By Fred Oduyoye and Rick Lawrence Because we’re broken human beings who are not yet whole, though we see evidence of our healing the longer we journey with Jesus, we feel compelled to fix whatever we see is broken in others. Our own brokenness, like Paul’s thorn in the side,
Today we honor the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. It’s important to remember, of course, that the first word that frames his identity is “reverend”—Dr. King had an orbital center in his life, and it was his passion for Jesus. His mission was to bring
In ocean navigation, dead reckoning is used determine a ship’s position by referencing a previous fixed point, then allowing for changes in speed and direction over time. Of course, GPS gives today’s sailors a much more accurate result than dead reckoning. But GPS is no help for those of us
Today I asked Chat GPT to give me a list of 10 common things people expect pastors and ministry leaders to do. In 2.4 seconds it gave me this list: 1. Spiritual Guidance2. Preaching and Teaching3. Sacraments and Rituals4. Community Building5. Crisis Support6. Pastoral Care7. Administration and Leadership8. Social
Princeton Theological Seminary professor Dr. Kenda Creasy Dean has explored the emerging ramifications of a lack of passion and faith among young people in her book Almost Christian. Dean’s book spotlights the impact of the church’s decades-long embrace of a consumer-driven, “moralistic, therapeutic” alternate version of faith formation. Dr. Michael Brown,
When we gather around our holiday tables we’re creating moments that are iconic in American culture. So it’s no surprise that “Freedom From Want” is the most famous of painter Norman Rockwell’s Four Freedoms series—it’s a warmly mythic depiction of a family about to dig into their holiday turkey dinner.
Just in time for Christmas, a short excursion into the Nativity’s cascading meaning in our lives and ministries… We live in the “Post-Testament Age.” Up until 2,000 years ago, the people of God lived in the relational reality of the Old Testament and the Old Covenant—their religious lives were
Yesterday, in the last session of our last Vibrant Faith MasterClass of the 2023 season (“Emotionally Healthy Spiritual Formation,” taught by Rev. Dr. Todd Hunter), a ministry leader in the class (Bob) asked: “If we’re trying to help people follow in the way of Jesus, what is the responsibility on
Let’s revisit an iconic American image I referenced in a post a couple of weeks ago… When we gather around our holiday tables we’re creating moments that are iconic in American culture. So it’s no surprise that “Freedom From Want” is the most famous of painter Norman Rockwell’s Four
Nothing has opened me up to God more than becoming a parent. I believe this is also true for the parents sitting in your congregation right now… I remember the first time I held my oldest child in my arms just a moment after she was born. Such pure joy!
Ministry and mission were humming in the congregation. Average weekly worship attendance was booming, and we had just completed a capital campaign during the worst economy in 40 years. Following that capital campaign, we had pulled a new 12,000-square-foot multi-purpose Community Life Center out of the ground and positioned it so that
At the end of March, I traveled on a pilgrimage to El Salvador, walking in the footsteps of the martyrs. Along with my fellow pilgrims, I visited… As I visited these sites, I couldn’t help thinking about what it means to be a person of faith in the midst of
By Denise UtterVibrant Faith Coaching Team I get a little restless at the first signs of spring. I want to hike. I want to plan a road trip. I want to take a drive, windows down, music blaring. And I start lengthening my walks. My goal for April is 100
To thrive during the season of Lent, we remember our baptism and prepare for living it out. In baptism, we’re called into the three-fold ministry of Christ: priest, prophet, and king. Many in our assembly may need guidance in understanding this ministerial call, as well as being invited, equipped, and
We need new and creative ways to practice our personal worship during Lent—a bracing splash of water on the face of our familiar Lenten practices. Lent is a season of spiritual growth, reflection, and turning away from the distractions we face to sit with our souls. As the days of
To put an exclamation point on this series of posts related to our new 4th Soil Parenting Initiative, here’s a reflection that I wrote a few years ago. It strikes me as even more timely today… There they were—millions of them camped on the edge of the promised land. Moses
It’s Transfiguration Sunday as I write this, and after reading the gospel, my pastor told a story about Mother Teresa of Calcutta. On a long train ride from Calcutta to Darjeeling, she experienced a powerful moment in prayer—she received what she described as “a call within a call.” God’s presence
For many of us, this is a tough season for worship planning. Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany are still close in our rearview mirror. And where I live it’s also cold—really cold! Our worship planning can feel flat, and the dulled skies of mid-winter seem to dull our creativity. Well, here’s
Because ministry is centrally about relationships, we see the whole human spectrum of behavior—the good, the bad, and the ugly. Like other people-serving roles (police, physicians, counselors, social workers) it’s tempting to give in to jaded assumptions. We find ourselves expecting the worst in people. We’re quick to get frustrated
