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Practical Arts

In Which A Minister Looks to Attend Church on Her Sunday Off And Is Reminded Why Religion Is In Decline

August 16, 2015 | Filed under: Practical Arts, Worship

I am blessed to have one Sunday off each month, and I usually sleep in and rest up that day, grateful for a precious TWO DAYS OFF IN A ROW (Monday being my usual day off). I don’t usually think about attending church; it would defeat the purpose of a …

Church 101: Giving Money (Part 2 of 2)

January 25, 2015 | Filed under: Church 101, Ministry, Practical Arts, Teaching

People new to congregational life are often anxious about pledging. After all, this is a financial commitment you didn’t used to have. Here’s what I hear most often: How much should I pledge? Pledging is a spiritual practice, a commitment to the future of the congregation. The practice of making a …

Church 101: Giving Money (Part 1 of 2)

January 18, 2015 | Filed under: Church 101, Ministry, Practical Arts, Teaching

Aha! You knew some day this blog would grub for money, didn’t you? Churches are all the same. Church financial scandals in recent decades have led many to view fundraising as an example of religious hypocrisy: if religious people really want to make the world a better place, why don’t …

Church 101: Children in Worship

January 11, 2015 | Filed under: Church 101, Practical Arts, Teaching, Worship

So much has been written about children attending worship services that I feel I have little to add. At the same time, parents with young children have many questions and worries about attending church with children. So here goes. Many parents are surprised to learn that children are welcome to …

Church 101: Something Bad Happened On Our First Visit

January 4, 2015 | Filed under: Church 101, Ministry, Practical Arts, Teaching

You made it to church for the first time! You got yourself out of bed on Sunday morning, had the right set of directions, found a parking spot, and arrived not too late for the start of the service. You even enjoyed the service! But… Something off-putting happened. There was …

Church 101: What to Say in the Sunday Receiving Line

December 28, 2014 | Filed under: Church 101, Ministry, Practical Arts, Teaching

Before I became a minister, I never, ever, even once went through the receiving line to greet the minister after a worship service. I assumed that everyone else waiting in line had something meaningful to say about the service, something deep. I had no idea what to say. I came …

New Year, New Focus for the Blog

January 15, 2013 | Filed under: Announcements, Ministry, Practical Arts

I started this blog a couple of years ago, mainly as a place to post my sermons. While in my parish internship, I began posting my monthly newsletter column here. And then at some point, I started actually blogging, writing for this invisible internet audience. This blog has never been …

Six Reasons Justice GA Was A Success

June 25, 2012 | Filed under: Ministry, Practical Arts, Prophetic Outreach

Representatives of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations met in Phoenix last week for our annual gathering, called General Assembly (G.A.). Unlike previous years, our gathering this year had a focus on learning about and participating in social justice work (particularly on immigration issues) in partnership with local activist groups. …

Friedman’s Theory of Differentiated Leadership Made Simple

June 13, 2012 | Filed under: Ministry, Practical Arts, Teaching

This wonderful seven-minute video is one of my favorites, a concise and easy-to-understand summary of Edwin Friedman’s theory of “differentiated” (also sometimes called “non-anxious”) leadership. This video is based on Friedman’s book A Failure of Nerve.

Eight Things I Liked About Glide Church’s Sunday Celebration

June 5, 2012 | Filed under: Ministry, Practical Arts, Worship

I visited Glide Memorial United Methodist Church this past Sunday. It is known as one of the largest, most diverse, and most dynamic churches in San Francisco. According to their website, 2000 people attend their Sunday “celebrations.” The congregation is actively involved in their local and urban community, offering programs …

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