As we gather for worship today, most of us probably have one less hour of sleep than we’re used to, thanks to Daylight Saving Time. It’s a little curious. We change our clocks, hoping to capture more daylight to maximize our time. This act of shifting time forward is a powerful metaphor for our journey […]
Today, we gather as spectators and as participants in a story that stretches back centuries yet speaks directly into the here and now. We stand on the shoulders of those who walked the dusty roads of Judea with Jesus, those who wrestled with questions of authority, stewardship, and faith. As we delve into Mark 12:1-17, […]
Imagine standing at a crossroads, the horizon stretched before you, painted with the bright colors of dawn. This moment, right now, feels like that—a pivotal point in our journey together. As I share the news of my upcoming appointment to McPherson First United Methodist Church, we stand together on the edge of change, between the […]
I am running an experiment this fall in the local church with the purpose of engaging people in discipleship. The experiment is a Facebook Live Book Study. Some of the observations that lead to this experiment: High engagement of video on the church’s Facebook page Congregants sharing the value of study’s led by the preacher […]
A Conversation about the Meaning, Symbolism and Responsibility of Baptism One of the great privileges that I have as a United Methodist preacher is offering the sacrament of Christian baptism to individuals and families connected with the local church. I like to meet with the individual or family in advance of the service to hear their […]
I spent last week at a youth camp, Institute 2010: God’s All Stars, which is a ministry of the Conference Council on Youth Ministry of the Kansas East Annual Conference. This post is part of a series reflecting on the week and making applications for the local church. I am unable to deny that there are […]
There are clear indicators of effective clergy that would ensure that she or he would receive an appointment regardless of whether her or his appointment is guaranteed in the United Methodist Church. There are also churches that are more and less healthy. In April, the Connectional Table of the United Methodist Church suggested that there […]
I had a conversation several weeks ago with Paul Watson and he talked about a concept which I dug up on reaching the online generation. The concept is Fractal Discipleship. According to Wikipedia, “A fractal is “a rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be split into parts, each of which is (at least approximately) a reduced-size […]
One of the first sites that we visited in Zimbabwe was a revival at Prospect United Methodist Church. We walked into some of the most passionate worship that I have experienced. In the singing, preaching, dancing and response it was clear that the Holy Spirit was active. While I did not understand the language of […]
This is one of the most common questions that I receive since starting my new role as Resurrection Online Campus Pastor on November 1. The answer is most accurately answered in two parts and the first part has to do with the online experience. Since November 2, 2008 there have been an average of 1,004 […]
I believe that the primary role of the church is spiritual formation. Through worship, teaching, classes, serving, conversation, care, accountability and many other specifics the faith community that is the church is about forming the souls closer to the image of God. This journey of sanctification moves us closer toward perfect love of God and […]
I believe that over the next several years, micro churches will become an important part of renewal within The United Methodist Church. While there are many different settings in which micro churches might thrive, I believe that the greatest potential may be in planting new churches. As micro churches continue to multiply and grow, leadership […]
Rev. Andrew Conard 