Does the Church Trust Women?

Sunday was International Women’s Day, a day to celebrate the achievements of women around the world while calling for greater equality. It is not a day that many churches seem to highlight, but I think it raises the question: how well do we do with gender equality in our congregations? A couple of days ago, I was chatting with a friend …

Going Old School on Discipleship

Discipleship is one of those words that is…well…let’s be honest…worn out! It triggers so many things for so many people. For example, I was recently in a conversation with someone who, after I used the word discipleship, asked why I still used that term. He said “Why don’t you just use the term ‘spiritual formation.’” To be honest, sometimes I …

Lent: Eight Ideas for Creating Sacred Space

It’s time to get ready for Lent but I am not giving up chocolate or coffee. Lent is not about denial or sacrifice. It is about letting go of all that prevents us wholeheartedly following Christ. I have recently updated Lenten resource lists on my blog. It’s a rather frustrating task because we don’t really need more to read or …

Limited Time Only! Special Opportunity from Our Friends at Missio Alliance

Our friends at Missio Alliance are hosting their Annual Gathering May 7-9, 2015. Here’s how they describe it one the event website: BEING TRULY HUMAN: RE-IMAGINING THE RESURRECTIONAL LIFE The Cross is Not Enough. While obviously of profound significance, the cross seems to have usurped the resurrection as the unique centerpiece of Christian faith, practice, and even how we understand the nature …

Three Opportunities to Serve Neighbors From Another Culture

“Then Paul stood up in the meeting of the Aeropagus and said: Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going …

How Will Missional Survive the Apocalypse?

I’m a total Sci-Fi fanatic. Most of the sci-fi post-apocalyptic movies or books that come out get me all jazzed up. I’m fascinated with the concept of how humanity survives when the existing structures previously depended upon on are no longer dependable. The Western World is changing. Many of the cultural structures that formed the church for centuries are disappearing. The images …

3 Critical Elements to Building Collaborative Ministries

‘Collaborative’ is a particularly popular descriptor that excites ministry leaders today. Like its cousins ‘missional’ and ‘incarnational,’ it attempts to capture a unique temperament of the ministry enterprise. Namely, the desire to seek partnership in mission and values through the contribution of a number of uniquely different voices. But what are we saying and what are we doing in our …

Start the New Year Right – Take a Spiritual Audit

Welcome to a new year filled with incredible potential. Here in Seattle the sun is shining, the Olympic mountains are covered in snow, and it is not hard to believe that only good things lie ahead. By the end of summer, the snow will be gone and the hope and promise they offered may be gone too. Unfortunately, our new …