Carol Howard Merritt
Actually, we have plenty of money
I hosted UNCO again this year, and it’s been interesting to see what’s going on in the innovative church world....
Back at the burning bush
The people at Friendship Church make creative use of art. They have also learned to be creative as they form their community and shape their narratives.
How do we get people to church?
Attendance is down at church. At most places, there is a lag at Sunday morning services, Sunday school, or mid-week programs. It’s not just your church. It’s most churches.
If you had been here
I was a little girl, sitting near the front row of the church. My legs could not touch the floor, and I had to hold my hands laced in my lap so that I could remain still. I stared at the coffin before me.
Ordinary 32B (Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17)
I’m afraid for Ruth. Boaz’s words suggest either that Ruth has already been assaulted and humiliated, or that it would have been customary for a woman in her position to expect abuse.
November 1, All Saints Day: John 11:32-44
When I read John 11 and heard Jesus thundering, “Unbind him and let him go!" I realized I had not forgiven my father.
Purity and what does it mean to be good?
Someone recently questioned my feminist credentials, when I picked up Jonathan Franzen’s new novel, Purity....
Multicultural life together
James Lee had been commissioned to start an African-American congregation. After reading Acts, his group decided on a multicultural plant instead.
Vulnerability in the pulpit
I’m not one who has any natural inclination to vulnerability, but the suggestions I read that clergy vulnerability should be exercised in the pulpit of all places really make me cringe. I’ve asked Carol Howard Merritt for her thoughts on vulnerability as an element of clergy self-care.
Clergy self-care
Sixteen years ago, I kept a journal of my first year in ministry. At the end, I remember pasting an illustration of a man who was white and naked, and was being pulled apart by different hands. It was almost as if he were on a medieval torture rack, except fingers stretched him. The drawing, I felt, perfectly illustrated my first year as a pastor.
Standing with Kelly Gissendaner
This is a message from Mercy Junction. I called. Would you? You could save a precious life...
...God Complex Radio hosts Frank Schaefer
Rev. Frank Schaefer is an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church where he ministered for 20 years....
Soup-kitchen church
One day, a soup-kitchen guest named what was happening: church, a worshiping community distinct from the larger congregation.
Facing visions of violence
My daughter and I drove up the driveway of the Mercy Junction Justice and Peace Center to pick up my husband, Brian, from work....
Faith and families, a doctor of ministry course
If you know me or have heard me speak, you’ve probably heard this story. I have told it hundreds of times. I grew up Southern Baptist and attended Moody Bible Institute....
UNCO West is calling you
Terra Pennington felt like walking away from her job. She was planting a church and feeling so burnt out that she didn’t know what to do. So she started counting down until UNCO.
The pastor's search for meaning
I’m re-reading Man’s Search for Meaning. The last time I read it was when I was in seminary....
Why I support Planned Parenthood
This week, there were many Evangelicals protesting Planned Parenthood. Reading about the gatherings made me remember why I support the organization.
...Overcoming the culture of nice
We have a culture of nice that allows bullies to flourish. I have watched as this culture allowed certain people to take over a church. Then the group placates that person, and even asks the person who stands up to the bully to sit down, in order to maintain peace. This dynamic can and does kill churches.