Browse Blog Post
7/14/2010
170. Fishing
I’m writing this during a two-week study leave along the South Texas coast. This is where I’ve come the last few years for brief periods to work on my books. Each day I spend several hours writing, interspersed with periods of walking, running, reading, swimming, and sleeping. Occasional
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6/21/2010
168. It Takes What It Takes
I recently listened to a podcast interview with a Catholic priest whose ministry focuses on young people involved in urban gangs. Many of the tools he uses derive from the recovery movement, including wisdom gleaned from Alcoholics Anonymous. He used a maxim that I’ve heard before to describe
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6/1/2010
165. Transforming Existing Congregations
Early last year I was asked to write a chapter for a book, The Future of the United Methodist Church—Seven Vision Pathways, to emphasize the importance of Transforming Existing Congregations. I shared some brief stories about congregations in Missouri and about some of our strategies and appro
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5/27/2010
164. Conferring Together
John Wesley’s Journal describes the first Conference of Methodists this way:
“In June, 1744, I desired my brother and a few other clergymen to meet me in London, to consider how we should proceed to save our own souls and those that heard us. After some time, I invited lay preachers tha
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1/19/2010
155. If One Member Suffers….
Update: For more information on how you can help the relief efforts in Haiti, visit umc.org/haiti and www.umcorhaiti.org.
On Tuesday evening, I was giving a presentation to a gathering of clergy from the Missouri Conference when a pastor reported a major earthquake in Haiti and asked for our prayer
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1/15/2010
154. A video message from Bishop Schnase regarding the earthquake in Haiti
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12/14/2009
151. Only if…
At our Annual Conference session in June, Rev. Emanuel Cleaver II (Assistant to the Bishop for African-American Leadership Development) provoked us to think in fresh ways about our human tendency to grumble and avoid work rather than to take responsibility and fulfill tasks. He showed us the thick r
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10/13/2009
143. Pruning
Recently while teaching in a congregation, I recounted many of the scriptures about fruitfulness. Vines, branches, seedtime, harvest, soils, vineyards, trees, fruits—the Bible is replete with stories that lift high the notion that God expects us to use what we have received to make a positive
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9/22/2009
140. From “They Ought” to “We Can”
Sometimes challenges seem so insurmountable and intransigent that there seems no way to make a positive contribution. How can one person, or a Bible class, or a congregation make any difference at all in the face of issues as huge as world hunger, poverty, child abuse, racism, or unemployment? Or mo
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8/12/2009
137. Come and See
While sitting in an airport lounge that had become crowded because of all the flight delays caused by a sudden storm, I couldn’t help but overhear bits and pieces of conversations around me. Two business women in their twenties were sitting in the seats next to me with their laptops, file fold
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7/6/2009
133. Logjams
I regularly run along a bike trail that has a number of small bridges stretched across creeks and small streams. These former railway structures were built with thick steel girders that rise high above the creek beds. I often pause in the middle of a bridge to look down for fish, snakes, or turtles,
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3/11/2009
119. Building Nests
As I was driving to Warrensburg on Monday, I saw a large Red-Tailed Hawk fly overhead carrying a long heavy stick. I smiled at this indisputable sign of spring arriving. The non-migratory birds of our area are beginning to build nests. A couple of hours earlier I had seen an American
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2/16/2009
115. The Field
“So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit.” (Galatians 6: 9 from The Message)
With binoculars in hand, I entered the field seeking a better angle to see the mix of sparrows
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10/20/2008
94. Mystery Visitors
A few of our churches in Missouri are taking an interesting step in their search for excellence in hospitality. They’ve contracted to receive in-depth evaluations through an extensive program of engagement with mystery visitors, using methods similar to retail’s “Secret
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10/6/2008
91. The Battle is Won or Lost in Your Lobby
Last week as I was on the road with my work, I stopped by a specialty pizza parlor. I was by myself and had my journal in hand, ready to pen some notes about the day while I waited for a personal-sized pizza. This is actually a little out of character for me; I usually grab something extremely
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10/2/2008
90. "How Can I Help?" means, "How Can I Fit In?"
Last week I was a presenter at the Leadership Nexus event in Shreveport, along with Rev. Tyrone Gordon of St. Luke’s Community UMC, David Wetzler from Natural Church Development, Bob Whitesel, Brian Bauknight, Jessica Moffatt-Saey, and several others. At these kinds of learnin
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9/22/2008
88. Practices of Vegetable-ful Congregations!
Over the last couple weeks, I’ve heard dozens of stories about small churches focusing on the Five Practices, and about the new ministry initiatives that have resulted. A few of my favorite come from right here in Missouri.
For instance, Marvin McMurry UMC in St. Joseph began to think a
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9/16/2008
87. Why it Works, and Why it Fails
I recently heard about a church consultant who helps congregations develop long-range plans, strategic new initiatives, and even helps them evaluate whether they should build additional facilities, remodel, or relocate. At the opening of the conversation and planning meeting with the congregat
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8/25/2008
84. O My Lord, Please Send Someone Else
I’ve been working on a writing project during the past few weeks that has caused me to dig deeply into some scriptural passages about the call to God’s service. It never ceases to amaze me how God continues to show us new things through old and familiar texts.
