Carol Howard Merritt
Money can’t buy me life
I hear a fearful refrain coming from church leaders, from every denominational level. They twist their fingers into knots as they say: If we don’t have our endowment, we will die. It’s our job to protect the endowment for future generations. Our future depends on a healthy endowment.
When self care is ugly
Aaron Billard posted this article to Twitter yesterday, as he ch...
Who watches the watchmen?
I began hearing the question in seminary. It became louder as I started writing. “Who will be the next Reinhold Niebuhr?” In 1948, Niebuhr was on the cover of Time Magazine....
Why are there so few megachurches among ecumenical Christians?
To keep the evangelical belief system intact, a person needs to be a part of the subculture. You need to be surrounded by like-minded people who can look past scientific realities, uphold a separate role for women, and give unquestioned support to the GOP.
Dying to leave a legacy
What happens when a congregation's ministry is something we can't see without a rearview mirror?
Forgive the Intrusion, UMC Friends
I would love to rant about Donald Trump. The whole GOP is like a fiery car crash right now—everything stops so we can gawk at the latest collision....
Ruth Everhart: Ruined
Ruth Everhart's book, Ruined: A Memoir, comes out today. It's a gripping story about sexual violence and looking at our theology in the midst of difficult realities.I had a chance to talk with Ruth about the value of women, what it was like to write the memoir, and how we understand God's sovereignty and power in the midst of violence.
How to write a book
Increasingly, people ask me, “How do you do what you do?” They want to know how to become a writer, speaker, or consultant....
Bruce Reyes-Chow on God Complex Radio
If you're new to the podcast world (it's grown so much lately!), then by all means, check out God Complex Radio....
Faithful Resistance and Black Lives Matter
This summer, I worked with the good people of UNCO to start a publishing company. We published our first book, Faithful Resistance, by Rick Ufford-Chase. In it, Rick brings together a chorus of voices. In this midst of the shattering violence of this week, I want to introduce you to one of those voices, in particular. Annanda Barclay writes about why Black Lives Matter.
Short-term but vital
Perhaps when we plant congregations, we should plan on starting two: one that lasts and one that doesn't.
Sterling, Castile, and Trump
In Ohio, an angry Donald Trump responds after he tweeted an anti-Semitic image of Hillary Clinton from a white supremacist group. He blasts the media for their criticism of the image: “They’re racial profiling, they’re profiling. Not us.” How is this even possible? Two black men are killed by police. Brutally and violently. And a billionaire white man, with every privilege in the world, says he’s the victim.
Varieties of new churches
Two churches in my town offer a contrast in style, substance, and mission. We both love Jesus and long to love our neighbors.
The trifle of communication
In this time of our church history, when going to a service is no longer a societal expectation and people don’t necessarily make business connections in the pews, preaching has become more importa...
Generation to generation
Congregations often cater to those who show up and pay the bills. But as Jesus said, we need new wineskins to hold new wine.
Teresa Pasquale Mateus and Sacred Wounds
Join Derrick Weston and Teresa Pasquale Mateus, as they talk about Teresa's new book.
A word of thanks to those 111 clergy
As I work today, my mind travels to the United Methodist clergy who came out as LGBTQ before the General Conference, to challenge the denomination’s policy which bans the ordination of “practicing homosexuals.” While the number is stunning, I keep thinking of each individual person who has risked their livelihood and calling, for this historic moment.
What happened to the Religious Right?
Donald Trump pretty much clinched the Republican nomination last night, frustrating Religious Right architects.
...Proudly donning Calvin's mantle
Someone took offense at my writing recently, and he (I’m assuming) responded on Twitter with an avatar with the profile of John Calvin....
The grace of small things
New church communities have sprung up across the nation. They differ in many ways, but most have one thing in common: their small size.