Methodist Foundation of OhioCategory: Church Leadership
A Book You Really Must Read
I recently read a book that should be required reading for any good Methonerd like myself. Reverend Will Cantrell has written Unafraid and Unashamed: Facing the Future of United Methodism. It’s a really, really good book discussing the human sexuality…
Read MoreMy Favorite Wednesday
I often begin my sermon for stewardship Sunday by saying that it’s my favorite day of the church year, the day that the congregation decides what kind of church it chooses to be next year: a church of scarcity or…
Read MoreA call to conversation
Photo Credit: Sue Zakovec, East Ohio Annual Conference In yesterday’s post I lamented the protests I had seen the day before. They were, I wrote, unnecessary because General Conference bends over backward to make sure everyone has a chance to…
Read MoreThe Trust Clause, part II
I had dinner last night with some other members of the East Ohio delegation after we all had a busy and at times frantic day in committees trying to get through our legislation. They had heard the news about the…
Read MoreAbout perceptions
In a marketing email I received last week, I read the following: Two people pass a beggar on the street. One sees a lazy bum and feels indignant. The other sees a victim of circumstance and feels compassion. Same beggar, same…
Read MoreRethinking our purpose
The Board of Directors at the Foundation has spent the last year in a strategic planning process. We are a much different organization than when I got here seven years ago and we were trying to get a handle on…
Read MoreAccountability in the Missions Field
I had a wonderful conversation with an equally wonderful woman a couple of weeks ago. She has done a great deal of mission work in the last several decades, some here in the U.S. and much of it internationally. The…
Read MoreRethinking the Committee’s Place
Last night I met with a local church’s Finance Committee. They spent a few minutes going over the financials, discussing the pluses and the minuses. They they got to me to talk stewardship. Here’s the problem. It was the Finance…
Read MoreBringing Things Into Focus
Three weeks ago this morning my plane from Liberia by way of Ghana touched down in New York. My adventure had come to a close and on the very long overnight flight I once again got used to things like…
Read MoreWanted: something big, hairy and audacious
If you’re a regular reader of this space you know that missions are important to me. In fact, if I could only have the church do one thing, I would skip worship, Sunday School and (gasp!) even committee meetings and…
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