37 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Matthew 26:37 Life is hard. Ministry is difficult. These are perhaps the understatements of the year. But life and ministry are even more difficult when we are confronted with...
“What you are writing is helpful – it is something for us to aspire to – but this is too hard, too challenging right now.” “I’d love to have my church board spend a generous amount of time talking of larger topics of God’s imagination, but...
We celebrate the first anniversary of our podcast with highlights from conversations with Tod Bolsinger, LaKesha Womack, Sara Hayden, Erica St. Bernard, and J. Kameron Carter. Listen to the original episodes: Tod Bolsinger LaKesha Womack Sara Hayden Erica St. Bernard J. Kameron Carter ...
For about the 20th time over the past 6 weeks, it happened again this morning. I got on the phone with an extraordinarily gifted, sharp, experienced, faithful pastor who recently began to gently nudge his congregation on some culturally controversial issues (you know what they...
Every church board faces hard choices at its meetings. Beginning with how to structure the meeting itself. Choice One is to spend time… …on the minutes from the previous meeting, correcting typos and the list of excused absences; …making one board member uncomfortably read some mild piece they...
Program Director Adam Borneman speaks with the Rev. Dr. Albert Russell (Grace Community Presbyterian, Millbrook, AL; Tuskegee University) about his books, his music, and his participation in the recent eight week cohort for pastors of color in predominantly white congregations....
Getting an ending right is not easy. Just ask the writers of popular TV shows like Dexter, Game of Thrones, The Good Place, or Seinfeld. The last episode of each of these series left fans confused and disappointed, muttering to themselves, “Wait, what? That can’t...
Exactly one month ago today, Gallup published significant data on church membership in a report bluntly titled U.S. Church Membership Falls Below Majority for First Time. Highlights from Gallup’s polling include the following: 47% of Americans report that they belong to a house of worship (a category...
Program Curator Jennifer Maxell speaks with the Rev. Dr. Denise Thorpe (Pittsburgh Theological Seminary) about re-souling ourselves, carrying our piece of the dream of God, and the difference between joy and happiness....