by social@thebtscenter.org | Feb 16, 2018 | 21stCenturyCulture, 21stCenturyMinistry, 21stCenturyReligion, 21stCenturySpirituality, Small Church Vitality
A number of years ago I found myself sitting in an auditorium, surrounded by colleagues, listening to a speaker talk about church growth. It was not the first time I had found myself in this situation: A speaker from an urban center telling people in a judicatory that...
by social@thebtscenter.org | Dec 2, 2016 | 21stCenturyCulture, 21stCenturyMinistry
As I finish Thanksgiving and head full bore into the Christmas season, John Wesley’s three rules—“Do no harm. Do good. Stay in love with God.”—keep running through my mind. Perhaps this is because we have just come through a contentious election season that has left...
by social@thebtscenter.org | Jan 29, 2016 | 21stCenturyMinistry, Bearings Review 2016
I guess it’s not surprising that, while staring at about eight inches of hard packed snow in my yard, I am already thinking about summer. For a lot of people summer means lazy days at the beach, quiet moments in the sun, and long nights sitting on the front porch...
by social@thebtscenter.org | Nov 14, 2014 | ChurchChange
This fall I began studying pottery-making. Every Thursday night I drive to a studio about 30 miles from the town where I serve as a United Methodist pastor to sit at a pottery wheel and learn how to throw pieces of art. It all begins with a lump of formless clay that...
