| | | | | | | | | | | | PRACTICAL WISDOM FOR LEADING CONGREGATIONS |
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Nadia Bolz-Weber likes to have both tradition and innovation happening at the same time in House for All Sinners and Saints, a mission church she founded in Denver, Colo., that's part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Her church follows the ancient liturgy of the church, yet during Easter Vigil, for example, members are asked to tell the resurrection story in teams. People have made films, written original pieces of choral music and acted out scenes with Barbie dolls.
"We'll call that ancient/future church and different stuff like that, but I find that's what people are drawn to," said Bolz-Weber, who earned a master of divinity degree from Iliff School of Theology.
She has become a leading voice of the emerging church after a hard-drinking life as a stand-up comedian and restaurant worker, and has been described as a "6-foot-1 Christian billboard" for her tattoo-covered arms.
Bolz-Weber spoke with Jesse James DeConto for Faith & Leadership about communicating a historic doctrine in today's culture and holding on to something old in an identifiably Christian way.
Q: For those clergy who want to be doing what you're doing, what do they need to know?
That they should figure out who their people are and try to be their pastor.
Older folks from the church will say, "What do young adults want? What do they want so that we can do it?" I'm like, "I've never had to ask myself that question."
I get to be in ministry in a context I'm native to, so I've never had to second-guess, "Will they like this?" or, "Will they get this joke?" or, "Would they enjoy doing X, Y or Z?"
There's something about doing ministry as the person you are that ends up making a big difference, and who you are is going to be different than who I am.
I know a lot of pastors, if you ask them, "Do you feel like you can really be here in your work?" they'd say no. I think that ends up being really key.
Read more from the interview with Nadia Bolz-Weber »
|
| IDEAS THAT IMPACT: TRADITION & INNOVATION
|
It is more important than ever that we know and share our tradition. The risen Christ is actually present in the telling of the Christian story. It is essential that we tell the story -- not talk about the story, not give directives based on the story, not modify or abridge the story -- but tell the story.
Read more from Cassandra Carkuff Williams » |
The challenges congregations and institutions face require thinking that can hold together seemingly conflicting ideas or strategies to find generative "third ways" forward.
Read more from Nathan Kirkpatrick »
|
For Margaret Pfeil, an assistant professor of theology at Notre Dame and a member of a Catholic Worker community in South Bend, Dorothy Day is an exemplar of leadership.
Read more from the interview with Margaret Pfeil »
|
Church Mergers: A Guidebook for Missional Change by Thomas G. Bandy and Page M. Brooks
Church Mergers offers churches of all sizes and traditions practical advice on how to merge successfully. Authors Thomas G. Bandy and Page M. Brooks draw on decades of experience to illustrate why and how missional mergers are possible.
Church Mergers guides congregational leaders and regional planners through the process of successful mergers. It shares the stories of four churches in the merger process, explaining the steps to assess their situations, build trust, and discern vision. The book offers guidance to assess the potential for merger, explore contextual relevancy and lifestyle compatibility, overcome internal and external obstacles, define strategic priorities, create new boards, build leadership teams, combine assets, and more.
Church Mergers shows that a faithful, healthy, missional merger is possible, and it illustrates that the whole can indeed be greater than the sum of its parts.
Learn more and order the book » |
Follow us on social media:
|
| | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| |
|
