You Need a Friend/Coach in Christ

Why do we try to do things on our own in church ministry?  Why do we seem to honor being a Lone Ranger?  Okay, not even the Lone Ranger did things on his own.  There was Tonto.

The greatest professional athletes have coaches.   Why do we do ministry relatively alone?  Why does the concept […]

Book Review: God Dreams

There’s a saying, no one seems to know who said it first, that “If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.”  I try to stay out of those rooms whenever possible. So it wasn’t surprising to me when I found myself in the same room as Will Mancini and […]

There are Better Places for Kids than “Big Church”

According to the American Religious Identification Survey (from Trinity College, Hartford, CT) the fastest growing religious affiliation growing in North America is the unaffiliated. Called “the church of the nones” by scholars, these are people who were once affiliated with the Christian faith, but have “opted out” of faith. Although many, perhaps even a […]

Teeny Tiny Thinking

Back at home and trying to get back in the groove of things. As I reflect on my time at the World Convention of the Christian Church, one of the things that niggles me is that ostensibly the purpose of our meeting was to help instill unity amongst the three strands of the Campbelite […]

5 Steps for Creating a Hospitality Culture

There is a fundamental flaw in the church of the early 21st century.  We have identified it quite clearly, but talk is inadequate.  As the old GI Joe commercial went, knowing is half the battle.  That’s great, but there’s another half to go.

What’s the issue?  Commercialization of the Church.  How did we go from […]

Something Wonderful Is Happening

Something wonderful has happened in the last decade, something we haven’t ever seen happen in the U.S. and I’m not talking about Mr. Wonderful. I’m talking about something so wonderful that is makes me wish I were twenty again so I could have more of a part in it – something that I have […]

Politics and the Church

I was recently teaching a Church Leadership class at Phillips Theological Seminary and a student mentioned the need for the church to be proactive in political issues because Jesus was. I got a bit confused by that comment.

I’m not sure which political issues Jesus confronted. There is no question that he confronted the religious […]

Who’s Bulletin Is It?

Let me start out with a thought … if you’re using screen technology, a worship bulletin is a colossal waste of resources. Why do you need a bulletin to follow the Responsive Reading? I mean, it’s up there on the screen? Besides, your office manager probably spent an hour typing it up, proofing it, […]

Ummm … Coffee!

Anyone who spies me in the morning has a pretty good idea that coffee is one of my best friends. A good cuppa is my near-constant companion from breakfast until an hour before lunch.

Except when I’m a visitor at church … or at least at most churches.

You see, although I’m not a […]