One key to building relational bridges in a divisive and isolating culture is simple – we notice what we notice about others, and gently (but intentionally) pursue them using what we see as our entry point. In this Reachable Reconciliation conversation, Fred tells a perceptive story about the obvious things that escape
In the church (and often in the wider culture) power carries with it unwanted baggage. But effective leaders use power to create positive change and thriving environments. Power in the positive sense is what the shepherd wields to encourage his flock to move to safe pastures, where they can get
In one of my first parish assignments, I knew I was going to miss a big event soon after I assumed my staff role—the celebration of First Communion. I had a pre-existing conflict with the date. So, in the weeks leading up to the celebration, I talked with my assistant
Ministry and mission were humming in the congregation. Average weekly worship attendance was booming, and we had just completed a capital campaign during the worst economy in 40 years. Following that capital campaign, we had pulled a new 12,000-square-foot multi-purpose Community Life Center out of the ground and positioned it so that
It seems counterintuitive, but the abundance we see in all aspects of our lives has as much to do with strategic deletion as it does with adding things to our efforts. I was a farmer in my first life—growing almonds in the Central Valley of California. My life revolved around
In my previous article, I focused on change and how it affects our lives. I also mentioned that change and conflict are important, if not vital, to growth. In this post, we’ll look at conflict and its unique relationship with change. Conflict serves many healthy purposes—it is… In my book, Thriving
After years of helping congregations understand the importance of change, and the unavoidable conflict that comes with it, I wrote a book about it—Thriving In the Fire: Coaching Through the Conflicts of Change. The premise is that conflict and change are integral parts of life, and that without them we
We’ve just moved through the collective jet lag we call Daylight Saving Time, and we’re all adjusting to life in exhaustion-overdrive. We know it’ll all be okay in a few days, but the question remains: Why do we do this anyway? We’ve all heard that farmers benefit the most, and the
By Dr. Nancy GoingDirector of Research & Resource Development In 2020, we launched a new research project focusing on faith formation and congregational thriving with 30 churches from six denominations. It’s funded by the Lilly Endowment through their THRIVING CONGREGATIONS initiative. Since our focus at Vibrant Faith is the conviction that
By Dr. Nancy GoingDirector of Research & Resource Development In the emerging research spotlighting the impact of pandemic-induced social isolation, the outcomes are sobering. Writing in a Frontiers In Psychology report, authors Giada Pietrabissa and Susan G. Simpson report: “The most common psychological disorders emerging are anxiety and panic, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, insomnia,
By Dr. Nancy GoingDirector of Research & Resource Development In the emerging research spotlighting the impact of pandemic-induced social isolation, the outcomes are sobering. Writing in a Frontiers In Psychology report, authors Giada Pietrabissa and Susan G. Simpson report: “The most common psychological disorders emerging are anxiety and panic, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, insomnia,
By Jim MerhautVibrant Faith CoachICF-Certified Coach The practices we follow as Christian people have a profound shaping influence on our life—the ways we gather, pray, worship, care, and serve have the power to form our identity. But over time, as we all know, our habitual practices can devolve into stale
By Dr. Nancy GoingDirector of Research & Resource Development It was a beautiful November day as we gathered in Floresville, TX, just south of San Antonio. Bit-by-bit they arrived—team members of the Thriving Congregations Project from three Methodist churches who drove about an hour to spend the day together planning for
By Dr. Nancy GoingDirector of Research & Resource Development Research has told us for more 25 years that the faith lives of parents matter (and actually matter most) for the formation of faith in their children. That message and the impact of ongoing research for discipling and education ministries in the
By Rev. Dr. Nancy GoingDirector of Research & Resource Development She teaches her daughters how to pray for people when they need support: “About four or five times my middle girl has had to come to ask me how to pray.” And daily she blesses her daughters. “Every day I always
By Dr. Nancy Going,the Rev. Dr. Tanya Campen, andRick Lawrence A conversation between two researchers, Dr. Nancy Going and the Rev. Dr. Tanya Campen, on the surprising foundations of “meaning-making” and how young people experience God among children and adolescents. This is the kickoff for a month-long series of posts on the
By Rev. Dr. Nancy GoingDirector of Research & Resource Development “Yes, yeah. I want to. I believe I hold responsibility and I have to hold responsibility for the knowledge of God that my children have. If the church is replacing that because I’m lax in my job, so be it. Can
