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Belief, Practices, and Re-Thinking Church

I’ve been re-reading Tom Frank’s excellent book, The Soul of the Congregation and while this thought is usually before me, it jumped out at me tonight as a good reminder: …people generally do not adopt a set of beliefs called “Christianity” and then pick out a church in which to express them. People become “Christian” … Continue reading Belief, Practices, and Re-Thinking Church →

The Power of POV « United Methodeviations

The focus on the mega-church reveals a lot about contemporary North American culture and Western societal norms. We are impressed by immense size, pretty colors, loud sounds, abundant wealth, big buildings, and anything smacking of celebrity. Mega-churches feed our insatiable hunger for the noisy, sparkly, flashy, busy, and big. And as long as all this … Continue reading The Power of POV « United Methodeviations →

Nashville must support General Hospital

April 26,2009 written by Rev. Jay Voorhees As a pastor, I spend a lot of time in area hospitals. Fortunately, when most of us seek healing in a hospital, we trust that insurance will cover most of the bill. However, for growing numbers of Nashvillians, money is a huge concern when they need health care. … Continue reading Nashville must support General Hospital →

Do United Methodists Want to BE Disciples?

More accurately and helpfully, the question is “what percentage of United Methodists really want to be Christian disciples?” The most accurate answer to this revised question is, “Less than 10%.” This poses an interesting dilemma. What happens to The United Methodist Church if we take our mission seriously? What response can we expect from the … Continue reading Do United Methodists Want to BE Disciples? →

What does it mean to be “post-traditional”

Okay, I was one of the early “post” boys to the United Methodist table, thinking about our place in a “postmodern” world, moving to thinking about “postcolonialism,” and even thinking about post-evangelicalism, post-liberalism, yada, yada, yada, and the list goes on. However tonight I was asked by a friend and member of my congregation about … Continue reading What does it mean to be “post-traditional” →

What does it mean to be “post-traditional”

Okay, I was one of the early “post” boys to the United Methodist table, thinking about our place in a “postmodern” world, moving to thinking about “postcolonialism,” and even thinking about post-evangelicalism, post-liberalism, yada, yada, yada, and the list goes on. However tonight I was asked by a friend and member of my congregation about … Continue reading What does it mean to be “post-traditional” →

Statistics on Affordable Housing In Nashville

Folks often wonder about the availability of affordable housing in Nashville. Here are a few recent statistics from MDHA: Nashville currently has over 5,300 units of public housing available for those in need. The occupancy rate of those units is 98 to 99%, with some 3,000 persons on the waiting list to fill vacancies. Currently, … Continue reading Statistics on Affordable Housing In Nashville →