All Blog Posts (319)

How familiar are you with Reinhold Niebuhr?  In a newly published book "Why Niebuhr Matters" professor Charles Lemert believes this pastor-theologian of yesteryear provides an important theological realism reflecting that of St. Augustine centuries ago.  There is something in human nature that so often leads to a selfishness and greed in people and political and economic aggression in nations.  And although we claim to be a Christian nation this may be more of an ideal than reality. …

Prayers please as Disciples in the MId-America region consider new ways of being Church in covenant partnership this fall. Among the many pieces of our own transformation is a proposal to help at least 50 of our 253 congregations to embark on a two year transformational journey, choosing and making use of tested processes (and effectively supported throughout those processes) and choosing ways to make use of an ambitious region-wide communications strategy in partnership with Visionworks…

John 6:51 “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh."

Being raised Roman Catholic my first exposure to these words was in preparation for my first Holy Communion.  I was seven years old and Sister Ann Marie – a 20 something Dominican had the impossible task of helping 30 children who, according to James Fowler (Stages of Faith), lived in a world…

Jesus answered, “I assure you, unless someone is born anew, it’s not possible to see God’s kingdom.”.



He didn't see it coming!  Nicodemus - apparently interested in a friendly, intelligent conversation with a rising Jewish star (and a possible threat to the authority of the Sanhedrin) - completely misses the compliment that Jesus pays him.



Or does he?  As a member of a very elite group of religious scholars and leaders Nicodemus is no stranger to nuance and…

ChurchNext is one of the best video interview shows online today, so it was a huge thrill and honor for me to be interviewed by host Chris Yaw recently. The episode with my interview went up last week, and I'm glad to bring it to you (be warned, it's an hour-long conversation!).



I talk about Hope Partnership for Missional Transformation, and…

20:1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb.



Their first day of the week was Sunday.  Ours is Monday, or, at least that is a more accurate description of the setting that Easter morning.



Not a day off for reflecting, worshiping, or leisurely spending time with family.  In first-century Palestine it was back to the daily grind and for the 99 percent…

I am convinced that Jesus would be fired within his first few months of becoming a pastor in a typical church. Here is why:

1. He would shrink the group before he grew it.

2. He would do most of his ministry outside the four walls of the church.

3. He would bring the “un” ones (dirty, flirty, and rejected) into his inner circle.

4. He would confront the status quo in the church at large.

5. His hair would be way too long to be taken seriously. Below the…

Last month I had the privilege of interviewing Chris Smith of Englewood Christian Church on the Near Eastside of Indianapolis. Chris joined me for the monthly Twitter #missionalchat in February, and then we sat down to record this half-hour conversation about his new e-book The Virtue of Dialogue (Patheos Press) and his forthcoming book Slow Church,…

Recently my spouse, Rebecca, and I shared our thoughts on the place of "covenant" in our life together as Disciples on the D'mergent web page.  The notion of covenant has deep resonances with the Bible, the Christian tradition and Disciples life and thought, so a meditation on those resonances presents an opportunity for Disciples to beneficially think about covenant in our common life together.  In order to continue sharing this piece among Disciples, a link to it is being posted here to…

That's what my new friend Charles LaFond told me when we met recently at a retreatoutside of Atlanta.



Charles is the Canon for Congregational Life in the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire. Charles is also, as I discovered, a master potter and…

It's still a way off, but I'm excited for this year's regional assembly featuring General President, Sharon Watkins. 

Have you noticed that the trouble with transforming a congregation, region, or denomination is that we are often motivated by a crisis that threatens to unseat us from where we are already comfortable and in control?

Is anyone else just a bit miffed after learning that even the best technological approaches fail when I try to engage in this work without any intention of becoming - myself - transformed? 

Sitting through workshops at the Children's Welcome conference today with a…

I had a great time in Fort Worth, Texas, last week. I started the week co-preaching at The Search on Super Bowl Sunday with one of my emerging missional church heroes, Rev. Dr. Suzanne Castle (see video…

One day last week I was making a pastoral call at a local private hospital. I didn't know the patient. I only knew that her name was Elizabeth and that her family had asked the hospital social worker to call a minister to pray with her. I get quite a few of those calls. Elizabeth was comatose, as they…

I'm excited to be able to share my recent interview with Anthony Smith (a.k.a. Postmodern Negro). February is, after all, African American History Month, and, I must confess, Anthony was my first real African American friend, who has taught me much of what I now know about black history and my own white privilege. I'm deeply indebted to him for that!

Anthony has been a great friend…

Last month, I decided to start a series of monthly #missionalchat conversations on Twitter, on the third Monday of the month (which is also when I'm planning to post on the Emergent Village Voice blog).



Back in December, the conversation was around the terms "…