Is There Hope For My Small Church?
IS THERE HOPE FOR MY SMALL CHURCH? By the Reverend Terry L. Tilton, B.S., MDiv In a landscape where small churches in the United States struggle for survival, this Continue Reading
Tag: United Methodist Church
Pour Out Your Holy Spirit: Transformation through the Font and the Table
Tensions were palpable. Everyone was moving quickly, and arena security was visibly on alert. The concourse was loud as some three thousand people made their way out of the Saint Continue Reading
Untrained Professionals Expected To Save Lives
Did you know that some pastoral leaders currently in ministry have not received the proper training? In every profession, there is a list of necessary skills to do the job Continue Reading
Ears to Hear: Understanding How You and Your Neighbor Read the Bible
If you have been in the church for any amount of time, then you have experienced some church conflict. Sometimes the conflict is minor- Who makes the best pound cake? Continue Reading
Restoring Church and Community: Food Justice and the City of Mesa Arizona
First United Methodist Church of Mesa (FUMC) is a located in the downtown area of Mesa, AZ, which is a city that is experiencing a new time of growth Continue Reading
Strategically Restructuring for the Future of Methodism
Facing an Existential Ecclesial Crisis The United Methodist Church in America, alongside virtually every form of historically Wesleyan ecclesial expression, is facing multiple, significant crises. Much has been spoken, Continue Reading
Worship and the Lament – Recasting Lament as Worship
In her book, “Spirit and Trauma: A Theology of Remaining” [1] Author Shelly Rambo draws forward the experiences of Holy Saturday–the space between Jesus’s death and Jesus’s resurrection. If the Continue Reading
When the Pastor leaves: Congregational Grief in Pastoral Transition
Well, there goes another pastor! As the members of First Church woke Sunday morning, they were excited about another Sunday morning worship. This small, rural, aging congregation has had its Continue Reading
Looking Back to Move Forward
Looking Back to Move Forward: Navigating the Impact of Nostalgia on Church Growth in Rural Methodist Congregations “Do not say, ‘Why were the former days better than these?’ For it is Continue Reading
Structured for Mission: District Connectionalism Simplified
Bishop Kenneth Carder explains that United Methodist’s “connectionalism . . . is an expression of our understanding of the church as the body of Christ, with each part of the Continue Reading