church as abbey
In its heyday University Baptist Church in Baltimore overflowed its expansive neoclassical sanctuary. Designed by the same architect as the Jefferson Memorial, the church's impressive dome now shelters fewer worshippers each Sunday. But changing times haven't discouraged the members of University Baptist Church. Instead the congregation
Community
The National Outreach Convention is a great event for small churches. On Wednesday I led the Small Church Discussion group and we had about 50+ participants with great ideas and opportunities for ministry. Today I led the Small Church Idea Forum where we walked through the process of designing, conducting,
church as abbey
I am speaking tomorrow at Duke Divinity School to students in the Rural Ministry Colloquia, a monthly gathering of students involved in, or interested in, rural church ministry. I have been asked to tell our story of how we started a community center, community music school, and several other projects
Congregation
Russell Rathbun, pastor of House of Mercy, has authored a new book, nuChristian: Finding Faith in a New Generation. Rathbun's title riffs off Kinnaman and Lyons' book, unChristian, both visually and topically. Rathbun knows what he's talking about because he is one of the founding
bless the world
Somebody did it again. They compared one of our political leaders to Hitler. It really doesn't matter who did it because this is becoming a regular tactic for the extremists. The frustrating thing is they get what they want -- publicity. The media pounce on their pronouncements as
bless the world
My latest interest focuses on exploring pastoral care as outreach. I talk to lots of small church pastors and leaders, picking their brains for stories of smaller churches doing effective ministry. More and more I'm hearing stories of people helping people -- people caring for people -- as
church as abbey
People don't need to go to church. At least that's how the majority of people in America act. Less than 18% of the population attends church on any given Sunday. In the U.S. we are chasing downhill Europe's church attendance rate of 7%
church as abbey
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grLdWkDcOR4&border=1&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1] Ed Stetzer coins the phrase "ministry pornography" to describe a new kind of lust in the hearts of pastors and staff
church as abbey
In the gift economy, information wants to be free. So, here are the latest freebies I've run across that are both free and excellent. The new Neue Quarterly will be out soon, and my article "Remembering Why You Said Yes" is in this issue. You can
Community
Here's the sermon I'm preaching tomorrow. It's the sixth in the series, "Seven Cultural Challenges Every Church Faces." I hope your day is wonderful! Seven Cultural Challenges Every Church Faces #6 -- Criticism: Why Don't They Like Us Anymore? Matthew
church as abbey
For many of us who care about church, it is becoming increasingly apparent that church as we know it must change in order to maintain its mission in the 21st century. This change will not be cosmetic. This change will not be a debate about traditional worship versus contemporary worship,
Congregation
John Temple, former editor and publisher of the Rocky Mountain News, blogs about what newspapers must do to survive. Temple should know because the 150-year old Rocky Mountain News folded this past February, the victim of a sagging economy, the digital revolution, and journalism's failure to adapt. What