The practice of infant baptism shapes much of the church fellowship experienced in traditional mainline churches. We are not taught how to look for and recognize the work of the Holy Spirit within us. We have had the experience but missed its meaning, to quote the poet T. S. Eliot. Most American Evangelical churches stress […]
Read MoreA member of our congregation, Jeff, began his fight with cancer almost four years ago. He started to write a diary of his reactions at various stages, posting them on a website. He writes: “I am not sure that I am in the eye of the storm now and will see the storm winds of […]
Read MoreWhen I was teaching the Doctor of Ministry course on Church Management, a pastor-student for his course project chose to plan a fundraising program for his congregation. He was disappointed and even angry when I gave him a low grade. He had written out an elaborate scheme of boxes representing committees and job descriptions. It […]
Read MoreSeveral dozen women from our congregation participate in the Women’s Bible Study Fellowship meeting weekly at a nearby larger community church. I have heard some striking stories of lives changed through involvement in these small groups. Some congregations might resist such involvement beyond our congregation. I applaud it. Consider such Bible-focused groups to be primary […]
Read MoreDon Engebretson has 24 years of experience as a pastor and preacher. He also has an uncanny ability to sense what his listeners are experiencing as they sit through a sermon. In the July issue of Forum Letter by the American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, he wrote this article, “Pastor, Can We Talk About Your Sermon?” […]
Read MorePaul relayed to the Corinthians his encouragement that “Everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way” (1 Corinthians 14: 40). He said this after describing the truly chaotic worship going on in one of the house churches. Participants got up and talked whenever they wanted and many of them expressed themselves in strange […]
Read MoreMainline church denominations are shrinking away. Understanding why is important. But the bigger issue is what to do about turning around that trend. Part of the solution is to recognize how and why church networks are replacing church denominations. Networks are loose affiliations of churches with shared interests and common church cultures. Denominations are churches […]
Read MoreThe job of church leaders, according to the Apostle Peter, is to faithfully administer the various forms of God’s gifts to serve others (1 Peter 4:10). The practicalities of administering such gifts are very challenging. The hardest part is finding enough jobs for everybody in their shared congregational life. Ironically, traditional church leaders complain they […]
Read MoreMuch of what happened to Christian churches in America can be illustrated by the well-known bell-shaped curve. It provides part of the explanation to what is happening to mainline churches. The top of the curve represents the mid-point in the distribution of any characteristic over a large population. People who have more of that characteristic […]
Read MoreThe two words in Greek are proskuneō, which is used fifty-five times, and sebō, which is used fourteen times. We have a clue to which one should be used by Christians today in recognizing which biblical writer used each. Almost all of the thirteen uses of sebō are in Luke’s Gospel and Acts. Almost all […]
Read MoreZion was the first Lutheran church in Cleveland, founded in 1848 to serve the German immigrants in industrial Cleveland. It turned into the Lutheran megachurch of its time, with a sanctuary that seats 1,200. That building remains in use on East 30th, although attendance now averages about twenty. I drive by it frequently. Endowments have […]
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