The Dreaded Offering

Every Sunday, just about every church in America takes an offering. They make it a part of their time together for two primary reasons: it is an act of worship and it probably reminds people to give, so in theory more people give. I’ve always hated the offering time though. Very rarely is it something…

Why ChurchRater.com Is A Bad Idea

Over the next 2 days we’ll be looking at and talking about a new website named “ChurchRater.com“. I fear that too often I just share my opinion on this blog without allowing for the opposite side of the spectrum to be voiced. So, today I’ll be posting on why I believe this website and others…

The Lord's Supper: Thoughts on Community

This is the second post on The Lord’s Supper. Last time we looked at the subject from the perspective of consumption. Today I want to focus on community. Paul Metzger is a professor at Multnomah Seminary (where I attend). He wrote a phenomenal piece for The Leadership Journal, and it was featured on the Out…

Multiple Service Formats

My church, like many, has two different styles of services on Sunday morning. Our first service is essentially a “blended” service (by the way, I hate the word service but I’m using it here because it is a common usage for a gathering of believers on a weekend) with a mix of contemporary songs and…