4 Kinds of Support Preachers Miss When They Work in Isolation
There are times preachers need a community beyond their own congregations. And often, other preachers are invaluable when wrestling the challenges of parish life—from handling a delicate conflict to finding something new to say in your sermon…again. Check out four times you need other preachers in your life, and consider ways you might cultivate that community for yourself.
What Matters Most When the World Is Falling Apart
This woman facing certain death learned not only to manage her fear but to embrace it until it no longer consumed her or directed her actions. In these times where there is much to worry us, consider these lessons on how to preserve humanity—yours and others’.
There’s a ’T’ Missing from Your Time, Talent, & Treasure Stewardship Sermons
The three T’s of stewardship are treasure, time, and talent. But perhaps there should be a fourth.
2 False Premises When Preaching a Stewardship of Time—and One Question to Ask Instead
When preaching on the stewardship of time, it can be tempting to preach either scarcity or sentimentality. Neither helps our parishioners. There is one question, however, that can.
Do Your sermons Suffer from a "Vitamin C Deficiency"?
We often fail to understand the ways our everyday choices impact our environment and, in turn, our neighbor's quality of life. As preachers, we have an obligation to illuminate this reality and invite our listeners into a new dimension of relationship with their neighbors through creation. And not just on Earth Day.
Who Did You Say God Is?
When you preach, what do your listeners learn about God? Are there any subconscious or “embedded” beliefs that sneak into your sermons without your awareness?
The Opposite of Love, According to Bishop Curry. This Will Preach.
The opposite of love is less violent than hate, more consequential than indifference, and shapes our culture individually and at large. What is it? And why does it matter?
Pick 1: Try Shifting Something Small for Big Change (a Roundup of Our Most Useful Posts)
This holiday week, we've rounded up some of our most popular and useful blog posts to help you find the encouragement and strategies you may need to try something new. Pick one thing to shift this week and see what happens.
Is Your Preaching a "Performance"? 3 Guiding Questions
It put the holy fear of God in my heart to realize I had the ability to perform the role of a preacher and be believed and trusted when I shouldn't be. I had skills at the ready to inflate my knowledge of scripture, embellish its presentation to appeal to certain people, or protect myself with silence. So what would guide me to ensure I wouldn't perform as a preacher, but enter the pulpit as a preacher of integrity regardless of the stakes?
"Reclaiming Jesus: A Confession of Faith in a Time of Crisis"
“What we believe leads us to what we must reject. Our “Yes” is the foundation for our “No.” What we confess as our faith leads to what we confront. Therefore, we offer the following six affirmations of what we believe, and the resulting rejections of practices and policies by political leaders which dangerously corrode the soul of the nation and deeply threaten the public integrity of our faith. We pray that we, as followers of Jesus, will find the depth of faith to match the danger of our political crisis.” From Reclaiming Jesus
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I participated in the Lectio study today with a complicated and double-speak Gospel (John 17:6-19) and WOW! I received so much great insight and am headed in a direction I feel really good about. Thank you to all my colleagues! If you are wondering if this is worth it, wonder no more. It is.
—Donna G.
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The Gospel People Don't Want to Hear: Preaching Challenging Messages was written to aid preacher’s in understanding what’s at stake for their listeners so they can craft sermons their audience can receive, even if they challenge cherished beliefs.
I just have to say WOW. I'm so grateful that I made the investment and joined The Collective. These Thursday [workshops] are a game-changer for me.
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