ten_books_from_2015_every_pastor_leader_should_read

Ten Books from 2015 Every Pastor and Church Leader Should Read

Although the following books are all excellent, my Ten Books from 2015 list is not a broad, “best books of the year” list. These books are ones that I believe will draw us deeper into the challenges of our day and deeper into faithfulness to the way of Jesus. This list reflects a diversity of authors, genres, and perspectives, but I …

called_to_suffer_and_sabbath

Mutually Inclusive: Called to Suffer and to Sabbath

Recently, J.R. Woodward posted a wonderful article on this website responding to the recent news about the frantic culture that drives Amazon.com and unsettling us with the reminder that our churches often are no less frantic. J.R. makes the case for a different, more relaxed church culture, drawing upon three of my favorite books: Slow Church (full disclosure: a book …

learning_organization

How Church is Like a Learning Organization

In 1990, Peter Senge first published The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization, a book that would quickly become one of the bestselling business titles of all time. In it, Senge argues that the contemporary world is changing too fast, and that it is not enough for an organization to be merely reactive. As I have …

Three Important Ingredients that Produce a Thankful Community

A careful reading of the scriptural story reveals that gratitude is an essential virtue that defines the people of God. Gratitude is written all over the Psalms, for instance, as well as interwoven into the Apostle Paul’s letters. Although many of our churches celebrate the Eucharist on a weekly basis – a celebration of gratitude for the gift of Christ …