By Meg Rooney Growing up in the church, I often only associated Jesus with Bible stories. It was easier to separate any talk of Jesus from the rest of my life, allowing it to be contained in the walls of the church. The Bible stories, after all, were only Bible stories. At that point in … Continue reading
By Caroline LeGrand In early March, a small delegation from CBF traveled to Washington, D.C. to learn how to put our faith into action and advocate for others. During the week, I kept thinking about power: who has it, who wants it, why they want it, their plans for it or how to obtain it. … Continue reading
Imagine a society where people are sanctioned where to live based on their vocation and economic status. This same society gives a bleak perspective into what is happening in the world around it through television. And those that govern are swayed by special interest. Well, this isn’t science fiction but a reality for many Americans. … Continue reading
By Laura Stephens-Reed For a long time there has been commonly-held wisdom about church size dynamics and the role of the pastor at each church size: The family size church has fewer than 50 people, with most of them related to one another. This congregation experiences little numerical growth because it is difficult for visitors … Continue reading
By Beth R. Bailey As I walked into the door of Agora Coffee Shop in Fredericksburg, Virginia, I felt a sense of home, a sense of why many college students love to study, talk and read in this quaint coffee shop. I was meeting a Mary Washington student, Jessica, for coffee and to catch up. … Continue reading
By Rick Burnette “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (II Corinthians 9:6-7) One Saturday morning in February at Misión … Continue reading
By Laura Stephens-Reed Over the course of their vocational lives, many pastors find themselves charged with leading a church staff. This is not only true for senior pastors, but associate pastors can also function in the same way within their more specialized ministry areas. The supervisory role is challenging. Most pastors enter ministry expecting to … Continue reading
According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, a firestorm is “a raging fire of great intensity, as one fueled by oil or gas, that spreads rapidly.” That might be the best way to describe what Kristen Kobes Du Mez’s work around her book, Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured … Continue reading
“Real transformation requires real honesty. If you want to move forward – get real with yourself.” — Bryant McGill By Crystal Ham The word of the day is transform. As I googled quotes about transformation, the one above spoke loudly from the computer screen. Transform. Honesty. Forward. Real. All words that represent potential and oftentimes … Continue reading
By Laura Stephens-Reed In A Path to Belonging: Overcoming Clergy Loneliness, leadership specialists Mary Kay DuChene and Mark Sundby raise the red flag that loneliness among clergy, a stress response to not having adequate levels of social connection, is epidemic. This was true before the pandemic, but our need to distance ourselves physically during the … Continue reading
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