At what point do differences become irreconcilable? Visualize a normal bell-curve. At each extreme, there are polarized, immovable positions. Three to five percent are so committed to being right and having their own way, that they no longer engage in any interaction that might influence their opinion. These opponents are […]
Jesus died young by today’s standards, in his early thirties. I wonder what our church would look like today if mandatory retirement age was 33? What if our thirty-year-olds ran the church? Too often, we act like they lack experience and knowledge, wisdom and leadership skills. In short, we would […]
I don’t often share dreams, but this is one that has haunted me for almost 30 years. It is a good dream, and a vivid dream, and one that comes to mind almost weekly. I don’t think it is too obscure or metaphoric. It hit me when I dreamed it […]
Okay, here it is — the answer to all our problems in The United Methodist Church. It is so simple, you probably won’t believe/accept it. It comes in two parts — the first part is fundamental conventional wisdom, the second part, not so much. It answers the question: “what is […]
Another aspect of the complexity around navigating our differences and disagreements of our personal filters and mental models. By basic premise the past couple blogs is that we need better ways of disagreeing and living with differences of opinion, worldview and values. However, it has been interesting fielding emails that […]
I received an email from a long-time colleague finding herself in an all-too-common situation: asked to “grow” a church where the leadership begged her to help bring them into the 21st century, she now finds that this same leadership effectively blocks each and every attempt she makes to lead. Her […]
One of my favorite blogger-buds, John Meunier, raised a great question yesterday that I feel warrants a full response, so I am framing it as a post. Here is John’s question: Why should anyone seek ordination in the UMC given the realities you see? Should those interested in discipleship find […]
In recent comments, an interesting thread appears: how do we in the church have open-ended conversation about the deepest and most challenging aspects of our life together? Too often, we have no vision for what a new or different conversation might look/sound like. When we think about changing our thinking, […]
Let’s be honest. The United Methodist Church has done a remarkably poor job living up to its stated mission (making disciples of Jesus Christ (1996) for the transformation of the world (2008)). In the same way as Igniting Ministry failed to live up to its slogan (more people find closed […]
Recent church visits strike me with an undeniable pattern — we tend to associate only with those most like us. I have yet to visit any church that does not consider itself “friendly,” yet rarely is there a deep level of awareness that answers the question, “friendly with/to whom?” Two […]
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