faith formation
A Primer for A Parched Soul
My summers have often brought me a short break from the busyness of ministry. Summer programming adapts to account for
August 15, 2023
Category: ministry
church leadership
Pastor Confidential
Not long ago I interviewed several lead pastors—“incognito”—to uncover their buried challenges and deeper longings. I gave each one the
August 10, 2023
church leadership
The Courage to Pursue the Stories of Your People
Are you sometimes a coward? I know I am… But we do our best to camouflage it, right? We’re not
July 28, 2023
Denise Utter
How Parenting Opens Us to God
Nothing has opened me up to God more than becoming a parent. I believe this is also true for the
July 21, 2023
church leadership
Family Estrangement – The New Norm?
Many of the children raised in hovering, over-protective and over-functioning homes are now forcing the separation their claustrophobic families never
July 20, 2023
church leadership
Beautiful Leaders
My daughter Lucy is now three days into medical school at Wake Forest in North Carolina. For the last year,
July 14, 2023
church leadership
Beelining the Real
The planets in our solar system all orbit around the sun, because they have no choice but to orbit around
June 29, 2023
church leadership
Why ‘Lowering the Bar’ Is a Cancer
In Handing Down the Faith, Notre Dame sociologist and researcher Dr. Christian Smith offers a concise description of the parenting
June 23, 2023
church leadership
Under-Preparing for an Everyday Faith
We know two crucial truths from Notre Dame sociologist Dr. Christian Smith’s two decades of research into the role parents
June 16, 2023
church leadership
4 Key Questions for Family Faith-Formation
Twenty-five years ago I wrote my first book—a collaboration with Dr. Ben Freudenburg, a pioneering family ministry practitioner, innovator, and
June 9, 2023