In recent weeks I have begun to wrap my head around the possibility that my approach to church outreach has been backward.
9 Tips for Interpreting Scripture
January 25, 2023 by Leave a Comment
Many of us grew up hearing preachers proclaim, “The Bible says it. I believe it. That settles it.” By now, I hope we realize that the task of biblical interpretation is a tad more complicated.
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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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?”
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: Lessons from Virtual Church
April 15, 2020 by
For regular church attenders, the isolation policies and shelter-in-place mandates of the COVID-19 pandemic have been felt most acutely on Sundays.
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: 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: 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: Signs of True Repentance
March 5, 2019 by
At its heart, preparing for Easter during the season of Lent means repenting of our sin. The problem for many of us in the pews today is that repentance has almost completely vanished from our faith practice.
A View from the Pew: 5 Ways to Make Lent More Meaningful
February 27, 2019 by
Whether the season of Lent has been part of your tradition or not, it can be a helpful time of spiritual reflection and growth. I didn’t grow up observing it, but when introduced to Lent about 20 years ago, I enjoyed this annual time of intentional focus on my discipleship.
A Church “Meet Cute” for Valentine’s Day
February 13, 2019 by
One of the well-established plot devices of the modern romantic comedy is the first meeting of the would-be couple. Known in movie parlance as the “meet cute,” it is the defining moment of the story.
A View from the Pew: Resources for Daily Devotions
January 29, 2019 by
If you are doing your best to start 2019 with a renewed focus on your spiritual disciplines, then I would encourage you to consider what resources you use to facilitate a meaningful daily time with God.
A View from the Pew: Remembering MLK at Church
January 15, 2019 by
Any day honoring a man, even one who made a lasting impact on society, can be complicated. Dr. King possessed a combination of heroic traits and human frailties, as do we all, that we must by mindful of while planning this Sunday’s service of worship.
A View from the Pew: Hearing the Story
December 19, 2018 by
“A Charlie Brown Christmas” aired in 1965, and a generation formed an indelible association with the passage from Luke 2 and the recitation of the Christmas story by the character Linus Van Pelt. Born in 1970, I am definitely of that generation.
A View from the Pew: The Devil is in the Sound System
November 29, 2018 by
One of my earliest memories of a sound system glitch dates back to when I was 5 or 6. We were attending another church for a revival, and the audio receiver picked up a nearby CB radio. Right in the middle of the service we heard the crackle of “Breaker 1-9, breaker 1-9, you got your ears on? C’mon.”
A View from the Pew: Security at Church
September 25, 2018 by
One incident during a Sunday morning service from my childhood sticks out in my mind. I was young, probably between 5-10 years of age. We were sitting in our regular place on the third row in the middle section of the sanctuary.
Putting the ‘School’ Back in Sunday School
August 28, 2018 by
I ask my children weekly during out drive home for church, “What did you learn in Sunday school today?” I know, it sounds really old fashioned when I do it, but the basis of the question is the assumption that Sunday school is an educational activity. It is called “school,” after all.
A View from the Pew: Yard Work Is the Lord’s Work
July 18, 2018 by
I came of age in central Florida where lawn maintenance is a year-round chore/opportunity. So when I see someone riding or pushing a mower, particularly in the summer, I can’t help but hold them in high regard. Of all the thankless jobs laypeople do in churches, mowing the church lawn is one of the toughest.
A View from the Pew: Long Courtships
June 19, 2018 by
Like the age-old question “How many licks does it take to get the center of a Tootsie Pop?” those seeking a new church home often struggle with how long they should visit a particular congregation before joining. It seems it takes people longer and longer to feel ready to commit to a local church these days, and even the most consistent churchgoers have a hard time settling on a church.
A View from the Pew: What to Look for When Visiting A New Church
May 22, 2018 by
Finding a church can be frustrating, especially if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Instead of focusing on the color of the carpet or the wardrobe of the pastor, here are nine clues to help you find your local church home.
A View from the Pew: Counting All the Blessings
April 17, 2018 by
Counting the money received in the offering each week is one of the myriad tasks of church life that falls into the “thankless job” category. You may not even know who does it at your church. It’s a behind-the-scenes job well suited for the kind of church member who avoids the spotlight and prefers to do their “good deeds in secret” (Matt 6:4).
A View from the Pew: When Your Kids Don’t Like Church
March 21, 2018 by
We make our children do lots of things they don’t want to do. Homework. Brush their teeth. Go to school. Take a bath. Go to bed. Eat their vegetables. Share their toys. The list goes on and on. And many of these activities are non-negotiable for our children.
