Genesis
Seven Cultural Challenges Every Church Faces: Secularism -- Why Don't People Go To Church Anymore? Today I am beginning a new sermon series titled, Seven Cultural Challenges Every Church Faces. During the next two months, we will examine the seven cultural challenges that I believe we must face
Culture
I can't figure out what I don't like about the story of former Catholic priest Alberto Cutie (pronounced ku-tee-ay, not cutie-pie), who has now become an Episcopal priest. But, maybe it's the fact that... * Father Al was caught in a Burt-Lancaster-From-Here-to-Eternity scene, rolling in
church as abbey
In all the conversation about churches and change, one particular topic seems to be the unmentioned gorilla in the room -- clergy pay. By clergy pay, I mean what most of us had in mind when we went to seminary -- "I'll get this great theological education
Congregation
The Pew Forum offers a very disturbing view of regular church attenders with their latest report on torture opinions. We might all be better off staying home on Sunday mornings if this is the best we can do. When asked to respond to the statement, "Torture to gain important
Christian history
Contextualization is the buzzword in missional thinking today, but it's not a new concept. In 635 AD, Christianity followed the Silk Road and entered China's capital city of Chang'an, now known as Xian. Aleben, a bishop from Persia, led a contingent of two dozen
Congregation
Paul Simon writes great lyrics, and Slip, Slidin' Away is one of my favorites. Which brings me to the Pew Forum report on Faith in Flux: Changes in Religious Affiliation in the US. "What does Paul Simon have to do with religious affiliation," you ask? Well, Slip,
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
Culture
According to the General Social Survery, confidence in religious leaders is at an all-time low. Or to put it a different way, used car salesmen and members of Congress need to slide over and make room for us because only 20% of Americans (that's 1-out-of-5) have a "
Creativity
You may have seen this YouTube video, but watch it again. Susan Boyle, frumpy, unemployed, 47-year old church worker is the new media darling from Britain's version of American Idol, called Britain's Got Talent. Unfortunately, YouTube has deactivated the embed feature for all of these videos,
Culture
Antonio Busca (1625-1684), Crucifixion (detail). Painting in the ceiling of the Pietà chapel, in the left hand transept of Saint Mark church in Milan (Italy). Picture by Giovanni Dall'Orto, April 14 2007.
Culture
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qADxEspNE-Q&hl=en&fs=1] Please watch this 2-minute video produced by HarperOne to promote Bart Ehrman's new book, Jesus, Interrupted. Erhman is the author of Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why, and God&