“Finding Ourselves in the Biblical Story” What if reading Scripture wasn’t about dates, places and people that lived a long time ago, but instead was about ourselves and the people we know and love today? And what if reading the Bible wasn’t about learning facts about God but instead was about learning to see God…
Elizabeth Drescher, author of Tweet if You [heart] Jesus, and a plenary speaker at next year’s missional church consultation, has a lovely short piece up at Religion Dispatches which explores five trends in social media that are intersecting with pastoral ministry. What do you think of her list?
By Laurie Neill, MDIV Children, Youth and Family senior at Luther Seminary The reality that John Roberto brought to light for me was that it is not only possible, but beneficial, for the church to provide faith formation for anyone, anytime, anywhere, 24x7x365. While I know that our youth (and adults) are connected to each…
This email completes a two-part series on the generosity of King David, seen in the collection of the offering for the building of the temple in I Chronicles 29. I wish you a blessed Christmas and some time of rest and relaxation with those you love. Chick Lane Director of the Center for Stewardship…
By Tom Schwolert Influenced by relational faith circles “To encircle young people with authentic, available, and affirming adults who support them in their faith and life journey.” The traditional model of youth ministry asserts that if we build a youth group that is big and active, we will profoundly influence the faith of young…
The last two Stewardship for the 21st Century emails for 2011 will continue the series on generous people in the Bible. The two emails look at the generosity and leadership of King David, recorded in I Chronicles 29. May the blessings of Advent fill your days. Chick Lane Director of the Center for Stewardship Leaders…
By Dr. Nancy Going Place matters. Mike King looks at both the church and the process of faith formation from a pretty unique perspective. Longevity. He has lived in Kansas City his whole life, and served the same parachurch organization—Youthfront for 36 years. His organization figures that something like 1/4 of the population of the…
“Envisioning the Future of Faith Formation in the First Third of Life” The first decade of the 21st century has brought dramatic change affecting virtually every dimension of American religious life. How can faith formation in the first third of life address this new context? This presentation explores key questions for envisioning the shape and…
“Thrive: Curating Environments for Vibrant Faith Communities” Mike King How do we move from being programmers who do events and programs that tend to create mere connections with adolescents, to youth workers who craft environments where young people inhabit transforming space and sustained Christian formation? Serving as a curator requires deep theological reflection and an…
“Following Jesus in Participatory culture: Faithful Living in a World Mediated by technology” Dr. Ryan Bolger, Part 1 above Click HERE for Part 2 Ryan Bolger examines how the social media revolution has reshaped daily life for those in the first third of life. In addition, he explores how these cultural changes impact churches. How…
By Sandy Troyan, MA Children, Youth and Family senior at Luther Seminary Conversation on the First Third of Life The conversation is alive, yet holds two dominate perspectives: – I am aware that the world around me is different. Things look different. People are different. And the very nature of our wants and needs are…
Dr. David Lose weighs in on the future of seminaries, and theological education, with this provocative statement: I’d argue the single most significant cause of decline is far simpler: most seminaries are training leaders for a church and world that no longer exists. Lose references Alan Roxburgh and Fred Romanuk’s book, The Missional Leader, and…
Dr. Terri Elton discusses the Missional Church and the First Third of Life How does the church remain faithful, while also being open and imaginative? The church finds itself at an important crossroads. Aspects of church are being questioned, new challenges are stressing current practices and old answers are not sufficient for current circumstances. In…
My biased suspicions about a book on faith practices were that it will probably offer some way for the reader to try harder at adding spiritual workouts to one’s life in order to live a more faithful and effective life as a disciple and church member. There is some of that in Practicing Our Faith;…
I’m fascinated by this reflection in the Harvard Business Review blog. James Allworth dares to suggest that the pursuit of profit alone is not the key to innovation, and that Apple demonstrated this very clearly and beautifully: When describing his period of exile from Apple — when John Sculley took over — Steve Jobs described…
