 and racial reckoning, it’s time for Christians to reclaim a message that is biblical — whether it appears political or not. Politicians should not be the ones defining what is a biblical view, and neither should church members who just want to avoid being challenged in their biases.
Juneteenth should remind us of all the things we don't know
This year, Juneteenth must not be a “black holiday.” If we are to find a way forward in our country, if we are to be authentic followers of Jesus, we must find the humility to admit that we don’t know nearly as much as we think we do. This year, Juneteenth must become a day for all of us to earnestly fill in the gaps of the stories we have not been taught. To fail to do so will leave us all in bondage.
Five reasons your church probably isn't spending too much on personnel
Even today, some church consultants are still peddling the myth that a church devoting more than 50 percent of its budget to personnel is in a “danger zone.” The problem is, this is a faulty metric and sometimes even a dangerous idea. If you follow this metric today, you may risk starving your church of its energy or life force.
Five tips from the dead about living life in the new year
What troubles me most about the people I meet for the first time at the cemetery is how many of them failed to live life beyond basic expectations. And granted, maybe I’m imposing on their lives my own expectations for what a good life should be. It’s likely they died quite content with the lives they led and the love they gave.
Have the conversation anyway
The joy we have found in welcoming into church life those who have been rejected and expelled and maligned by the church is beyond measure. Yes, we lost nearly 300 members because of our vote. But we also gained more than 350 new members because of our vote.
A pastoral dilemma about art and nudity
I have spent two days this week unsuccessfully trying to Photoshop the penis of the battered man helped by the Good Samaritan in a piece of art. Oh, the life of a pastor.
Racists don't get to determine who's racist
When someone frequently has to tell you how they are ‘not a racist’ or ‘not a bigot’ or ‘not sexist,’ there’s a pretty good chance they actually are those things.
How to tell if your church will be alive in 10 years
Clergy and lay leaders alike might assume that dying churches pass quickly and that the tale will be told in a decade’s time. My observation is that churches die much more slowly than that. Yes, some churches that are open today will be closed in 10 years, but many churches that are dying today will not be closed in 10 years; they’ll just be closer to death.