Carol Howard Merritt has a post up about the young clergy crisis. Here's a bit of her post: Since I’ve been chairing a national Presbyterian Church (USA) committee on the Nature of the Church for the 21st century, I’ve been gaining a different perspective on many of the larger trends of our denomination. One thing... Continue Reading →
Thoughts About Young Clergy
Carol Howard Merritt has a post up about the young clergy crisis. Here's a bit of her post: Since I’ve been chairing a national Presbyterian Church (USA) committee on the Nature of the Church for the 21st century, I’ve been gaining a different perspective on many of the larger trends of our denomination. One thing... Continue Reading →
Where’s Jesus?
This past Saturday was the day that the members of First decorate the place. The hallways are decked out in wreaths and garlands, Christmas trees are found in the lounge and in the sanctuary. This year's decorations will be memorable because this is the last Christmas at our current location. In a few weeks, we... Continue Reading →
Is It a Sin to Live in the Suburbs?
I've always been a city kid and for the most part have always lived in a city. As kids growing up in Michigan, I grew up with the belief that the 'burbs were somehow not a good place to be. They were filled with white people who fled the cities to escape people who look... Continue Reading →
"A Glimse of What Is Possible"
The word is getting around about SpringHouse Ministry Center (that's the new name), the new building where First Christian is moving to and working with a UCC and a Lutheran congregation. I've shared about how First Christian came to join this partnership and now here are some words from Geoffrey Black, the General Minister and... Continue Reading →
"Welcoming Every Member of the Body"
As many of you know, besides my duties as the Associate Pastor at First Christian in Minneapolis, I also work as the Communications Specialist for the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area. I worked with the Presbytery's Disabilities Concerns Taskforce to put together a special issue ofInPrint, the bimonthly newsmagazine I put out. There are... Continue Reading →
Notes from a Scrapper
I've been meaning to share this post by Carol Howard Merritt, but life has been busy and so I never did get around to it. But hearing about some fellow Disciples of Christ clergy who feel that they have no place in the church reminded me of it again. She uses the term "Scrappers" to... Continue Reading →
“A Glimse of What Is Possible”
The word is getting around about SpringHouse Ministry Center (that's the new name), the new building where First Christian is moving to and working with a UCC and a Lutheran congregation. I've shared about how First Christian came to join this partnership and now here are some words from Geoffrey Black, the General Minister and... Continue Reading →
Notes from a Scrapper
I've been meaning to share this post by Carol Howard Merritt, but life has been busy and so I never did get around to it. But hearing about some fellow Disciples of Christ clergy who feel that they have no place in the church reminded me of it again. She uses the term "Scrappers" to... Continue Reading →
Three’s Company: A New Way of Being Church
Carol Howard Merritt has an interesting blog post about declining churches and ten ways for new churches to sprout. One of the thing that she focuses on is that many churches built buildings for the 1950s, when churches were incredibly full. But over the last few decades, many of these mainline Protestant churches have declined,... Continue Reading →
The Clockwork Pastor 