On Saturday, Methodist pastor Alan Bevere wondered why mainline churches are losing their young adults. This was my response. This is probably going to be a future blog post, but I will offer a few observations. First, mainline churches have done a poor job when it comes to campus ministry with one exception: the Lutherans.... Continue Reading →
Sermon: “Do You Remember?”
Isaiah 58:1-12 and Matthew 6:1-21 Ash Wednesday March 5, 2014 First Christian Church Mahtomedi, MN It’s been nearly 20 years since Ken Burn’s documentary on the Great American pasttime aired. Baseball talked about the early beginnings of the sport, what impact it had on American society and how it was impacted by American society. There... Continue Reading →
All Means Almost
I've never watched Duck Dynasty. I didn't really know about Phil Robertson until he uttered his beliefs on homosexuality and race. It's no surprise that I don't agree with either of those views. But there is a question that keeps rumbling in my mind. It's not directed at Robertson, it's directed to my fellow Christians... Continue Reading →
Sermon: “There Goes the Neighborhood”
Since I don’t have children, I’ve never seen the actual birth of a baby. But I have had the blessing of seeing a child hours after having entered the world.
Faith and Spreadsheets
I've been noticing something. A mainline church either moves out of its current location or closes. Soon there after, an evangelical church or an immigrant church buys up the property. Here's the interesting thing: the mainline churches moves out because the community is no longer sustainable or the building is too much for a shrinking... Continue Reading →
Repost: Church Planting; A Step of Faith
I'm not saying that pastor and other church leaders should not be paid. What I am saying is that in many cases, we aren't so willing to take a step of faith, in planting churches and in the funding of church plants and planters.
Repost: I Miss the Old Mel White
The positive Mel White of old the "SpongeBob Squarepants of the gay community" is long gone. What's left is a man that's pretty pissed off at the church and when I say church, I mean the whole church.
Sunday Sermon: “Called. Gathered. Sent.”
From 2010. “Called. Gathered. Sent.” John 2:1-11, I Corinthians 12:1-11 January 17, 2010 First Christian Church Minneapolis, MN I’ve come to realize that as you reach a certain age, you start to look back at an earlier point in your life more and more. A friend of mine who turned 40 last year commented... Continue Reading →
What Does the Lord Require?
A few weeks back, I happened to be browsing the religious website Patheos and came accross a blog post by Greg Garrett called "God Commands Compassion, Not Evangelism." The title fascinated me and the excerpt was even more interesting: "Christianity is not about praying in a certain way, or believing a certain thing, or making... Continue Reading →
An Evangelical Looks at a Mainline Seminary
One of my favorite bloggers to read these days is Timothy Dalrymple. He's a social conservative and I, being a gay pastor am...not. But even though we probably see things differently, his reasoning has always been solid and reminds me that social conservatives are real people and not simply caricatures. He has an interesting column... Continue Reading →
The Clockwork Pastor 