Last spring I led a clergy conference for an Episcopal diocese on the topic of cultural change, Christianity, and postmodernism. During one session I explained the shift in American society from a single voice of authority to multiple voices and…
Read MoreWhen Narrative Identities Clash: Liberals versus Evangelicals
If there is one thing North American Christians at the beginning of the 21st century think they understand it is the divide between liberal and evangelical in the church. Polarized ecclesiastical publications tell their stories from the left or from…
Read MoreComing Out—Liberal and Evangelical:
In seminary I knew I was different, but I didn’t have a name for what I was. I was the product of an unusual union of Christian traditions, and this left me feeling out of place. My early faith formation…
Read MoreWelcoming the "Other": What Pastors and Congregations Can Do to Support Ecumenical Marriages
In American religious life today there is an upsurge of “church-hopping”—laity moving their membership from one denomination to another. Married couples do not always make this move together, however. A couple who began their marriage within the same denomination may…
Read MoreThe Leading Edge: Pastors' Untold Stories: A Silence that Begs to Be Broken
A new book by Dean R. Hoge and Jacqueline E. Wenger probes a painful topic that touches many American congregations. Pastors in Transition: Why Clergy Leave Local Church Ministry (Eerdmans, 2005) seeks to shed some light on a situation that…
Read MoreAsk Alban: Getting Clear on Boundaries and Ethics
Q: I understand that you have expertise in the area of boundaries and ethical standards of practice for ministry professionals. Where do you see the need for further work? A: Most ministry professionals understand that it is unethical (and in…
Read MoreA Journey with One’s Peers: The Power of Group Learning Programs
Seminaries and other organizations offer a plethora of continuing education programs for ministers, but many of these same organizations are conducting research to discover new continuing education models that can provide even more benefit and impact. What is being discovered…
Read MoreBecoming God’s Church: A New Congregation Finds its Place in God’s Unfolding Story
“This stuff is way too churchy!” the marketing director proclaimed as my wife and I sat down to discuss how to tell the community that a new congregation was being formed in Naples, Florida. “Too churchy!” she advised as we…
Read MoreWelcoming the “Other”: What Pastors and Congregations Can Do to Support Ecumenical Marriages
In American religious life today there is an upsurge of “church-hopping”—laity moving their membership from one denomination to another. Married couples do not always make this move together, however. A couple who began their marriage within the same denomination may…
Read MoreThe Leading Edge: Pastors’ Untold Stories: A Silence that Begs to Be Broken
A new book by Dean R. Hoge and Jacqueline E. Wenger probes a painful topic that touches many American congregations. Pastors in Transition: Why Clergy Leave Local Church Ministry (Eerdmans, 2005) seeks to shed some light on a situation that…
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