The first significant crack came right out of seminary when I was appointed by the bishop to serve a three-point circuit in the Appalachian communities of north central Pennsylvania. The logging industry—once booming in these now impoverished communities—had been completely…
Read MoreTeaching the Tradition
Christian discipleship began with vocation, with the “call” of Jesus to some fishermen. Jesus’s call was a call to relationship: “Come, follow me.” Whether among first-generation Jewish followers of the Way, third-generation Gentile Christians in Asia Minor, or twenty-first-century Western…
Read MoreControlling Conflicts of Interest
The new pastor of a small church was concerned that the music director was also the church treasurer and that two married couples sat on the church council. He worried that there might be a conflict of interest, but not…
Read MoreBook Reviews, Congregations, Summer 2009
For Life Abundant: Practical Theology, Theological Education and Christian Ministry Dorothy C. Bass & Craig Dykstra, editors Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2008 Want to know more about the abundant life promised in the gospels? This book…
Read MoreFrom the Editor, Congregations, Summer 2009
This issue contains many articles that appear, on the surface, to be helpful, process-oriented pieces to help congregations work through issues that arise in the course of their ministries. However, nearly every article can be appended with a BUT—another way…
Read MoreNew & Noteworthy, Congregations, Summer 2009
Claiming the Beatitudes: Nine Stories from a New Generation Anne Howard By sharing the stories of ten earnest young men and women of faith who take the beatitudes both literally and seriously, Anne Howard brings Jesus’s simple yet revolutionary words…
Read MoreRecommended Reading, Congregations, Summer 2009
Bass, Diana Butler. A People’s History of Christianity: The Other Side of the Story (New York, NY: HarperOne, 2009). People often confuse the entire story of Christianity with what Diana Butler Bass calls “Big C” militant Christianity. The author, however,…
Read MoreNew & Noteworthy, Congregations, Summer 2009
Claiming the Beatitudes: Nine Stories from a New Generation Anne Howard By sharing the stories of ten earnest young men and women of faith who take the beatitudes both literally and seriously, Anne Howard brings Jesus’s simple yet revolutionary words…
Read MoreA Place that Offers Life
“Finances are tight, and our numbers are dwindling. The congregation is looking to me to turn things around. So is my denomination—that’s exactly what I was told when I was appointed here. And, frankly, that’s my expectation too. Isn’t that…
Read MoreTen Lessons about Being a Learner-Centered Teacher
I still remember what a shock it was to discover, just as I was finishing my graduate training to be a theology professor, that I was about to have to start to learn to be a teacher. Suddenly I was…
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