On May 1, when President Bush triumphantly climbed out of a S-3B Viking jet onto the deck of the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln, his Top Gun arrival was a signature moment of his presidency. In case anyone missed the point, a…
Read MoreCongregational Spiritual Companions: Walking with Churches on their Faith Journeys
Research often uncovers unexpected gems. Such was the case in my work on the Alban Congregational Spirituality Project, a study of five disparate Washington, D.C. churches undertaken to learn about the different ways their congregational spirituality had developed, to discover…
Read MoreRace Initiatives: The Third Rail of Denominational Politics
At the time of the O. J. Simpson trial in the winter of 1995, a wave of concern arose for the continued racial divisions in the United States and for the sharply differing ways that those divisions were seen through…
Read MoreChoosing Life over Death: The Story of a Congregation’s Rebirth
I arrived in Boston in 1995 with a heart and a history for urban ministry. I soon discovered that there were many fewer Presbyterian congregations in New England than in my old New Jersey stomping grounds where I served congregations…
Read MoreIn Communion with One Another: Characteristics of Successful Multiracial Congregations
To bring people together across racial differences not only requires sharing in God’s great love, it also necessitates the power to accomplish human community, hopefully and intentionally, despite inner turmoil or outside conflict. Love on its own does not form…
Read MoreIn Mission on the Boundaries—On Purpose!
I remember the day I first heard the words “Cultural Boundaries Project.” As executive minister of the District of Columbia Baptist Convention (DCBC), I called Gil Rendle at the Alban Institute for help in strategic planning for the convention’s future….
Read MoreQuestioning the Age-Segregated Church
Keeping a congregation generationally diverse is not impossible today, but it is becoming more improbable. But too much blame is being placed on generations and generational culture—an analysis that keeps us from seeing the other issues blocking age diversity in…
Read MoreSexuality and Boundaries
When it comes to sexuality, we need boundaries and we want them. But often in our church relationships, we don’t know how to communicate appropriate boundaries: A pastor is dismayed to find herself visiting with a male parishioner who seems…
Read MoreStruggling with Boundaries in the 21st Century
Every Sunday morning in American churches the bulletins, greeters, and signs on the door offer messages of welcome. Biblical images of inclusivity are abundant. Isaiah’s prophecy of a time when lions will lie down with lambs; Paul’s teachings on the…
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