pastor

Tribal Church

It's not all about me

Realizing when criticism is out of your control

Feb 23, 2013 by Carol Howard Merritt

Right now, there are a lot of pastors who ought to be looking in the mirror and chanting, “It’s not all about me.” 

Tribal Church

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. 

Tribal Church

The pastor as writer

Nurturing your identity, habit, and voice

Oct 25, 2011 by Carol Howard Merritt

After a couple of years of sweating over each syllable, I suddenly needed the words. I hungered to write them. On vacations, my family urged me to take a break and I became cranky. What happened? How did the words begin to grow like wildflowers that I no longer had to coddle?

Faith Matters

Leaving the church

Jun 16, 1999 by Barbara Brown Taylor

Since I left parish ministry almost two years ago, the oddest question I have been asked is, "What do you preach about now that you have left the church?" The people who ask tend to be deeply involved in their communities of faith. Many are clergy or denominational officers, while others supply the volunteer hours upon which any community depends.

M.E.M.O.

Survival handbook

Apr 04, 2001 by Martin E. Marty

The second best-selling book on campuses these days is Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht’s straight-faced but not unhumorous The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook (Chronicle). The back cover alerts readers, “Caution: Book will explode if scanned.” It is “the indispensable, indestructible guide for surviving life’s sudden turns for the worse.