Zombie Congregations

This comes from my friend Dan Dick, formerly of GBOD: Zombies — by definition — are lifeless corpses that continue to function in an imitation of life, generally doing more damage than good. They are frightening, and if George Romero is to be believed, they seek one thing — to feed upon the living. Unfortunately, … Continue reading Zombie Congregations →

The Relational Church

For the past couple of weeks, I have been thinking quite a bit about the notion of connectionalism, and how that concept is unfortunately broken in relation to the United Methodist Church that I love. As I was writing on this topic, there was a particular direction I was headed in thinking about renewing the … Continue reading The Relational Church →

The Goal of Connecting

This morning I woke up thinking about my last post and realized that I had missed an important piece of the puzzle: the ultimate goal of being “connectional,” that is, what are we trying to achieve in connecting. That is an important question to ask, for the goal helps to determine the tools and means … Continue reading The Goal of Connecting →

Where is the Connective Tissue?

One of the problems we face with describing ourselves as a “connectional “ is that it assumes that an actual connection has been made. Put another way, we describe an outcome as an objective reality (that we are connected) with little ability to either demonstrate or explain how that connection has been made, or the … Continue reading Where is the Connective Tissue? →

Redefining Connectional – Part 1

Last night I had a chance to sit down with Chuck Russell and Clif Guy, the tech gurus of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Kansas City, Jack Ewing, director of the Foundation On Evangelism, and Gavin Richardson, my partner in crime, to talk about technology and the church. As is typical in … Continue reading Redefining Connectional – Part 1 →

Redefining Connectional – Part 1

Yes Virginia, I Think It’s A Recession

Davidson County has seen a nearly 9.3 percent increase in the number of households on food stamps, while counties such as Rutherford, Cheatham and Wilson have seen more than 15 percent increases. That's mainly because they're fast-growing communities with rapidly increasing unemployment rates, Johnson said. Sumner and Williamson counties also saw a nearly 10 percent … Continue reading Yes Virginia, I Think It’s A Recession →

Stream of Consciousness on a Monday morning

I’m sitting at Panera in Green Hills this morning with a million different thoughts going through my mind. There are many plates spinning – our Advent happenings at the church, a number of community possibilities, and the gearing up of opposition to the English First referendum here in Nashville. Combine that with our economic recession … Continue reading Stream of Consciousness on a Monday morning →

The Golden Years

One of the realities of being a pastor in an aging church is being confronted with all of the complications that come with growing old. Yesterday, I had to tell a woman that she would likely never return to her home again. She has reached the point in life that she really can’t care for … Continue reading The Golden Years →

NYWC Nashville

The 2008 National Youth Worker’s Conference moves at the end of this week to Nashville, and I’m going to be there for part of the event. Are you going to be there? Leave me a comment and let me know. BTW, I would love to have some visitors for our 8:30 a.m. worship service this … Continue reading NYWC Nashville →

Dear Pastor – The Anger that Remains

Dear Pastor, I need to ask your advice in a matter that has been bothering me. It seems like all of the sudden I have people reacting to the fact that I voted for Obama, both family and friends. One in particular said some pretty disturbing things, and I can just feel the hatred. I … Continue reading Dear Pastor – The Anger that Remains →

Dear Pastor – The Anger that Remains

Another Great Found Resource

A couple of years ago, I became aware of an “alternative” youth worker’s gathering focused on ministry in urban areas. I had been familiar with Youth Specialties and the National Youth Worker’s Convention (attending several times) but the Urban Youth Workers Institute (UYWI) was new to me, and I’ve tried to figure out a … Continue reading Another Great Found Resource →

Suffering for the Lord

We were in a Children’s Ministries meeting when the idea first arose. “Did you hear about Loren’s birthday party,” one mom told another. “They had a food fight as part of the party!” Loren’s mom, sitting quietly across the table, piped in. “You know it's really easy to do and it’s a bunch of fun. … Continue reading Suffering for the Lord →

The Unseen Victims

Each week, at the end of “This Week with George Stephanapolis,” there is a recognition of the U.S. soliders who have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan during the previous week. However, they aren’t the only victims of these wars: The Army has recorded 62 confirmed suicides this year, and half as many more deaths may be … Continue reading The Unseen Victims →

Creative Help Wanted!

I am leaning toward preaching a series during October on the relationship between faith and politics, leading up to the election on November 4. I’ve been wrestling with a “hook” for the series and nothing is coming to mind. Any thoughts?

Quick Question

We are doing some revamping of our care ministries in the church for folks who are no longer able to attend worship or participate in church activities due to physical and emotional limitations. We generally have called these persons "homebound" or "shut-ins," however these terms don't fully reflect the diversity of situations that we are … Continue reading Quick Question →

Creativity on the Streets

We have some fairly creative types in our neighborhood, especially as regards our church sign. As I was going through pix from my cell phone tonight, I came upon this from Holy Week which reflects that creativity.

Another Song from Prime

Each Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m., a group of faithful folks gathers in the worship space at the Antioch United Methodist Church for a service we call prime:: This service takes its name from one of the traditional services of the hours, and is an attempt to be both contemporary and contemplative, focusing on the … Continue reading Another Song from Prime →

The Informational / Formational Paradox

Once upon a time there was information. Actually, if we want to be precise there was knowledge. It was something to be gained, something to be pursued, and the acquisition of knowledge was seen as a source of personal power. With the coming of the enlightenment, the age of reason and science, the pursuit of … Continue reading The Informational / Formational Paradox →