Life Teams by Jerry Watts
For years I have struggled to move beyond the “if we build it they will come” programmatic formula for youth ministry. In my quest for fidelity to t... Read more.
Leadership Insights: Leading EYM Style by Nancy Lee Gauche
Recently, I was asked, “If you were to go back and do youth ministry again, how would what you know now change what you would do?” I had quite ... Read more.
Life Teams Part II by Jerry Watts
We started our Life Teams by recruiting current & former confirmation, mission trip, and Sunday School teachers to agree to join the Life Team that already ... Read more.
Listening, leadership, ethnography
Dori Baker reflects on the benefits of an “ethnography of hope” at the Alban blog. She quotes Thomas E. Frank, a seasoned observer of church life, n... Read more.
First Third Dialogues: Ministering to Children of Divorce
In September 2010, Luther Seminary’s Center for First Third Ministry, hosted a First Third Dialogue on the topic of Children of Divorce. This conference w... Read more.
The political novelty of God
I can’t resist this quote from John Howard Yoder, which is cited in David Fitch’s blog on mission and ecclesiology: The political novelty that God b... Read more.
Children of Divorce: The Loss of Family as the Loss of Being
The Children of Divorce is Root’s fourth and most recent publication. It is a book with great personal significance to Root and draws on his own experienc... Read more.
Between Two Worlds: The Inner Lives of Children of Divorce
Elizabeth Marquardt invites us into the strange and complicated experience of traveling between two homes, two parents and two families as a result of divorce. ... Read more.
A powerful Bible reference tool
At EntertheBible.org, you’ll find a wealth of resources to help you grow in faith, add depth to your Bible studies and truly discover the people, places a... Read more.
T is for teaching the Bible
The Lutheran University Press has just published the lectures from last year’s Hein-Fry series, and that series included one from Mary Hess entitled L... Read more.
Leadership lessons
Every so often I run across interesting reflections from people outside of the “church world,” reflections that I think all of us who are seeking to... Read more.
The woman at the well
It’s about time that people really read this text (John 4:5-42), rather than simply projecting onto it their fears about immorality. David Lose has a grea... Read more.
Sin, grace and popular culture
Dr. Christian Scharen, in his book Faith as a Way of Life: A Vision for Pastoral Leadership, writes compellingly about the challenges of discerning God in the m... Read more.
Young people asking big questions
Dr. Michael Jinkins, the president of Louisville Presbyterian Seminary, notes that: “Young adults are searching for meaning that is not just of their own ... Read more.
The Economy of God
In this sermon, Rev. Nick Utphall (’04), a pastor serving just outside of Madison, WI, invites us to consider what God is up to in the midst of current ev... Read more.
B Is For Living Into Our Baptism
In this Jan. 2011 service celebrating the Baptism of Our Lord, Dr. Lois Malcolm powerfully unpacks what it means to live into our baptism: What makes Jesus’ b... Read more.
Why church history matters for the missional church
Here’s a very brief overview of church history, engagingly presented by Dr. Patrick Keifert, that focuses on missional church issues.... Read more.
M is for missio dei
By Mary Sue Dreier Missio Dei (Latin for “mission of God”) has become one of the catchphrases of the missional church conversation. The phrase itsel... Read more.
M is for missional church
From Craig Van Gelder’s book The Ministry of the Missional Church: A Community Led by the Spirit: The church is. The church does what it is. The church or... Read more.