Whatever happens, what are you going to do on that Sunday six months from now?
What Will You Preach on November 10?
How to Be A Pastor In An Election Year with Joshua Gritter | Episode 182
In this episode, I talk to Joshua Gritter, who is the co-lead pastor along with his wife Lara at First Presbyterian Church in Salisbury, NC. We talk about his article in Presbyterian Outlook “Anxiety, politics, and the lost mysticism of the church,” where he talks about how we Christians in the US have placed their... Continue Reading →
Church and Main 164: Mainline Church Growth
We can do more than just accept the decline of Mainline Protestant denominations.
Episode 159: Mainline Churches and Israel-Palestine with Todd Stavrakos
Reverend Todd Stavrakos discusses the stance of mainline churches on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Why Being Nice to The Gays Won’t Save Your Church*
This past week, the Presbyterian Church (USA) meeting in Detroit, approved pastors being able to marry same sex partners in states where same sex marriage is legal. According to Presbyterian polity, it still has to get the approval of the majority of presbyteries (there are 172) before it becomes the law. Judging Facebook and Twitter... Continue Reading →
Some Thoughts on the Frank Schaefer Case
I haven't followed the news about Methodist minister Frank Schaefer as closely as I should have. For those who know even less, Frank Schaefer faced a church trail for going against the Book of Discipline by marrying two men (one of who happened to be his son). What I do know about the affair has... Continue Reading →
Building a Bridge with Beer
A few weeks ago, I sat down for a beer with a fellow pastor. Actually, I had hard cider- he had the beer. The pastor is theologically conservative and sees me- a gay pastor with an orthodox theology as a bit of an enigma. We had a very good discussion talking about church and life... Continue Reading →
Jesus Is Not a Fashion Accessory
There are folks who tend to focus on the "numbers" taking place in Mainline Protestantism with concern. One example is an article written in 1987 by William Willomon and Robert Wilson. They looked at the numbers and didn't like what they see: The Methodist and the Evangelical United Brethren Churches each began to experience a... Continue Reading →
This Is the Perfect Time to Panic!
Things are not going well in American Mainline Protestantism. Despite all the talk about how religious progressives are winning the day over the Religious Right, I tend to see a tradition that is in decline. I see churches closing- the remaining members too tired to continue. I see churches that are still going on, uncertain... Continue Reading →
Panic at the Narthex
Just a bit of a warning here: I'm about to go all "get off my lawn" in this post. I guess at 43 I do earn the right to be the cranky middle aged guy. What's getting stuck in my craw lately is the perceived lack of enthusiasm for the continuance of the mainline/progressive/liberal church. ... Continue Reading →
The Clockwork Pastor 