Fifth-generation Kansan, United Methodist preacher, husband, and father. Passionate about teaching, preaching, and fostering inclusive communities. I am dedicated to advancing racial reconciliation and helping individuals grow spiritually, and I am excited to serve where God leads.
I am always looking for ways that I can continue to learn while being in a full time ministry setting. It has been a transition from being a seminary student to a setting where being I have found it a challenge to make time for study. My plan to be more intentional about study is […]
These are some reflections on the life of a denomination or individual church that initially began at a campfire on the night of November 6. I will begin with observations of a scene, pose questions related to the church and respond to these questions in a future post. When there is a fire that is […]
This morning I visited a member of the congregation before surgery. I was a little bit later arriving to the hospital than I was hoping. I spoke with the woman behind the desk in the surgery reception area and she said that it would be a few minutes before I would be able to go […]
Different communities of Christians may consider themselves to exist in several ways. One of the characterizations might be the following: Individual faith communities are local incarnations of a global movement of disciples of Jesus Christ. A global movement of disciples of Jesus Christ is made up of local faith communities. I recognize that this is […]
For revitalization to take place within the United Methodist Church I believe that there will need to be changes that take place from top down and bottom up. I was alerted to the article “Global nature task force proposes a U.S. central conference” by RevFife via the methoblog. Some of the first paragraphs in the […]
As a pastor in a local United Methodist church there are certain things that I have with me every day: Bible Name tag for shirt Key badge on belt Wallet Mobile phone If I leave home without any of these items I will return to get them. Sometimes I feel that these things that are […]
I grew up in the Kansas West Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church and am currently serving in the Kansas City area which is a part of the Kansas East Annual Conference. Both of the conferences were challenged by our Bishop Scott Jones to undertake a vision process guided by the following strategic questions […]
It is good to get back to church from the time away during the retreat. However, whenever I return to the daily routine it seems as if there is endless catch up to accomplish. One of the things that I find that necessary and helpful is to to take a time of rest and recenter […]
This morning we heard from a representative of Community LINC in Kansas City about some of the issues surrounding poverty. Now we are preparing to move into a time of discussing the 2007 Strategic Objectives for the church.
There is nothing quite like playing games late into the night to bond a staff group. Just being able to interact in things that are not project / staff / mission related is a great benefit. After our time of solitude and study, we had dinner, took a hayrack ride and ended at a campfire. […]
We just finished a time of looking at the calendar of events for 2007. I am amazed at the level of future planning. I have never been in a setting where the entire year is pretty well planned by the previous November. I found myself even thinking – it would be worthwhile to begin looking […]
I am currently on a retreat with the director level staff of Church of the Resurrection at the Tall Oaks Conference Center in Linwood, Kansas. It is a beautiful setting – wooded campground and a cool fall day. I was not sure quite what to expect yesterday when planning and packing for the experience. The […]
Rev. Andrew Conard 