I was rereading the
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8/20/2008
83. Practices and Programs
“We tried that program last year, and this fall we’re going to try the new Five Practices program.”
I confess that I cringed a little when I heard those words, although I was grateful that the congregation is using the material and I pray they find it helpful. Ca
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8/18/2008
82. Got Fruit?
I smile whenever I hear about the many creative ways congregations make the Five Practices their own. An original and locally developed idea has personal ownership, reveals imaginative engagement, and uses the gifts and insights of volunteers.
For instance, a long-time friend told me about ho
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8/5/2008
79. Already Preached on the Five Practices?
Among the frequently asked questions I receive about the new resource, Focus on the Five Practices: A Congregation-Wide Initiative are, “What if we already had a sermon series on the Five Practices?” and “What if our congregation has already used Five Practices of Fruitful Congrega
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7/21/2008
75. Returning Home
As you may have heard, I’ve been reassigned to serve as the Bishop of the Missouri Conference for the next four years by the Jurisdictional Episcopacy Committee that met at the Jurisdictional Conference last week in Dallas. This fulfills the hope and request that I made to the Committee
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7/17/2008
74. Episcopacy and Itineracy
As you read this, lay and clergy delegates in equal numbers are arriving from fifteen annual conferences and eleven Episcopal areas covering eight states for the South Central Jurisdictional Conference in Dallas. While there are three days of agenda items, reports, and worship services, the on
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7/10/2008
72. Strong Youth Ministries and the Call to Ministry
The other day I was driving down the Interstate toward the St. Louis airport, when I pulled into a roadside rest stop. Just as I stepped from my car, a long bus pulled up that had a sign that ran nearly the entire length with the name of a United Methodist church from North Carolina. &nbs
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7/7/2008
71. Paddling in a Whitewater World
On July 4th, my son and I took a 15-mile bike ride on the Katy Trail that runs along the Missouri River near where we live. The river was swollen beyond its usual banks, its currents looking even more unrelentingly powerful than usual. In the middle of the wide river we could see a canoe
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6/30/2008
70. Passion for Ministry
At our annual conference this year, six pastors took turns describing their context for ministry, the challenges they face, and one or two innovative responses in their efforts to renew and strengthen their ministries. The creative responses ranged from starting a hip-hop service, developing a permi
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5/21/2008
65. Vestiges
Years ago while I was serving as pastor at First Church, McAllen, the congregation decided to repaint and refinish the entire sanctuary, including the pews. These pews had been installed in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s, and were lengthy, heavy, and well-built. I hosted vari
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5/15/2008
64. Try!
I was listening to a National Public Radio story the other day about a nihilist poet, and the reporter read some of his poems. They were marked with existential angst of the most hopeless type. The more I heard, the worse I felt. As I was driving down the road, the poems were enough to mak
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4/24/2008
58. Opening Worship
General Conference Notebook, April 24
Ingredients: One thousand delegates and more than five thousand guests, a choir with 300 voices and a processional with 150 bishops, an orchestra, outstanding soloists and praise band, liturgical dancers, children and youth and adults of all ages, interpre
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4/17/2008
54. Rubik's Cube
Last summer my older son bought a Rubik's cube. He'd heard me talk about them before and he decided to try one for himself. He opened the package and handed me the instructions to hold onto, and then began to work on the puzzle. In just a few minutes, the cube was all mixed up and
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4/2/2008
50. Learning from Young Pastors
Lovett Weems of the Lewis Leadership Center has helped draw attention to the critical shortage of younger adult pastors throughout our connection. When I first entered ministry, more than 15% of clergy were under the age of 35. Now the number of commissioned or ordained clergy under thirty-five in o
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2/18/2008
41. What Does it Mean?
I’m a birder, and during this time of the year I enjoy counting the hawks along the roadside as I drive from church to church and from speaking engagement to speaking engagement. In some areas of Missouri, I can count hundreds of Red-Tailed Hawks in single day’s drive, perched upright on tall
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1/24/2008
34. Myriad Expressions of Ministry
This past Saturday, more than 70 lay ministers gathered from across the state of Missouri at our Conference Center in Columbia (in the 7 degree weather!) for a day of training. I was asked to teach on the Five Practices, and enjoyed a couple hours of conversation and engagement about local chu
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11/9/2007
13. What's in it for Me?
I remember a study that indicated that 93% of the members of a mainline denomination considered that the purpose of their congregation was to serve their own needs. Before we judge those results too harshly, let’s reasonably consider what that means. It means “I want the church to serve my
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11/5/2007
11. Would We Know What to Do?
Recently Paul Borden was visiting with our district superintendents and our conference staff, and he made a comment that has stuck with me. He said, “Imagine that you appoint a pastor to a congregation, and as soon as the pastor arrives, all the leading laity come and say, “Pastor, we represent all
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