Category Archives: congregational life

Higher Ground

Posted on November 5, 2007 by jbennett

Although I no longer serve as pastor of a congregation, invitations to preach come my way from time to time.  The latest instance was yesterday when I helped a Presbyterian congregation surprise their pastor with the opportunity to worship among … Continue reading →

Posted in bible, Christian Education, congregational life, sermons, Sunday school, teaching, Uncategorized, vocation, worship | Comments Off on Higher Ground

Educating Nomads

Posted on October 8, 2007 by jbennett

One of those “Aha!” moments came to me twenty-some years ago while staring at the blank computer screen where Sunday’s sermon should have been making its appearance.  Unfortunately, my thoughts were elsewhere; I had been dealing with the parent of … Continue reading →

Posted in children, Christian Education, congregational life, discipleship, leadership, Sunday school, worship | Comments Off on Educating Nomads

Second Generation

Posted on September 24, 2007 by jbennett

Evangelical activist for social justice Ron Sider wrote his book The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience: Why Are Christians Living Just Like the Rest of the World? a couple of years ago. In the July/August issue of Books & Culture: … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Christian Education, congregational life | 1 Comment

Keeping the Books

Posted on September 6, 2007 by GregR

I was in High School when I first heard about businesses keeping “two sets of books”. My father was a manufacturer’s representative, and he dealt with small, medium, and large sized companies. Almost all of them, he told me, kept … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Education, congregational life, discipleship | 1 Comment

When is a church not a congregation?

Posted on August 31, 2007 by Israel Galindo

A statement that many find challenging is one that says, “a congregation, while a legitimate expression of church, is not equivalent to it.” (see The Hidden Lives of Congregations) So, here’s a riddle: When is a congregation not a church? … Continue reading →

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Welcoming the Stranger

Posted on August 23, 2007 by mcanaday

Can you recall a recent time in your life when you felt out of place or lost in a particular environment? We all have experienced this feeling in our lives. Perhaps, the last time you began a new job you … Continue reading →

Posted in congregational life, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Random thoughts for Thursday

Posted on August 23, 2007 by Jon

I try to blog every other week while some of my colleagues are more faithful in their writing. In this week’s post, I thought I would write on stewardship (I know that is a dirty word in some churches) but … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Education, congregational life, leadership, technology and education | Comments Off on Random thoughts for Thursday

Church, congregations, and rethinking community

Posted on August 21, 2007 by Israel Galindo

Here’s a site that contains some of my favorite things to talk about: congregations, systems, and design. First take some time to study the concept behind the graphic design of “this is not a church” by Steve Collins. This is … Continue reading →

Posted in congregational life, Design, theology | Comments Off on Church, congregations, and rethinking community

Love those classics

Posted on August 11, 2007 by Israel Galindo

Every once in a while, at my former church, we’d break out the old (and I mean old literally) hymnbooks for a Wednesday evening hymn sing. People would call out the numbers of their favorite hymns to the songleader and … Continue reading →

Posted in congregational life, Design, teaching, worship | 1 Comment