The church needs vital leaders who can convince people in the pews to move beyond the church’s four walls and be involved in Christ’s life in the world, says the new head of the UMC General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.
All of the encouragement to explore a call at Sandy Plains UMC complements a larger effort: to put laity to work in meaningful ways.
Making a living as a writer is choosing to struggle with the tension of being called, having that call affirmed as ministry and discerning the particulars of that ministry, says the author of the memoir “Reluctant Pilgrim.”
Business is called first not to profit but to participate in the work of redemption, providing meaningful work and helping communities flourish, says the business school dean at Seattle Pacific University.
Sixth in a series. A community can thrive over time only if its members know why it exists and can communicate that with others.
The Rev. John Heinemeier retired from ministry after 45 years, then returned to work and became the part-time vicar of St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church in Oxford, N.C. Photo by York Wilson
St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church in Oxford, N.C., illustrates a new model for underserved churches: active laity and retired pastors.
Two years ago, tiny Saint Cyprian’s Episcopal Church was dying. Today, to everyone’s surprise, it is beginning to thrive. It’s a testament to the work of dedicated lay leaders in the historically African-American congregation and a retired white Lutheran pastor.
Profit is important, but it's not the most important thing.
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Third in a series. Christians are those whose common life positions them for visibility in the world as a witness to Jesus Christ, writes C. Kavin Rowe.
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Two Episcopal priests in San Antonio combine scholarship and discernment to help ordinary Christians ‘live life in full color’