congregational life

In a post-industrial town, churches reimagine mission.

When it comes to addressing local problems, proclamation isn't enough.

A story about a search committee and a candidate

We were already active in our community. Now we're on overdrive.

When you embrace criticism instead of avoiding it, you get lots of chances to love your enemy.

Loving our enemies means arguing with each other about what matters most.

Here are some projections and assumptions I face in my current context—and responses that reflect what the church I serve is called to be.

It's up to pastors to remind each other to talk to people instead of about them.

Local ways are rarely senseless or stupid. It's just that a new pastor likely doesn't yet understand them as the locals do.

The church can be a space for difficult conversations about choices at the end of life—along with being a place for communal care.

I believe that my leadership has been most effective when I know who's giving what to the church.

Some churches have well-developed processes of assessment, support, and goal setting. Others have no review mechanism whatsoever.

If you look around at most denominational meetings, you will see that Baby Boom retirements will have a massive impact on our denominations. Boomers make the majority of those in the pews, in the pulpits, and in power. The first wave of Boomers is in the midst of retiring, so what can we expect? How will this affect us?

I can’t say for sure, but let me look into my crystal ball and tell you what I see.

Everyone knew the family's problems, but there was never a word of judgment or even pity. The congregation was just being the church.

I knew I had to talk to him. This longtime church elder would soon see my newsletter article, and he wasn't going to like it.

North Carolina voters go to the polls today, and the race that will make all the headlines doesn’t have a candidate. On the ballot is a constitutional amendment defining marriage between one man and one woman as the only legal domestic union recognized by the state.

I’m against the amendment--a popular view here in Greensboro. The city council passed a resolution opposing it. Light blue “Vote Against” yard signs dot the neighborhood around our church.

Across the state, opinions are more varied.

To build stronger communities, we need to get in the habit of recognizing what undergirds our relationships. We can't afford to take it for granted.

Matthew invites us into a whole variety of experiences this Sunday. Verses 10 through 20, considered optional, center around a conflict about tradition and authority followed by a parable about the truth of the actions of the heart. This is followed by healings and feedings. The next chapter begins with more conflict.