Question of the week?

Church is the only enterprise that deals in eternity. So, why is it that most church conferences are about what we can do tomorrow?

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Communion: how often is too often?

A pastor friend of mine dropped by yesterday to talk about communion.  He increased the observance of communion at his church from 4-times a year to 6-times a year.  At our church, we have communion on the first Sunday of each month — 12-times a year — plus on special occasions like Maundy Thursday and [...]

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The abbey church and economics

Yesterday I posted Ten Marks of the Church-as-Abbey. One of the characteristics, economics, plays an important role because the ancient celtic Christian abbeys were self-supporting while providing economic transformation to the community. Today, tall skinny kiwi posts about the fourth sector — groups that want to change the world while making their own way financially.  [...]

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Ten marks of the church-as-abbey

Models for how we should do church are not in short supply.  Seeker-sensitive, purpose-driven, emerging, missional, traditional, liturgical, ancient-future, and the like all have their merits.  I am really interested in the church-as-abbey concept myself.  I have read extensively about the early Celtic Christian church and find it intriguing and encouraging.  In that research I [...]

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Walking with others

I had today planned perfectly. When I arrived at the office, I planned to spend the day getting ready for an important meeting tonight about the community center. But the life of a small church pastor in a small town isn’t always amenable to planning. So, instead of spending the day at my desk, I [...]

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21 Potential Ministry Partners for Your Church

Last year, after talking about how our church partnered with various groups in our community, someone remarked, “That’s fine for your church, but nobody in our community would work together.” In the interest of challenging that statement, here are 21 groups that I think your church (or any church) might partner with on community transformation: [...]

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Sermon for Sunday, Jan 27 — “Bless The World”

This is the sermon I’m preaching tomorrow, January 27, 2008. The lectionary reading comes from Matthew 4:12-23, where Jesus calls Peter, Andrew, James and John, to follow him and he will make them “fishers of men.” Have a great day tomorrow! Bless The World Matthew 4:12-23 12When Jesus heard that John had been put in [...]

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Is Feb 3 really Super Bowl Sunday?

This or this? In the Christian Year, Sunday February 3 is Transfiguration Sunday. In popular culture, February 3 is Super Bowl Sunday. On that Sunday, churches have two choices for the heading in their worship bulletins or on their video screens: Super Bowl Sunday -or- Transfiguration Sunday In the past, I have gone with Super [...]

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People will notice

Today history was made in Chatham, Virginia. At 3 PM, African-Americans and white Americans gathered to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. together. Not many people will notice this historic event because only about 75 of us were present. But it happened, and as I welcomed the interracial gathering to [...]

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Many are chilled, but few are frozen

Our house sits on Main Street across from the Carter’s #3 store. I have found Carter’s #2 (it’s in Gretna), but I’m still looking for Carter’s #1. But, back to my point. Next to Carter’s #3, reposes Scott’s Funeral Home. Nice folks and they perform their services with dignity and kindness. But more importantly, they’re [...]

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