Thoughts of Resurrection

Do You Info Snack?

Andrew Conard — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:00:24 +0000

I sure do.

I recently heard this phrase and found it to pretty accurately describe my habit of using my iPhone to check news, play a game or read email while having down time of even a minute or two.

Do you info snack?

Two Realities about Jobs

Andrew Conard — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:00:55 +0000

Image by nmorao via Flickr

I had a great conversation with a colleague a couple weeks ago about the reality of jobs. Here is what he had to say:

When considerino possibile roles or commitments, play to your passions and don’t apologize for it.
There will always be a part of every job that you hate.

What would you add to the list of reality about jobs?

2011 in review

Andrew Conard — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:38:03 +0000

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 42,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 16 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Metrics for the UMC: Numbers ≠ Vitality (3 of 3)

Andrew Conard — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:00:13 +0000

At our last district clergy meeting our District Superintendent was speaking about metrics and vital churches and wanted to make one thing clear:

Numbers are not vitality. Numbers are contextual.

This is so true. Numbers give us insight but they are not vitality. I found a similar thought expressed on Twitter recently

Growth ≠ The Mission. Growth is a tactic in service of The Mission. Don't mistake tactics for what you're actually trying to accomplish.—
Joshua Blankenship (@blankenship) September 23, 2011

Metrics for the UMC: Comparing Stories (2 of 3)

Andrew Conard — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:00:17 +0000

Clearly numbers do not tell the whole story of a local church, annual conference or denomination. There are stories of life change that are more important than raw data. One of the challenges of collecting stories is how to report them. It is far easier to look at a graph of worship attendance at our church over time and seek to draw conclusions over time. How do you look back over time and compare stories that have been collected?

Number of stories?
Category of stories?
Stories of visitors?
Community impact?

How do you collect stories of people and tell them in a way that builds up the body of Christ both at the time and will be able to used in a meaningful way in the future?

Why Numbers Matter in the UMC – Naming Reality (1 of 3) (andrewconard.com)
Why Numbers Matter in the UMC – Learning (2 of 3) (andrewconard.com)
Why Numbers Matter in the UMC – Community (3 of 3) (andrewconard.com)

Metrics for the UMC: A Question of Counting (1 of 3)

Andrew Conard — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:00:59 +0000

Several weeks ago, I wrote a series about Why Numbers Matter in the UMC and I wanted to follow that up with some thoughts that I have been percolating on since then.

Statistically, for metrics to be any good they need to be measuring the same thing across time and among different locations. I don’t have any conclusions today, but just a question:

What is the standard for counting worship attendance? Do you include:

Children?
Infants in the Nursery?
Adults?
Volunteers?
Staff?

What do you count at your church for worship attendance?

Why Numbers Matter in the UMC – Naming Reality (1 of 3) (andrewconard.com)
Why Numbers Matter in the UMC – Learning (2 of 3) (andrewconard.com)
Why Numbers Matter in the UMC – Community (3 of 3) (andrewconard.com)

Columbus Day 2011

Andrew Conard — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 16:00:06 +0000

Columbus Day, Columbus Day. Each year the United States, along with other countries in the Western Hemisphere commemorate the landing of Christopher Columbus in the “New World.” There is much that could be said about the legacy that Columbus left, but instead of diving in to what could be a quagmire, I’ll ask instead:

How important is Columbus Day in your life?

Blessings of Ministry – Teaching (3 of 3)

Andrew Conard — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 16:00:30 +0000

There are many blessings of being in ministry serving as a pastor at a local church. One of these is the chance to teach classes about knowing, loving and serving God. This week I finished the second of a six week class in which we are looking at how we respond to God’s love and how our lives might be different as a result. I really enjoying sharing about our faith and the church, answering questions and helping people take the next step on their journey of faith.

What blessings do you find in ministry?

Blessings of Ministry – Mission (2 of 3)

Andrew Conard — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 16:00:02 +0000

There are many blessings of being in ministry as the pastor of a local church. One of these blessings is the opportunity to lead our congregation in mission to the community. In my role at Resurrection West, I have the opportunity to work with a great team of volunteers on the Mission team that organizes and equips our congregation to serve others and share Christ. I love being able to help people live out God’s call in their life.

What blessings do you find in ministry?

Blessings of Ministry – Babies (1 of 3)

Andrew Conard — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:00:27 +0000

There are many blessings of ministry as a pastor. One of those is to be with families with new babies. In the past several weeks, I have had the opportunity to be with two families who welcomed a new member to their family, as well as pray before surgery for an infant. Each one of these are doing great.

What blessings do you find in ministry?

Thoughts of Resurrection

Do You Info Snack?

Two Realities about Jobs

2011 in review

Metrics for the UMC: Numbers ≠ Vitality (3 of 3)

Metrics for the UMC: Comparing Stories (2 of 3)

Related articles

Metrics for the UMC: A Question of Counting (1 of 3)

Related articles

Columbus Day 2011

Blessings of Ministry – Teaching (3 of 3)

Blessings of Ministry – Mission (2 of 3)

Blessings of Ministry – Babies (1 of 3)