More or less, here’s the sermon I preached this morning. In hindsight, I probably should have changed the title because the sermon took a slightly different turn than what I envisioned earlier in the week. I ended up approaching the text as a prayer for the disciples Jesus would eventually leave behind. By extension, I…
Tag: church
Would Jesus Have Live Streamed the Sermon On The Mount? (Nurturing Faith in a Digital Age)
In today’s digital age, the landscape of ministry is undergoing a profound transformation. The advent of digital technology has paved the way for churches to expand their reach and engage with their congregations in unprecedented ways. While some critics argue that digital ministry fosters consumerism and promotes spiritual laziness, a closer examination reveals that the…
Embracing the Digital Age: The Importance of Digital Ministry for the Church
In an era where digital technology permeates every aspect of our lives, the church must adapt and embrace the opportunities presented by the digital age. Digital ministry, the use of technology to share the Gospel, build communities, and minister to people, has become increasingly crucial in fostering spiritual growth and connecting with the world. Let’s…
The Impact of Disaffiliation on This Pastoral Family
If you follow me on social media, you know that one of my churches has voted to leave the United Methodist Church. Their decision has a far-reaching effect on many fronts, including impacts on my family and me. As I am committed to remaining in the United Methodist Church, we will be uprooting ourselves and…
A Christmas Eve Devotion: Light Has Come!
This is, more or less, the devotion I gave at the Christmas Eve service for my charge tonight. We held a combined service at Pleasant Hill UMC in Lucedale. A video of the service can be found here. Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and…
Worship Wars: Christmas Day Edition
The last time Christmas Day fell on a Sunday was in 2016 and I remember the appalling feeling I had when churches began to announce that they were canceling their worship services for that week. The reason most often given was to allow parishioners and staff to spend time with their families. I was shocked…
Online Ministry is Ministry
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a major shift in the ways churches conducted their ministries. Congregations that had been doing some form of online ministry (such as any congregation I’ve been appointed to – every single one has been engaged online in some form or another) suddenly had to increase their activity out of necessity. Likewise,…
A Letter to the Global Methodist Church
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: I greet you in the strong name of Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the One who was, is, and is to come. The One who lived and died and rose again so that we may share in His victory over sin and death. This letter…
Rescue the Lost Sheep
A few years ago, I attended a ministry conference where the featured speaker made a statement that I often recall: “God is in the rescue business.” One of the occasions where I found myself thinking of this statement was in a conversation this morning with one of my friends, who said, “I don’t like churches…
The New Worship Wars
I remember several years ago that one of the big churchy buzzwords (or maybe “buzz term” would be more appropriate) was worship wars. Basically, this was a term used to describe the struggles many congregations faced about traditional versus contemporary music in their worship services. Many churches opted to have separate traditional and contemporary services…