by Bruce G. Epperly Preaching is the most sustained spiritual and theological practice for senior and solo pastors. Although preaching, along with worship leadership, is the most public act in ministry, excellent preaching that transforms congregation and preacher alike is grounded…
Read MoreDancing with the Sisyphean Imperative: Propositions and Criteria for Sustainable Ecclesiologies
by Bob Sitze Sisyphus, mythological King of Corinth, was unjustly punished by the gods with an unmanageable task—forever rolling a huge stone up a hill, whereupon it would careen back to its starting place, thus requiring his repeatedly futile efforts. Many…
Read MoreGenerations in the Church
Q: Our congregation recently called an energetic and talented young clergy leader. The congregation loves and respects her leadership. However, there are some problems brewing around work style. She continually disregards her scheduled office hours and doesn’t respond to telephone…
Read MoreBeing the Church Today
The numerical height of mainline Protestantism in the United States occurred in the year 1965.1 That was the year that the largest percentages of American people affiliated with and attended church. More Americans were going to church than at any…
Read MoreA Model for Community
It is not enough simply to assert, “Because God is and loves community, we should be more community minded.” Obviously, communities as such are not always a good thing. They can be oppressive. Sometimes in families, urban board rooms, or…
Read MoreThe Pastor and the Healthy Church
“Churches are either plums or pills,” an older colleague once declared to me as I was discerning whether to accept a call to a certain congregation. “Make sure this one is a plum.” It would have been easier to figure…
Read MoreGetting Staff to Share
This week, more from Judith Urban on creating a vibrant shared ministry system in your congregation, and the importance of cooperation between staff and ministry participants. For an introduction to shared ministry, see Shared Ministry Is Good for All Congregations….
Read MoreThe Practice of Testimony
Back in 1999, after my first three years serving Church of the Redeemer in New Haven, CT, I began to wonder what might bring us deeper into the faith while lessening the resistance to growth that small churches can feel….
Read MoreHow Do Clergy Observe Sabbath?
We understand ourselves and our world by means of story. Our personal story holds together the past, present, and future. In the preparation for this writing, we formed clergy peer groups for individuals to share their stories. In one group, we…
Read MorePreaching as Sermon Communication
I have a confession. I usually call preaching by another name. I refer to it by the odd and bulkier two-word phrase sermon communication. At best, this word choice raises an eyebrow and a follow-up question from pastors. At worst,…
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