Tribal Church

Carol Howard Merritt surveys the religious landscape

Post-Mother's Day murmurings

What do you do to celebrate in your congregation?

May 14, 2012 by Carol Howard Merritt

Sue came into the church office in order to help with some paperwork and plans for Sunday morning worship. “What are we doing for Mother’s Day?” she asked.

I paused. I had always benignly neglected Mother’s Day at our church. I thought of it as a Hallmark holiday, and not something that should fit on a liturgical calendar. I was taught in seminary that we should never mention it. Plus, there were personal reasons as well.

How do we find the time for social media?

Eight ways to manage your social media ministry

May 10, 2012 by Carol Howard Merritt

Church leaders are already strapped with not enough hours in the day. And now we’re supposed to be engaging in social media too? How do we manage it all?

Cancer and theology

May 07, 2012 by Carol Howard Merritt

Our family is moving. As we pack up our stuff, making sure that each item is securely packaged, I’m also shifting things inside myself. My husband is going to start a new church. For the first time in fourteen years, I will not be a pastor serving a particular congregation.

(Re)imagining Christianity

Apr 28, 2012 by Carol Howard Merritt

What is one belief, practice or element of Christianity that must die so that Christianity can move forward and truly impact the world in the next 100 years?

Women in ministry

Where I've been

Apr 17, 2012 by Carol Howard Merritt

While the war on women seems to be raging, with many religious leaders in the helm, there are also many women who are working in ministry, in spite of subtle and not-so-subtle resistence. In the last few weeks, I've been writing and talking with people about this in different venues as well as working behind-the-scenes on a few projects.

Power games

Do you know the rules of power?

Apr 04, 2012 by Carol Howard Merritt

You might want to learn the rules in order to use them, to know when they are being used on you, or to reject them. Whatever you decide, just know that around every boardroom in America, they’re playing the game. And you’ll be playing it (even when you don’t realize it) at your church.

Navigating the fullness of God's calling

Mar 30, 2012 by Carol Howard Merritt

“Well. The good news is that you did well on your tests. Your grades are way above what we require. Your IQ is very high,” the advisor began.

Invitation to #Unco12

Mar 27, 2012 by Carol Howard Merritt

Unco is short for Unconference. It’s specifically designed for discussions on the future of the church. It’s a percolator for new ministries and ideas, usually within mainline contexts. 

Love and Lent

How my faith was formed in the midst of betrayal

Mar 17, 2012 by Carol Howard Merritt

Our pastor had an affair and confessed it in his sermon. He stood up in front of the church and let the gathered members know that he had succumbed to temptation, but he was ready to just "move on." 

Dennis Sanders: Church planting, venture capitalists and generational shifts

Mar 14, 2012 by Carol Howard Merritt

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know that we talk a lot about the future of the church--how we need to move into a time of innovation as well as transformation. Dennis Sanders recently reflected on this post, and I asked him if I could put his comments here.