Day 3 of Annual Conference went well. Here are some of the highlights: We took the 5 finger vote in response to the Great Plan for the Great Plains, in which we are considering the possibility of one annual conference across the states of Kansas and Nebraska We passed resolutions to close seven United Methodist […]
Tag: Religion and Spirituality
How do we help people live fruitfully in their day to day life? Ultimately, the church is not about keeping a variety of interesting programs running and giving people something that to do that is segmented from the rest of their lives. We are about equipping people to live fruitfully in their every day life […]
How do we separate busyness and fruitfulness? Fruitfulness leads to the fruit of the spirit are evidenced among the people. Another way to consider this is to see lives changed, communities transformed and the church renewed. Busyness does not lead to evidence of the fruit of the spirit. Busyness does not lead to changed lives, […]
Fruitfulness: Ministry Audits (1 of 4)
It may be common practice to have the financial books of a local church to be regularly audited. Does the leadership of your congregation ever conduct ministry audits for fruitfulness? What would it look like to determine the fruitfulness of a particular ministry area in the church – small groups, UMW, a worship service? Related […]
I continue to appreciate the work of Lovett Weems and the entire team at the Lewis Center for Church Leadership. The offer a great number of resources for pastors, congregations, students and denominations at http://www.churchleadership.com. I wanted to draw your attention to Leading Ideas – a biweekly newsletter from the Lewis Center. You can find more […]
I continue to appreciate the work of Lovett Weems and the entire team at the Lewis Center for Church Leadership. The offer a great number of resources for pastors, congregations, students and denominations at http://www.churchleadership.com. I wanted to draw your attention to Leading Ideas – a biweekly newsletter from the Lewis Center. You can find more […]
I continue to appreciate the work of Lovett Weems and the entire team at the Lewis Center for Church Leadership. The offer a great number of resources for pastors, congregations, students and denominations at http://www.churchleadership.com. I wanted to draw your attention to Leading Ideas – a biweekly newsletter from the Lewis Center. You can find […]
Summary I recently received a copy of Generation Rising: A Future with Hope for the United Methodist Church from Abingdon Press to review. I finished reading it yesterday on my day off after Easter Sunday. The book consists of 12 chapters written by different authors, who are all members of Generation X and The United Methodist […]
Wise and Eloquent Preaching
Nearly every class I have taken, seminar attended or and piece of guidance that I have received about preaching has encouraged me to craft a sermon that is well written and smartly crafted. However when Paul reflects on his ministry, he writes: For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not […]
Here is the collection of my posts from my excellent experience at SXSW Interactive: #SXSW Interactive Experience – Day 1 #SXSW Interactive Experience – Day 2 #SXSW Interactive Experience – Day 3 #SXSW Interactive Experience – Day 4 #SXSW Interactive Experience – Day 5 SXSW Interactive Trade Show SXSW Interactive – Circus Mashimus SXSW Interactive – […]
I recently just finished Bearing Fruit: Ministry with Real Results by Lovett H. Weems, Jr. and Tom Berlin. Along with other members of the senior staff, I read this in preparation for our semi-annual retreat today. I have been considering what it fruitful and effective ministry is like, especially in response to Kevin Watson’s post, […]
I have had several clergy friends ask about the details of my recent paternity leave, so I wanted to share some of the questions and my responses, as well as the letter that I used to initiate the process. I was on paid leave for 5 weeks full time and 3 weeks part time. My […]