by Mark Tidsworth | Mar 18, 2016 | Opinion
I hear pastors frequently share that they are unsure how to be effective. “I used to know what to do to be effective as a pastor, but now it seems like what I used to do doesn’t achieve the same result,” they lament. Appointment-making denominations...
by Bill Wilson | Mar 17, 2016 | Opinion
Ten words that I would prefer not to experience personally have impacted recently the lives of friends and ministry colleagues. Oncologist. Hospice. Bankruptcy. Betrayal. Depression. Suicide. Divorce. Termination. Conflict. Jail. Unfortunately, over the past 14 days,...
by Guy Sayles | Mar 17, 2016 | Opinion
How can a congregation be “salt” and “light” in ways that help people in need without creating dependency? I had a fascinating conversation recently about this question with some folks who are trying hard to understand how their downtown church...
by Faliku S. Dukuly | Mar 17, 2016 | Opinion
Ebola killed nearly 5,000 people in Liberia and threatened the lives of 4 million over a period of more than two years. Now that we are free from the threat of Ebola, we can sit side by side and move freely through normal life once again. When Ebola first showed its...
by Jonathan Davis | Mar 16, 2016 | Opinion
Homelessness is a significant problem in rural settings – if you can find the rural homeless, that is. Moreover, funding for state and federal dollars is often attached to the number of homeless people identified during a federally mandated annual reporting...
by Colin Harris | Mar 16, 2016 | Opinion
A recent assignment to lead a church discussion on “Creating a Culture of Generosity” led to some reflection on a familiar topic that yielded (for me, at least) a new way of thinking about it. When children are small, we prompt them to engage in deeds of...
