Community
I'm trying to do more with video, so here's a quick under-4-minute clip about what and how we're doing our community VBS this year. This will not win an Emmy, but maybe you'll get some useful ideas. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/
Community
The accusation of sheep-stealing has been made by pastors for as long as there have been at least two pastors in existence. And, the standard reply from the accused to accuser is, "If you were feeding your sheep, I couldn't steal 'em!" But, that silly
church as abbey
Tonight I served as the "community host" for Family Night Out with No Reservations at one of our local restaurants. Families were invited to eat dinner together, and the idea was to get parents and kids talking about drug and alcohol issues during dinner. Kids under-12 ate free,
Community
Today this blog went over 200,000 views! Of course, you get all the credit because without you -- and a couple of hundred-thousand others -- Confessions of a Small-Church Pastor would never have reached this milestone. So, thanks for stopping by, or for reading by feedreader, or email, or
Community
A friend of mine challenged me today by asking, "What are the elements of sustainable ministry?" Dennis then pointed to the Ojibwa tribe of Native Americans who considered the impact of their decision-making on the next seven generations. Talk about sustainable community, they had it. Our church was
Community
Photo courtesy New York Times This is not a photo of a third world country. This is the new America for some in California. Tent cities are springing up from coast to coast as the unemployed lose their homes and apartments. I have visited countries in Asia where whole families
Community
Films get them, so do books, and even products. What are they? Reviews. Five stars. Personal experiences from real people who used/read/saw whatever it is they are reviewing. But what if churches got reviews? Well, if they did, here's one you'd like to get.
Community
In their new book, Lost and Found: The Younger Unchurched and The Churches That Reach Them, Ed Stetzer, Richie Stanley, and Jason Hayes provide a comprehensive analysis of who the eighteen-to-twenty-somethings are and what churches are doing to reach them. Ed outlines the purpose of the book by saying --
1 Corinthians
Here's the sermon I'm preaching tomorrow from 1 Corinthians 8:1-13. I hope your day is a wonderful Lord's Day! What's For Lunch? 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 1Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs
Community
At our church last night we discussed the inauguration. Those commenting spoke of hope, joy, inspiration, and goodwill. Others have expressed similar feelings, and while I know there are detractors and naysayers seeking to steal the spotlight for themselves, our nation does seem to have shared a special moment on
Community
The four Chatham pastors -- Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Episcopalian -- met today to discuss our joint lenten services. We'll have a simple dinner and 30-minute service each of the five Wednesday evenings during lent. We also have a community thanksgiving service, community Holy Week services, and a
church as abbey
Steve Taylor* started an interesting conversation about a sustainable spiritual collective. He even renamed his blog sustain:if:able kiwi. Fortunately he's still at the same url, so you can find Steve here under his new nom de plume. But back to my point. Steve tackles the missional