Putting the ‘Fun’ in ‘Fundraiser’
February 20, 2018 by
Both my stomach and heart are filled each year at my church’s annual chili cook-off and dessert bake-off. Always well-attended, the cook-off is a high point for our church. The fellowship and food serve as a backdrop for fundraising for hunger-related causes, or perhaps it’s the other way around.
A View from the Pew: Breakfast of Champions
January 16, 2018 by
Breakfast has been labeled by nutritionists and marketers alike as the “most important meal of the day,” but eating breakfast at church can be tricky. Not only do you have to avoid the powdered doughnuts if you’re wearing dark colors, but avoiding a carbohydrate overload can be next to impossible.
A View from the Pew: Rattling the Change in the Offering Plate
January 3, 2018 by
My boys have adopted an interesting habit learned from their old man. When they put their offering envelope in the offering plate each week, they turn it upside down so that their name and amount are facedown. I noticed they had taken up this practice recently when my middle son scolded his younger brother.
A View from the Pew: Constant Non-Contact
October 24, 2017 by
One of the most visible and important ways laity serve in Baptist churches is through the role of deacon. Though it varies in form and function from church to church, one essential task as outlined in Scripture is taking care of people in the congregation as an extension of the ministry of the staff.
A View from the Pew: Resetting Your Defaults
September 26, 2017 by
During a recent commute home from a work, a friend called to check in. Our typically wide-ranging conversations landed on church, and he asked me directly why I feel such an obligation to attend every week. I pointed out that I did miss a Sunday in July when the family went on vacation, but otherwise my family is there every time the door opens.
A View from the Pew: Eating at Church
August 29, 2017 by
It’s known by a hundred different names—potluck, fellowship meal, church social, Wednesday night supper. But no matter what you call it, eating a meal at church is special. My kids love it. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch, or supper, they relish the ability to load their plates with their own choices.
A View from the Pew: Taking the Summer Off
July 26, 2017 by
Every church has that section of the newsletter where it publishes its monthly “vital statistics:” Sunday school attendance, corporate worship attendance, and giving and budget needs. You don’t have to read the vital statistics to recognize the precipitous drop in attendance when summer arrives.
A View from the Pew: Where Do Your Teens Sit?
May 23, 2017 by
Next time you’re in church (which should be this weekend, right?) conduct this experiment: look around, find the group of youth, and note where they are sitting. As an unofficial churchiologist (church+sociologist, a new thing I just invented), I would humbly assert that just like in the real estate business, location is everything.
A View from the Pew: Worship at Sunrise
April 18, 2017 by
Just a few days ago we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus on the holiest day on the church calendar with a number of traditions that we reserve for this special day. There were flower crosses, lilies, white cloths draping crosses, and boisterous singing of “He Lives!” “Up from the Grave He Arose,” and “Christ the Lord is Risen Today.”
A View from the Pew: Don’t Blame the Weather
March 22, 2017 by
One of my favorite old weather-related church jokes goes something like this: “It was raining today, so of course many of the Baptists stayed home. If there’s one thing Baptists can’t stand, it’s a sprinkling.” This time of year we usually confront several bouts of severe weather as the season changes from winter to spring, and if we’re not careful, our church attendance can be affected.
A View from the Pew: The Beauty and Challenge of Baby Dedications
February 22, 2017 by
Whether they are innocently sleeping or desperately screaming, we can’t take our eyes off babies. This is especially true during baby dedications at church. Spend any amount of time in church, and you’re likely to be a part of such a service, especially in Baptist churches with young families.
A View from the Pew: What Makes a Sunday Super?
January 31, 2017 by
I happen to live in a city that has a rooting interest in Super Bowl LI, so I have more than a passing interest in the big game this year. But even when I don’t care about the outcome, the weeks of hype and constant media and social media attention invade my mental and spiritual space like weeds in my lawn.
A View from the Pew: Aging of the Choir
December 27, 2016 by
I’ve had a fondness for Christmas cantatas, lessons and carols services, and other performances of sacred Christmas music since I was a boy fidgeting in the third-row pew while my parents rehearsed portions of Handel’s “Messiah.” Our choir this Sunday was as intriguing as their performance was beautiful.
A View from the Pew: Thanksgiving, Advent, and Missions
November 22, 2016 by
It’s a season for thanksgiving and anticipation, but I have a confession to make: celebrating abundance and extending a call to give at the same time feels incongruent. I have mixed emotions, and it’s hard for me to sort it all out.