The Chosen, now streaming its fourth season, is a worldwide phenomenon. Crowd-funded from the beginning, the show has been so popular with viewers that it’s now available on multiple streaming services, attracting more than 200 million people who’ve watched at least one episode. I’m one of them… “Skeptical” is probably
I’ve heard a crazy rumor for years… Legend has it that church ministry slows down to a sabbath-y pace in the summer. My husband and I have been part of a handful of churches, in both volunteer and paid-staff roles. In all that time, we’ve experienced the alleged slow-down with just
In the thick of the pandemic, the Lilly Endowment gave the Hartford Institute for Religion Research a multi-million dollar grant to study the impact of Covid 19 on U.S. churches. The five-year study, still ongoing, is called Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations. Researchers have gathered survey insights around social outreach
I’m walking closely alongside two sets of parents who are raising young children in this world. I’m constantly struck by how different the shape of their lives is from what mine was when I was in that season of life. First of all, I’m just amazed by how much equipment
Is it just me, or are the self-outing atheists I see on TV and online a kinder, gentler, more “spiritual” brand of God-doubters? From Mark Zuckerberg to Neil deGrasse Tyson to Jonathan Haidt to the notoriously prickly Bill Maher, the new/new atheists are careful to express their respect for those
Last month I had lunch with a ministry leader—I get to see her in-person only a couple of times a year, so it was so good catching up. We lost track of time; for almost four hours we talked about life, ministry, faith, and everything in-between. We were well into
Last weekend I was driving around town ticking off my to-do list and listening to an episode of This American Life, the much-acclaimed public-radio storytelling show hosted by Ira Glass. I catch the show mid-stream as Boen Wang, a 20-something Asian-American man describes the impact of his early life growing
Summer is the sound of crackling campfire, the smell of a fresh-cut lawn, the taste of fresh watermelon, and the feel of a frisbee caught in a park—all under a sunny blue sky. It’s the perfect time for families to go all-in on engaging each other, and the perfect time
Think of a cultural environment very familiar to you that is not your home—your church, workplace, health club, volunteer organization, or social group. Now consider these questions: What are the values of that culture? What are the priorities? What do you like and not like about it? In what ways
I’ve heard a crazy rumor for years… Legend has it that church ministry slows down to a sabbath-y pace in the summer. My husband and I have been part of a handful of churches, in both volunteer and paid-staff roles. In all that time, we’ve experienced the alleged slow-down with just
I’m walking closely alongside two sets of parents who are raising young children in this world. I’m constantly struck by how different the shape of their lives is from what mine was when I was in that season of life. First of all, I’m just amazed by how much equipment
Last month I had lunch with a ministry leader—I get to see her in-person only a couple of times a year, so it was so good catching up. We lost track of time; for almost four hours we talked about life, ministry, faith, and everything in-between. We were well into
Summer is the sound of crackling campfire, the smell of a fresh-cut lawn, the taste of fresh watermelon, and the feel of a frisbee caught in a park—all under a sunny blue sky. It’s the perfect time for families to go all-in on engaging each other, and the perfect time
On a shelf filled with memorabilia was a box labeled “photos.” The box sat collecting dust for years, untouched until the death of my sister, Kim. We opened it to fill a memory board for the funeral, and to use some photos for the memorial slide show. So many questions
Recent research reveals that 40 million Americans who used to go to church no longer do… These are the “nones”—people who are disaffiliating, deconstructing, reconstructing, and de-churching. People who once included churchgoing as a normal part of life, but no longer do. For the first time, in the eight decades that Gallup
What do we actually know about what’s going on inside the faith-life of the parents in our churches today? On some level, they’re longing to raise their children to know and love Jesus, but how is that going for them? Vibrant Faith has been asking these questions in a variety
These past few weeks have been filled with shock and grief after the sudden death of my sister. We, her family, are broken. My healthy, 61-year-old sister tripped and fell—so how do we make sense of that as the beginning of the end for her? We are riding the waves
You know the drill—especially before, during and after busy ministry seasons… “How are you doing?”someone asks. “Surviving,” you reply. “Juggling too much of everything!” That’s typically true and feels “correct.” But imagine if, instead, you replied: “I’m great! Fully rested.” Ever heard that kind of reply from your boss or
