Listening to the Bittersweet Songs of Summer

Alyssa Lodewick (June 2017). Posted in 21stCenturyMission, 21stCenturySpirituality.

Sumer is icumen in. Lhude sing cuckoo! Summer has come in—or so the “Cuckoo Song,” also known as the “Summer Canon,” tells me. The piece, which dates to the 13th century, is the oldest known musical composition to feature six-part polyphony. In other words, it was composed as a round that could feature up to six different voices or groups simultaneously singing... Read more

Growing by Half

How Part-Time Pastoral Leadership Can Revitalize the Church

G. Jeffrey MacDonald (June 2017). Posted in 21stCenturyMinistry, Bearings Review 2017, ChurchChange, Incubator.

One year ago, I began studying a rare but important species that many church officials wrongly believe doesn’t exist: the mainline Protestant congregation that finds vitality after doing away with the full-time pastorate. To be sure, it wasn’t always the easiest species to find. Many congregations with shrinking attendance and budgets continue to struggle after... Read more

Boosting the Church’s Creativity Index

Nicole Havelka (June 2017). Posted in 21stCenturyCulture, 21stCenturyMinistry.

It usually goes something like this: People are in a committee or team meeting. Someone proposes a new idea. The group embraces the concept and starts talking excitedly about how to implement it. Then, suddenly, someone begins to raise the dreaded questions: Where will we find the money and the time? What will our older members think? Will people leave if we do... Read more

Binge Watching Scripture

Keith Anderson (June 2017). Posted in 21stCenturyBible, 21stCenturyCulture.

My daughter is being confirmed this year. Now I understand why parents always say that they don’t know where the time goes. It feels like it was just yesterday that she was baptized. Now she is claiming all those baptismal promises we made on her behalf as her own. At our church, the confirmation program capstone is a “faith statement” that confirmands write... Read more

Crowdfunding Christian Ministry

Adam Copeland (June 2017). Posted in 21stCenturyMinistry, 21stCenturyMission.

It’s hardly breaking news that many congregations struggle with financial stewardship. Perhaps there was a time when Christians gave to the church without a second’s thought. In days of yore, giving was considered a duty and solemn obligation, and members reliably filled out pledge cards, doing their part to keep church coffers full. That’s not necessarily the... Read more

Bearings: Navigating Life-as-MinistryJune 2017

Bearings: Navigating Life-as-Ministry
June 2017