Posts Tagged: church transformation

Unglued church

Is believing enough? Acting in faith requires risk By Mark Roth Once again, verses from the daily reading of the Revised Common Lectionary fell into my lap at just the time I needed it. The writer of James asks: “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do… Read more »

TLC: Think like a Christian

Churches never die Transforming grump into gratitude  Jeffrey A. Schooley “Depressing” was the only observation from one of my elders after a recent session meeting. We had just reviewed demographic and sociological information from the remarkably helpful data aggregation web company, MissionInsite. The data revealed that much of our immediate community is “irreligious.” In fact, even… Read more »

Unglued church

Walking the walk Staying faithful in the face of challenges By Mark Roth Recently, I’ve had the chance to meet with the leaders of several congregations. I have brought with me one simple question: What most excites you or challenges you about your church? The answers have been amazing: diverse, honest and optimistic amid the fears…. Read more »

Unglued church

Writing my father’s obituary Can our churches learn from the process? By Mark Roth My father died in April. He was 94, and outlived my mother by just five weeks. When he learned he had chronic kidney failure, he chose not to go through dialysis, and agreed to use hospice services instead. As hard as… Read more »

The unglued church

  WWPS: What would Paul say? Breaking our clay jars to discover the treasure By Susan Rothenberg  But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us…So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature… Read more »

The unglued church

Becoming Billy Beane Getting unglued from old habits By Susan Rothenberg I love baseball. I grew up in a baseball loving family, married a baseball loving man, and have lived long enough to witness the Pittsburgh Pirates’ World Series victories in 1971 and 1979, as well 20 losing seasons. I also love baseball movies, including… Read more »