Can Churches Build when the Walls Seem to Be Falling Down?

Creating New Imagination to Restore the Heart of Today's Church

Posted in 21stCenturyReligion, ChurchChange, From Our Archives.

This past January, the church I pastor, Pleasant Hope Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland, had its own “come to Jesus” moment during our Annual Church Meeting. I had done my due diligence all year — studying the latest data regarding church growth trends and reading articles that examined societal shifts impacting congregations across the country. Not much... Read more

Embracing Brave Change as Christian Identity and Mission

Posted in 21stCenturyMinistry, 21stCenturyMission, Commentary.

For people in ministry, one of the most frustrating phrases to hear from congregants and committees is, “But we’ve never done it that way before.” There is often a lot packed into that one sentence—fear (of risk, of failure), hesitation around trusting the pastoral leader, and even grief over the loss of the familiar. For leaders this phrase can feel like a roadblock.... Read more

Social Media Ministry as Art

Painting with Boldness, Brightness, and Beauty

Posted in 21stCenturyMinistry, Featured Article.

In the middle of my work as the social media assistant at Bearings Magazine, I came to an important, perspective changing realization: media is art. Surveying our contributors’ pieces, looking for quotes, scouring the internet for relevant pictures, and then diving into my favorite design platform, Canva (which is available free to nonprofits) to bring the words... Read more

I Just Can’t Quit You, Church

Why One Millennial Chooses to Stay

Posted in Featured Article.

I don’t know why I stay. I was sixteen the first time I was warned my sexuality was incompatible with my salvation. I was eighteen when I watched Bishop Gene Robinson consecrated as the first openly gay bishop of the Episcopal Church, his alb ill-fitting over the bulletproof vest necessary because of how credible the death threats against him had become. I... Read more

What’s in Your Hand?

An Asset-Based Approach to Community Ministry

Posted in 21stCenturyMinistry, Featured Article.

In 2015, three days after the death of Freddie Gray, I joined forces with a coalition of grassroots activists and concerned citizens with a long track record of working for social justice in Baltimore to form Baltimore United for Change. We didn't wait for any funding — we put our heads, hearts and hands together and began to do the work. When Baltimore City schools... Read more

What is the Heart of Ministry?

Ministering to the Beat of "Truth Love" in Today's Church

Posted in From the Editor.

It's easy to make February about a certain kind of love—the sweet, sentimental, Valentines' Day kind, all wrapped in pretty paper and offered up with chocolates and and a saccharine greeting cards with lacy hearts and ribbons. Maybe there's a place for that. I'm as much of a fan of a bouquet of freshly cut flowers as the next person, I guess. But of course,... Read more

God was a Refugee

Finding the Beating Heart of Ministry in the Incarnation

Posted in 21stCenturyMinistry, 21stCenturyReligion, Featured Article.

Reina had walked for more than 20 days, in the rain and cold and mud. Grief-stricken after the loss of her son, she walked with one destination in mind: a country she hoped would be her safe-harbor, a new beginning, free from the fear and the violence she had known. She walked with thousands of others to find safety in numbers. She wasn’t trying to make a statement... Read more

Learning From Hearts Broken Open

Lessons from 25 Years of Ministry on the Growing Edge

Posted in 21stCenturyCulture, 21stCenturyMinistry, 21stCenturyMission, 21stCenturyReligion, 21stCenturySpirituality, Lessons Learned.

My nephew was a bright, ascending star. His academic acumen was extraordinary. His athletic ability was astounding. Musically, he was captivating with a repertoire and skill that could have landed him just about anywhere. And on July 14, 2018, he took his own life. Journalist Roxanne Roberts was right when she wrote of her father’s death more than 30 years... Read more

Tag: Ministry