Presby-Musings

I read a lot of books on church transformation, leadership and growth.  And when I say "a lot" I mean a lot.   What I've discovered is that a great deal of the work that is being done on church transformation, leadership and growth is coming out of the non-denominational, or "evangelical" wing of the Church.  There's a decided lack of voices (at least in my experience) from experts within the " mainline Protestant " tradition. Which is why I was excited to read Charles E. Gutenson's book Church Worth Getting Up For , which was published last year.  Gutenson is a former pastor, current consultant and professor at Asbury Theological Seminary .  His frame of reference is the United Methodist Tradition (UMC). For Church Worth Getting Up For  Gutenson interviewed a virtual "who's who" of pastors , authors and church leaders who have been in some way, shape or form connected to what was once known as the "missional church...

What would you say if you heard of two churches deciding to experience the same sermon series on the same Sundays, singing the same songs, and reading the same Scripture, but doing it in different places?  What would you say if the pastors of said churches decided to study their sermons together, and then even switch pulpits for a Sunday during the series to preach at the other pastor’s church?   You would say that it would be the kind of thing that would make some people want to bust out their guitars, get in a circle and start singing Kum Ba Yah, right?  Right.  Well, we're not going to do that.  But we'll tell you the story, if you like...      This story begins with a crazy idea between friends.  Pastor Steve Hulsey from Lake Square Presbyterian Church and I are friends.  By all rights, we should be competitors.  Our churches are just a few miles apart.  They are both growing when many of our sister churches a...

Thom S. Rainer, the CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources recently posted an article about the "Eight Warning Signs For Forced Terminations of Pastors."  His list is compiled through the combined research of the National Congregations Study and the Review of Religious Research. Rainer states, "...this research does not tell the why of terminations; rather it deals with certain categories where pastors are more likely to lose their jobs." So let's get to it, and see what you think.  Here are the indicators that will let you know that the Pastor is going to "get sacked," as our friends in the British Isles would so eloquently put it: 1. If the church had a recent church fight.       (I guess if you show up as a new pastor and there's a boxing ring in the        Fellowship Hall, you know you'll be leaving sooner rather than later) 2. If the church is declining in attendance.       (I get this, church members tend to bl...

The first day of the inaugural  2Days With Rob Bell event has come to a close. Fried though my brain might be, I feel as though I need to write down some thoughts for those who might be curious about what we've been doing. To begin, there are 50 participants---mostly pastors, but also some lawyers, entrepreneurs, at least one doctor, some non-profiteers, youth pastors and church workers, to name a few.  Roughly 1/3 of the participants are women.   We are from all over the United States and Canada. The event is taking place in an intimate setting overlooking the ocean, and there's not really a bad seat.  Rob sat in front with a couple of flip charts and a stack of notes.  He is tanned, and wearing flip flops.  0 to Californian in 5 months. Introductory Things Of course, he began by asking us to open our Bibles and turn to Matthew 3, and he read the story of Jesus baptism.  I say "of course" because Rob is still a pastor.  On...

So today I decided to wear my new clerical collar with my cool black clergy shirt while I am journeying to California. I wanted to see what it felt like to actually wear "priestly" garb.  My Catholic and Episcopal colleagues are probably laughing at me at this point. "Tourist!" they are thinking, "try wearing this all the time." I hear you.  Presbys have gotten a little casual.  The other reason I wanted to wear my clergy collar was to see how people treated me throughout a very public, very long trip across the country. I knew I would be in airports, shuttles, airplanes and cabs all day today. Having never donned the symbols of "ordination" beyond the context of a worship service (I wear a robe and stole during traditional worship services), I was very curious to see how I would be perceived.  My first up close encounter was with a trio of college kids who piled in to the elevator with me at the Orlando airport. They stared at me, l...

I've read a lot books about what it means to be a pastor, but few of them capture what it's really  like.  Instead they typically paint a picture of what pastors should  be doing in an ideal world, and with a great deal of spiritual enlightenment.  It's not that I don't enjoy reading these books, it's just that I generally feel chastened somehow while I am in the midst of them.  I find myself wondering if I will ever discover the "secrets" that the author has discovered, and then be able to write my own sagacious pastoral book. So far, I have been unsuccessful in both arenas. This Odd And Wondrous Calling: The Public and Private Lives of Two Ministers  is a different sort of book about being a pastor.  First, it's written by two very different pastors: Lillian Daniel, a thirty-something female pastor, and Martin B. Copenhaver, a sixty-something male pastor, who both happen to serve within the United Church of Christ.  Second, This Odd And Wo...

At one point I sort of envisioned that this blog would be a place where I was able to pour out bite sized nuggets of life lessons and theological reflections that occurred to me from time to time.  It became a repository for a lot of book reviews (which I am hopelessly behind on doing---I think I have like 20 or more to review, which is daunting to say the least) and my sermon blog.  Not that these are bad things to write about...  I just seem to find myself behind the eight ball more often than not, especially of late.  With all of the demands of being the Senior (and only) pastor of a large congregation, a husband, and the  father to three boys I've discovered that I don't have a lot of time for creating bite-sized nuggets of life lessons, theological reflections or even book reviews.  On top of everything else, I am going back to school to work on my doctor of ministry and I have a couple of papers to write beforehand.  So why am I telling ...