Inherited Church
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When GOD Gives Conflicting Instructions
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4 min read
On her blog yesterday, the Rev. Susan Russell announced a Celebration of Equality. It is a really special event in the life of her Pasadena congregation and I’m sure is going to be an awesome sight. In the midst of this celebration is a “sneak preview” of a new documentary about the Rt. Rev. V.…
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Just Cut the Church Programs
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5 min read
For several weeks I’ve been writing about engaging different groups in church. Then I wrote about dealing with time constraints and what it means for planning. Now, I am making a personal appeal for an entirely different approach: it is time to get rid of our programs. As Phyllis Tickle adeptly outlines in The Great…
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Using My Time’s Gonna Cost Ya’!
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3 min read
Yesterday I wrote that when we claim we don’t have enough time for church, it is really code for “I don’t want to”. Today I’ll say that living in the U.S. right now is like living in a time-sucking vortex of anxiety and despair. Or maybe that’s just what it feels like when I get 30 minutes…
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Not Enough Time
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2 min read
In church, we make the excuse that we don’t have enough time, but what we really mean is, “I don’t want to.” I don’t want to volunteer or I don’t want to miss my son’s soccer game or I don’t want to put one more thing on my plate. I don’t want to contribute. I…
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Why I Hate Announcement Time
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5 min read
My least favorite part of any worship service is the announcement time. There are so many things wrong with it and there are so few ways to actually fix it. I’m starting to think we should do away with the whole enterprise. Many Episcopal churches place the announcements in the middle of the service. Honestly,…
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6 Keys to Engaging Seniors in Church
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5 min read
Growing up, my favorite people in church fell into the “senior” category. They were the most engaged in my life and were so happy to see me. I wasn’t a nuisance, even when I was incredibly embarrassing to my parents. I was so profoundly loved by the seniors at Trinity Episcopal in Alpena, Michigan. This category,…