Reforming our churches: Becoming intercultural communities From “Chosen People-Promised Land Model” to expansive covenant by Andrew Davis When I think of multicultural churches, I do not necessarily think of my own — I picture congregations that reflect many different races and ethnicities. Like most PC(USA) churches, Union Presbyterian Church of Saint Peter, Minnesota, is… Read more »
December 5, 2019
Gospel and Inclusivity
Reforming our churches: Becoming intercultural communities From “Chosen People-Promised Land Model” to expansive covenant by Andrew Davis When I think of multicultural churches, I do not necessarily think of my own — I picture congregations that reflect many different races and ethnicities. Like most PC(USA) churches, Union Presbyterian Church of Saint Peter, Minnesota, is… Read more »
The scary wonder of stillness A brief experiment by Ken Rummer Tiny blooms of frost aster show white along the trail, leaves on our maple tree sport a crazy quilt of orange and green and red, and the mid-morning temp is only in the 50s. Here in Iowa, where we take pride in hosting… 
Can we be missional if we have dirty bathrooms? Our mission is only as good as our church community by N. Graham Standish Over the past few months I’ve been working with a pastor enrolled in a missional church certificate program intended to transform his church. He’s frustrated. He loves learning new ideas for… 
What I’ve Noticed About Retirement So Far 10 Observations from Year Three by Ken Rummer 1. Getting the hang of retirement takes time. People told me it would take a year and a half. Retirement did start to feel less awkward about then. But even now, in my third year of retirement, I’m not… 
Go Back Home! by Samuel Son On July 14, our president tweeted to American citizens, “Go back home.” I’m Korean American. I came to America with my parents as a seven-year-old and I’m familiar with those taunts. They’ve been hurled at me multiple times in various forms. I want to share two of… 
Hopeful Yellow Flowers Meeting Mullein by Ken Rummer Velvet leaves shaped like elf ears mount up to a thick spike on which small yellow flowers bloom. I take a picture with my phone. It’s a new plant to me, and growing right beside the trail. Later, I notice others like it on the bank behind… 
God is good Yes, but God is definitely not safe. By Rebecca Crow Lister Several months ago, I had the pleasure of purchasing a used copy of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” by C.S. Lewis. Bargain hunter that I am, I was thrilled, as it is it was only $3.50. It is my favorite… 
Transforming worship from third person to first person Do we care what people are experiencing in worship? by N. Graham Standish What’s the most taboo topic in ministry, that one topic that neither pastors nor members like to talk about? Transforming worship. Failing to transform our worship is the main cause for our decline…. 
Are we leading with our whole brains? Overcoming half-brained leadership by N. Graham Standish Is your leadership whole-brained or merely half-brained? Even more, is the mainline church decline really a matter of our being a bit too half-brained? Back when I was in high school there was a book that was the rage for a…