I first met Willie not long after I started working here in Madison. The volunteer receptionist said there was a man at the door who seemed to be in bad shape. I went into the lobby where we meet with folks in need to find a man who was standing behind a walker, barely holding … Continue reading On the third day….
I know that everyone's focus is on the Hooey in St. Louey this weekend, but honestly, for most of us, the day to day demands of ministry in the local church easily push those concerns to the back of our minds. Yes, there are big theological and political issues worthy of consideration, but for the … Continue reading Classes that should be taught in seminaries
Everyday as I'm scrolling through my Facebook feed I see all sorts of shared posts about "The 10 Things The Church Needs to do to Survive" or "8 Ways That the Church is Missing the Mark" or countless other stories in the same ilk. I'm not surprised, and in fact I've been as guilty as anyone … Continue reading It’s Time to Quit Talking About the Church
I confess that one of the things that has always eluded me is how Mother's Day has become one of the high holy days in the life of the American church. Don't get me wrong . . . I like mothers as much as the next guy. For sure, this year's Mother's Day was a … Continue reading Who are the real mothers?
Not long ago I sat in a worship service listening to another pastor exhort his congregation to service and carrying out the radical call of Christ to love our neighbors. I was sitting there silently cheering him on when all of the sudden he made the following comment: Now before anyone panics, understand that I'm … Continue reading The cross is a liability issue
As most of my Facebook friends know by now, I'm currently in Los Angeles having helped my eldest drive from Nashville to establish a new home. Needing to recover from the drive and needing some time off, I chose to stay over a few extra days to enjoy the sunshine, connect with some old friends, … Continue reading Looking in from the outside — a pastor visits another church
This past week the frailty and humanity of this thing we call the United Methodist Church was put on full display in the media throughout the world. The story was the church's trial of a clergyperson who had disobeyed the official teaching of the church in presiding at the same-sex wedding of his son and his partner. The story was full of things designed to encourage attention in the media -- conflict, sex, religion, family, and legal drama. And the verdict came down quickly -- guilty -- with the strong possibility that this pastor will be removed from ministry.
For some, the trial, verdict, and penalty reaffirmed that the order of the church was firm and in control, and that the traditions held closely to the heart were protected. For others the same things confirmed what they already thought -- that the followers of Jesus aren't really serious about this love thing, and that we are more in love with our rules than with the lives of our neighbors...
We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. --12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous-- I left us with a question in the last post: do we REALLY believe in a God who has the power to transform the church? To quote Bishop Vashti McKenzie, "...if so, why don't we … Continue reading 12 Steps of Church Transformation: Step 2 — A Power Greater Than Us #2
We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. --12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous-- So far, the 12 steps have asked us to admit that we are powerless to effect change and manage our churches and denominations. But the 12 step model goes even further, suggesting that our problems … Continue reading 12 Steps of Church Transformation: Step 2 — A Power Greater Than Us #1
One of the things that we church people have done these days is to revere the culture of competence. We have taken the call to be a community of broken individuals working toward wholeness and transformed it into a product to the sold to the highest bidder; a commodity to appeal to the masses. This … Continue reading A bit more on powerlessness and leadership
We admitted we were powerless...that our lives had become unmanageable. --12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous I don't know about you, but as the pastor of a traditional, historic, aging, church that has been in numeric decline for some years now, it's time for me to come to terms with the powerlessness I feel in regards … Continue reading The 12 Steps of Church Change: Step 1 — Powerlessness
About a year and a half ago, a new member to our church community came with a request. He shared that he and his wife were recovering alcoholics, and that they were dedicated adherents to the AA 12 Step Movement, attending meetings almost every night. He noted that there were no meetings in our immediate … Continue reading The 12 Steps of Congregational Change — Setting the Stage
A week or so ago I was asked by a colleague in ministry who is in a new appointment to come talk to his finance committee. He was new in ministry and his church had just reconstituted a functioning finance committee and languishing for several years. They were looking for training on what they … Continue reading The Ministry of Resources
I met Mike Baughman through a curtain in a convention center in Tampa. I was working for the United Methodist News Service as a social media maven. Mike was in a similar role for the United Methodist Reporter. Our desks were next to one another, and I had a great time getting to know him, … Continue reading The Future of the United Methodist Church
It’s not very often that I write here about happenings in my ministry in the local church. Some might suggest that this is because I’m too concerned with general church concerns, and that my inattention to what’s going on at the Old Hickory UMC is a sign of my ineffectiveness as a pastor. But the … Continue reading VIVID
As I have thought about it these years, I believe I was captive to the false gospel ofGnosticism though one could perhaps speak of Donatism. Gnosticism is found in every churchbasement, and no seminary is free of it. Among other things, Gnosticism is our dualistic longingfor a pure church and our unwillingness to believe that … Continue reading A False Gospel and the Church [Randy Cooper]
For the past several months we have been using The Common English Bible in worship at the Old Hickory UMC where I serve and given that the good folks at the CEB have asked me to write about their translation during National Bible Week, it makes sense to share our experience. I confess that I … Continue reading Using the Common English Bible in Worship
This weekend our neighbors at the Baptist church down the street are putting on a neighborhood fair, and as a part of that event they asked if I had any knowledge on someone who could lead a “square-dance” for them. what they didn’t know is that 100 pounds and 2 kids ago, I used to … Continue reading Disciplemaking – Art or Science?
This weekend our neighbors at the Baptist church down the street are putting on a neighborhood fair, and as a part of that event they asked if I had any knowledge on someone who could lead a “square-dance” for them. what they didn’t know is that 100 pounds and 2 kids ago, I used to … Continue reading Disciplemaking – Art or Science?
As I stated a couple of days ago, one of the struggles we face in the United Methodist Church is a lack of trust. While this is true at all levels, the place where it seems to be most before us today is in the relationship between the local church pastor and the D.S. and … Continue reading Rebuilding Trust — The Bishop’s and DS’s Dilemma
Only Wonder Understands 