In recent weeks I have begun to wrap my head around the possibility that my approach to church outreach has been backward.
A View from the Pew: Imagining Church Without Responsibilities
January 18, 2023 by
With Christmas and New Year’s days falling on Sunday this cycle, I had the unique experience of attending church back-to-back weeks where I just participated in worship, caught up with my church family, and went home.
A View from the Pew: Dilemmas of Christmas on Sunday
December 14, 2022 by
Every five to 11 years, depending on leap years, Christmas Day falls on a Sunday, and church-going folks, especially those with small children, face tough decisions.
A View from the Pew: Giving Thanks for the Challenges, Too
November 22, 2022 by
As my own church continues to navigate challenges since the onset of the COVID pandemic, I am working to embrace a more comprehensive gratitude list, one that includes the problems we are facing.
A View from the Pew: Our Prayer Requests Speak Volumes
October 25, 2022 by
From my childhood to today, the churches to which I have belonged have all engaged in the ritual of voicing prayer concerns. This occurred most frequently and meaningfully on Wednesday nights in what we called “prayer meetings.”
A View from the Pew: Shall We Gather at the Picnic
September 7, 2022 by
Like everything churches suspended during COVID, our church picnic has grown in value and meaning during its absence.
A View from the Pew: The Blessings of Youth Sunday
June 1, 2022 by
This is a season of transitions for young people marked by graduation and awards ceremonies. Churches complement these secular rites of passage with graduate recognition and youth day services.
A View from the Pew: Resetting the Church Habit
April 27, 2022 by
We’re a few days removed from Easter, and many formerly faithful church attenders find themselves at a crossroads. Rather than lecture about the importance of showing up to church, I’m moved to offer a few ideas on getting back to church consistently.
A View from the Pew: Breaking Out of a Slump
March 23, 2022 by
If we’re honest, we all have slumps. Forgive the overuse of sports metaphors, but no matter the game, slumps are real, observable, and unavoidable.
A View from the Pew: Deconstruction is Only Half of the Job
February 23, 2022 by
A friend and mentor I quote often liked to say he was “unencumbered by a theological education.” That joke has always resonated with me.
A View from the Pew: Bible Totin’
January 26, 2022 by
In more ways than I care to count, I am old-fashioned. Add to that growing list my habit of carrying my Bible to church.
A View from the Pew: Watch Night Services
December 29, 2021 by
We could use a Watch Night service right about now. If ever a New Year’s Eve called for a Watch Night Service, this is it.
A View from the Pew: Lighting the Advent Wreath
November 24, 2021 by
With the exception of that time one of the deacons set the church lawn on fire while trying to get rid of fire ants, I don’t remember much fire at church during my formative years.
A View from the Pew: Trunk-or-Treat vs. Trick-or-Treat
October 27, 2021 by
Last month I explored the concept of fall festivals as church events and how to think about them in the current context. This month, I’d like to spend a little time unpacking a specific form of the fall festival known as “trunk-or-treat.”
A View from the Pew: 5 Questions to Help Plan Your Fall Festival
September 22, 2021 by
In the “before times,” when pandemics were far-fetched movie plots, churches looked for ways to gather for fellowship outside of Sunday worship. It was an added bonus if it could involve people outside of the church because then you could call it “outreach.”
A View from the Pew: How Long Should the Sermon Last?
August 24, 2021 by
I’m a preacher’s kid with two preacher brothers. I’ve grown up around preachers and spent 10 years of my professional career working in close proximity to preachers at the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
A View from the Pew: Adventures in Live Streaming
July 21, 2021 by
If your church began live streaming worship during the pandemic, chances are someone in your church made the joke on social media, “Look! The pastor is a televangelist now!”
A View from the Pew: What Did You Learn at Children’s Church?
June 22, 2021 by
What a church does with children says a lot about its focus and its future. I’ve seen a variety of approaches to the faith formation of children. All methods have their strong and weak points, defenders and detractors.
A View from the Pew: Is the Children’s Sermon for or by Children?
May 19, 2021 by
I miss children’s sermon. Our church hasn’t had one since March 2020.
A View from the Pew: Resurrecting Churches after the Pandemic
April 14, 2021 by
The strains of “He Lives!” still echo in my mind as the joy of my church’s outdoor Easter worship brought home the reality of the Resurrection and the work ahead for our church in a post-pandemic future.
A View from the Pew: Upsetting the Congregation: What to do Next
March 24, 2021 by
Last month I laid out six circumstances when it’s okay to upset your congregation. This month, we’ll look at what to do at such a time.
A View from the Pew: Upsetting the Congregation
February 23, 2021 by
I grew up in a pastor’s home, so I deeply understand the need to keep the peace in a church. Most of the time, it’s counterproductive for folks to be riled up over this or that.
Putting on Layers
January 20, 2021 by
Since October, my church has been meeting for socially distanced, fully masked, outdoor worship at 10 a.m. each Sunday.
A View from the Pew: Pancho and the Christmas Play
December 22, 2020 by
If you’ve ever performed in a Christmas drama you know the truth of the old show business maxim attributed to W.C. Fields: “Never work with children or animals.”
