December 8, 2023
Posts Categorized: Spiritual formation
November 1, 2023
A Reflection on Indigenous Peoples, Colonization, and the Church
May 16, 2023
A Reflection on the 2023 Conference for The Katie Geneva Cannon Center for Womanist Leadership
June 24, 2020
Hopeful Church
Is healing at the core of our congregations? by N. Graham Standish As a seminary student I heard a constant refrain from our professors: Jesus came to preach and teach. It was the pretext underlying our whole seminary education as they trained us to preach and teach. It made sense to me. Isn’t that what… Read more »
May 29, 2020
Hopeful Church
Finding meaning in times of crisis by N. Graham Standish Throughout the coronavirus pandemic I’ve been thinking a lot about Victor Frankl. It’s like he’s the answer to everything pastors especially are struggling with right now. I don’t know if you know who he is, or remember who he was, but he wrote a seminal… Read more »
May 4, 2020
The Church for Today
Are you ready for hybrid online/in-person worship? The next phase your church needs to consider by Richard Hong Sunday morning has become a stressful time for so many pastors who never imagined that their job would involve being an AV tech. “Hallelujah!” is the cry when the internet connection stays up and Zoom properly connects to… Read more »
April 7, 2020
Barn Boots and Blessings
And the steeple bell rang A rural church’s Holy Week witness in a pandemic by Donna Frischknecht Jackson Frank, I really don’t think it’s a good idea to gather at the church. Yes, I know this is the holiest of weeks. You are correct. Easter is coming. Yes, I know you miss your church…. Read more »
March 24, 2020
Hopeful Church
How do we deal with dissenters? by N. Graham Standish The session was in the midst of a future-changing discussion. Our “Future of Worship” task force had given them their final proposal after spending 15 months discerning how to adapt our worship to a changing world. They had studied different kinds of worship and… Read more »
February 12, 2020
Hopeful Church
Spiritual experiences in church A ‘no’ or a ‘yes’? by N. Graham Standish For years, when leading retreats and seminars on spiritually transforming congregations, I’ve often asked a revealing question: How would we react to someone who told us on a Sunday morning, “Hey, I want to share an amazing experience I had the… Read more »
January 7, 2020
Hopeful Church
Are we too religious to be spiritual? By N. Graham Standish I’m a little bit obsessed with the phrase “spiritual but not religious.” I have been ever since I first said it about myself when I was in college: “Nah … I don’t go to church. I’m spiritual but not religious.” I still said this… Read more »