by Bill Wilson | Feb 3, 2010 | Opinion
In the prelude to “A Hidden Wholeness,” Parker Palmer offers a powerful metaphor for life in local churches today. He tells of a time when farmers on the Great Plains, at the first sign of a blizzard, would run a rope from the back door out to the barn....
by Bill Wilson | Jan 17, 2010 | Opinion
For some people, 2009 was a genuinely difficult year. I’m thinking of 10 individuals whom I will not name but will describe. All are, or have been, friends in local congregations. You certainly could make up your own list. One is a recent college graduate who...
by Bill Wilson | Jan 4, 2010 | Opinion
Awfulize. That’s the word to which my therapist friend, Paula Batts, introduced me. We were talking about how the economic crisis was rippling through the people of our congregation. We began to count the ways: economic stress for individuals and the church,...
by Bill Wilson | Dec 16, 2009 | Opinion
I shared some thoughts about what clergy wish their congregations knew but are hesitant to share out of fear. Now I want to reveal what several laity have said to me when I’ve asked them what it is they wish their ministers knew but are afraid to share with them...
by Bill Wilson | Dec 15, 2009 | Opinion
After 33 years in the local church pastoral ministry, sitting on the receiving side of the pulpit is a very different way to spend a Sunday morning. The transition is proving to be a provocative, illuminating and sobering experience. Some parts are extremely...