Last month I had lunch with a ministry leader—I get to see her in-person only a couple of times a year, so it was so good catching up. We lost track of time; for almost four hours we talked about life, ministry, faith, and everything in-between. We were well into
By Fred Oduyoye and Rick Lawrence We have so many micro-interactions with people throughout our day—co-workers, family members, random people on the street, service workers, and on and on… In all these relational connections we have the latent capacity for seeding redemption, grace, and even healing. For real. So
Recent research reveals that 40 million Americans who used to go to church no longer do… These are the “nones”—people who are disaffiliating, deconstructing, reconstructing, and de-churching. People who once included churchgoing as a normal part of life, but no longer do. For the first time, in the eight decades that Gallup
By Fred Oduyoye and Rick Lawrence Some people are simply hard to “unlock.” Their body language, tone of voice, facial expression, and relational “posture” all converges into one simple message: Leave me alone. And, mostly, we oblige by leaving them alone. What we miss is an opportunity to connect across
At a conference this month I heard John Bucher talk about our intrinsic love of stories. He described how our love affair with story goes deeper than we think. We are created from stories; we’re formed by them. We need stories to mirror back our reality—parables, fables, songwriting, novels,
We all know: “You can’t draw water from an empty well.” And ministry is a water-depleting adventure, in the best sense of that metaphor. We give out of our “good treasure” to others. And we need a significant “inlet” for our spiritual, emotional, and physical wellbeing if we’re going
By Fred Oduyoye and Rick Lawrence All our relationships have one thing in common—broken people are involved, so broken things happen. That means reconciliation is a baked-in need, embedded in all aspects of our everyday life. When things go wrong we go into crisis management—the same way we respond
In our post-Easter journey we have fresh memories of new faces, drawn to the church through the magnet of Holy Week. I just met a new young couple in our community. They sought me out because they want to pursue membership and needed additional information. Before the service was
By Fred Oduyoye and Rick Lawrence Got a difficult person in your life? It’s hard to imagine you don’t—either at home or at work or at church… Unreconciled relationships with people who bring “thorn in the side” impact into our life can exhaust our energy and derail our good work.
I’m walking closely alongside two sets of parents who are raising young children in this world. I’m constantly struck by how different the shape of their lives is from what mine was when I was in that season of life. First of all, I’m just amazed by how much equipment
What do we actually know about what’s going on inside the faith-life of the parents in our churches today? On some level, they’re longing to raise their children to know and love Jesus, but how is that going for them? Vibrant Faith has been asking these questions in a variety
In 1997, Lutheran pastor Dr. Merton Strommen and his wife Irene founded The Youth & Family Institute in memory of their son David, a young seminarian and youth worker who was killed by lightning while leading a youth trip in the Colorado mountains. The name of the Institute was
In Vibrant Faith’s ongoing Fourth-Soil Parenting Project, we coach church ministry leaders to: Honor (uphold) parents as the primary faith-forming agents in the lives of their children. Experiment with new ways to support and encourage parents to live out and talk about their faith in Jesus in daily life.
Parenting tips, strategies, and philosophies are well-resourced in our culture—through books, seminars, social media, and online resources. And in the contemporary church we’ve always been focused on the needs, developmental pathways, and spiritual formation of children. But, in many ways, we are just waking up to the needs, developmental
The old saying goes: “The church is always one generation away from extinction.” Typically, we use that sort of “fear leverage” to double-down on attractional ministries for children and youth. I’ve heard ministry leaders use the “one generation” mantra to argue for the importance of church/parachurch-based ministries. But I’ve never
I know, “program-ification” is not a real word. One of our Vibrant Faith Coaches, the Rev. Erik Samuelson, made that up. On our team, we all like it. And we know that you know what we mean when we say it. We’re curious—has Christian faith formation been mixed up with
When we gather with other ministry leaders, the conversations inevitably gravitate toward a common complaint—we disapprove of the way most parents allocate their time as a family. We’re frustrated by what parents prioritize over attendance at church or church programing. With our 4th-Soil Parenting Project, Vibrant Faith is helping
(EDITOR’S NOTE: At Vibrant Faith we’ve partnered with our team of ministry leadership coaches to name the obstacles and challenges the church has put in the way of a FAMILYING approach to the formation of faith. Check out a previous blog that sets the stage for this conversation with Obstacle
