(Click here for part one of this two-part post.) Hard conversations are unavoidable, even for the sweetest, most kind-hearted church leaders. ..
“Small talk” is a vital part of every congregation’s life. We greet one another after worship, commenting on sports and gardens and..
It has happened again. Getting out into the community is a game-changer. For several years, I have been working with declining churches..
The Oak Tree at the Entrance to Blackwater Pond – Mary Oliver Everyday on my way to the pond I pass the..
I recently began a new call which means I am fresh out of what we Presbyterians call “the call process.” It is..
Something has been bothering me lately. Over the summer, I read an article in The Economist about a study published by..
Outlook College Partnership Award runner-up essay by Courtney Nussbaumer It was the stillness that spoke loudest to me that night. As..
Outlook College Partnership Award winning essay by WHITNEY RANEY I was sitting in my advisor’s office a couple of weeks ago..
Following two full months of moving into the Christian Education wing of Aldrich, I have begun to see some patterns of life..
In a recent blog post, Dr. Albert Mohler, President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, used the Presbyterian Church (USA) as an example..
I'm not proud to admit that I was nervous the first time I began visiting patients on the psychiatric floor of my..
A few weeks ago, I attended a funeral. Funerals are not foreign territory for me; as a pastor responsible for pastoral care..
I have changed her name to protect the innocent, so we’ll just call her “Prissy.” Prissy and I were CBFFs (Church Best..
Mission begins at the church’s front door. Any elder or deacon can tell you that. But how do you reach the people..
My son, Sam, got sick last week for the first time in his almost 11 months of life outside the womb. Some..
It's that time of the year. Target and the local grocery stores turn into veritable labyrinths with stacks of bookcases and..
A colleague sent me a link to a blog article by Carey Nieuwhof reckoning with the reality that even faithful churchgoers are coming..
In the aftermath of the president's request for authorization of military action in Syria, numerous Christian individuals and organizations reacted immediately, expressing..
In our society everything is marketed, everything sells. Things as benign as cotton balls or power tools require sexy advertising to beat..
Just a couple of weeks ago, a police officer was shot and killed in a neighborhood not far from where I live. ..
When congregations face major decisions, need to develop long range plans, or are in the process of a calling a pastor, church..
I was inspired by Diana Nyad’s swim from Cuba to Florida at the age of 64. I was inspired not so much..
Last month I served my final Sunday as a Lake Fellow Resident at Second Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis and moved to Richmond,..
Every Sunday afternoon and Wednesday evening, nine housemates create space in their schedules to gather for a time of fellowship and breaking..
Earlier this week, a chaplain at a Presbyterian-related college shared with me that while he sends a few students to seminary every..
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