A View from the Pew: Hugs and Kisses
November 17, 2020 by
Church in the time of COVID-19 is such a different experience that seminary students will be writing dissertations unraveling its impact on people of faith for years to come.
A View from the Pew: Looking at Your Phone During Church
October 20, 2020 by
A question that has surfaced in my mind during these strange times is “When is it okay to look at your phone during church?”
Lockdown Sunday School: How to be Together When You’re Apart
September 16, 2020 by
Very little feels normal about church these past six months, but one of the most consistently meaningful weekly meetings we have maintained is the Bible study my wife and I lead for young adults.
A View from the Pew: Which Part of the Service Do You Skip?
August 19, 2020 by
You don’t need me to tell you these are weird times, especially for church. A recent message from my pastor highlighted the weirdness for me.
A View from the Pew: “Hollywood Squares” Prayer Meeting
July 21, 2020 by
I can’t help but think of “Hollywood Squares” every Wednesday night when my wife and I log onto our church’s midweek prayer time and devotion via Zoom.
A View from the Pew: When is it Okay to Go Back to Church?
June 23, 2020 by
You may already be back in your traditional place at church on Sundays, or you may be wringing your hands and wondering when it is safe to rejoin your church family in person.
A View from the Pew: Worshiping During Baptism
May 20, 2020 by
Baptism is a powerful symbol in my faith tradition, and I cherish it with greater intensity as I age. Whether it’s the strength of my memories or the decreasing frequency with which baptisms occur, baptism is an important time of worship for me.
A View from the Pew: Preserving the ‘Tie that Binds’ when Politics Divides
March 24, 2020 by
The church of my childhood left many indelible impressions, but none more than unifying act of baptism. To reinforce the communal nature of this sacred ritual, we traditionally closed the service with the singing of “Blest Be the Tie that Binds.”
A View from the Pew: Taking a Personal Spiritual Retreat
February 18, 2020 by
I’ve never hiked the Appalachian Trail, but I know people who have. It sounds like something I would want to do, but then again, maybe not.
A View from the Pew: Saving Seats
January 28, 2020 by
Confession: I hate saving seats. Anywhere. School concerts, sporting events, the movie theater, anywhere that has general admission, first-come first-served seating.
A View from the Pew: Family vs. Faith Traditions on Christmas Eve
December 24, 2019 by
There are two kinds of families in this world: those who open gifts on Christmas Eve and those who wait until Christmas morning. I have been blessed to have been a part of both.
A View from the Pew: ‘Tis the Season for Missionary Speakers
December 4, 2019 by
Missionary speakers at church are as much a Christmas tradition as Christmas trees, Advent wreaths, and Nativity scenes.
A View from the Pew: 5 Ways to Prepare for the Season of Preparation
November 19, 2019 by
A household project this weekend prompted the inevitable trip to the hardware store where I was greeted with an overwhelming array of Christmas decorations and supplies. It’s still November.
A View from the Pew: 5 Tips for Helping your Kids Pick a Church
October 15, 2019 by
We recently packed up our oldest and dropped him off at college for his first semester, setting off all the alarm bells parents experience when relinquishing direct control over their child’s choices.
A View from the Pew: Five Ways to Attract Young Adults
October 1, 2019 by
For the past 10 or so years, my wife and I have taught a young adult class at our church. During that time, we’ve seen the group ebb and flow as a transient demographic moves through a transient urban area.
A View from the Pew: Talking Church with the Unchurched
September 11, 2019 by
During my college experience in a campus ministry I once heard a speaker say there are three ways to tell what people truly care about: how they spend their time, how they spend their money, and what they talk about.
A View from the Pew: 5 Ways to Spiritually Prepare for the Back-to-School Season
August 14, 2019 by
Loading up on school supplies and restocking closets aren’t the only ways to prepare for back-to-school. For those of us in church, this annual event can provide meaningful opportunities to establish or reset our approach to faith.
A View from the Pew: Bivocational Church Staff
July 31, 2019 by
The model of local church staff members having other forms of employment is a trending topic in my life these days.
A View from the Pew: Helping Your Kids Avoid Post-Camp Letdown
July 16, 2019 by
Preparing to send my two oldest off for a week of church youth camp has me already thinking about their return.
Are Church Weddings Becoming Obsolete?
June 18, 2019 by
Remember when June was the time for weddings? Remember when the church was the setting for weddings?
A View from the Pew: Revisiting Visitation
May 29, 2019 by
I came of age in the church in the 1970s and ‘80s when the churches I attended had an organized weekly activity known as “visitation.”
A View from the Pew: What to Say When You Pray in Front of People
May 15, 2019 by
Each week at my church we have a “deacon of the week” whose most visible responsibility is to say a prayer before the offering is collected.
A View from the Pew: The Case for Undesignated Church Giving
April 30, 2019 by
Every Sunday before I wake my boys, I have a ritual: I go to their box of offering envelopes, remove the one for that date for each of them, get pens from the drawer
Easter Sunday Isn’t Like the Others
April 17, 2019 by
The long Lenten journey to the cross and ultimately the empty tomb is nearly finished, and Easter is just around the corner.