Everyday Lutherans

When you think of church, what do you think of? Honestly, write it down.  It all down.  Maybe even draw a picture, to help you capture all that you are thinking of. Now think of the church that you attend.  How are the same? How are they different? Now for the truth:  That ideal church that you first wrote about, can not happen.  For one thing, it is in your mind.  It would only happen if everyone did what you did.  You would be the god of that church. The church that you attend is not perfect.  Why?  The people who attend there are sinners and saints.  Yes even you.  Don't get me wrong you are not a bad person but within our lives, things happen, we make choices that we find out later, hurt someone else or even ourselves.  That's ok, you are human.  Along with that, when you get more than one person in a room, there are different ideas, concepts, and thoughts of what this church should be.  When that happens, there a...

When I was a kid, I grew up thinking that God was this old man with a long white beard.  He sat on a big throne and had a lot of people who were singing around him.  But I was always afraid, I thought that God was one who looking out for the things that I was doing wrong.  Yet then Jesus would come and tell me things were going to be ok.  That God had been sitting on the throne for a long time but really he meant well and loved me.  As time went on my understanding of God grew, as it should because my relationship with God grew as well. I began to realize how that understanding of God was so true.  God wanted what was best for me and wanted me to realize the LOVE that He truly shared for me. Yet in my teen years, while your whole body and world seem to be put into this blender of reality and nothing seems to work out right.  You can also begin to wonder, doubt, and be down right frustrated with God.  For these two voices of God looking out for wha...

I have talked to a lot of people who attend church every so often to not really a whole lot. In one of my most recent conversations, a person asked me, "So, what does a pastor do?" I started thinking of all the daily, weekly, monthly and yearly things that I do and I could have listed them all off , but that would take a very long time. Then there are the things that no one can plan for. How do you tell someone that you live a life of chaos and unknown, and help someone make sense of it??? Here is my attempt. A pastor does many, many things; largely depending on the congregation's size and whether or not there is more than one pastor. If the church is large and there are multiple pastors, then they are specialized into separate fields.  In a one pastor congregation, then he/she does most (if not all) of the following. Depending on where the congregation is located will also determine the work that the pastor will have as a focus or time for travel between p...

Over the past few weeks, I have had several people ask me about the value of a parsonage for me and other clergy.  People have asked me if I would have preferred not being in a parsonage.  Wouldn't it be better to just have the money instead of living in a parsonage? Doesn't it feel like the church is also your landlord? I have enjoyed living in a parsonage.  I have a house that I could not have afforded to live in.  I can enjoy several rooms that I can make into my own and still have the typical rooms within a house. I have enjoyed the many amenities that are available for me within the parsonage so that I can truly focus on being a pastor.  As in a personal home, there are still small things and big things that need to be addressed within the parsonage. Have no fear, I do clean the parsonage and also maintain a number of things; but when the gutters start to fall off, the drive way needs to be repaired, or windows need looking after, I know that...

It is very important for a church to have a website, something simple and basic for guests and visitors who are new to the area and are not familiar with how the church functions. In order to do this, you don't need to spend a lot of money, in fact, you really don't need to spend any but you do need to spend some time on it.  Before you do anything, you will need to decide what you want on the webiste.  Do you want times of service? Contact information?  Directions to the building?  Perhaps some of the things that are going on that the person could get involved in.  Now that you have an idea of what you want to have on your website, you will need to figure out what is going to be the best means of being able to update the information.  There is nothing worse than a website that has out of date information.  With these two factors in mind, you can then figure out what is going to be your best way of creating the website. Weebly - This is a great option...

Social Media is all around us.  It is the way we connect with friends or family.  We can share photos, videos, and even what we enjoy.  There are a variety of social media platforms and each one offers a means in which the person can present themselves or even what they want to share.  Facebook, Twitter, and wikipedia are all places in which people can share ideas and information.  Instagram and Tumblr allow you to share images with a caption.  (This feature is also on facebook.) Regardless of what interface you or other use.  It has a profound impact upon a person's life.  A person will engage their device which allows them to share with others around them or at a distant who are following them.  When Christ came to his disciples he told them to "Follow Him".  Christ engaged these men and brought them into relationship with himself and one another.  Yet that is what the church is, the very body of Christ.  Allowing people to g...

Have you ever wondered what the purpose a sermon is suppose to be? I mean this man or woman is standing up there, talking to a crowd of people.  What gives them the authority?  Why do they talk and talk about things that don't necessarily make sense or interest me?  What's the point? I have a confession to make, when I was growing up, I was that kid who did not always pay attention during the sermon.  It would not hold my attention.  I would either look at the stained glass windows, draw on the bulletin or there were some Sundays that I would actually do the head bang. (You know that time when you are trying to stay awake but are fighting falling back to sleep and your head falls down and whips back up. If you don't know what I am talking about, go to your next service and sit in the back and look around more than likely there will be one.)  Sadly this is still the case, although not when I am preaching.  For even when I hear some preachers, I still be...

If you haven't noticed, I have not written for a while.  So there are a number of comics and even more thoughts that I have been thinking about for me to write on.  Yet this one has been on my mind and my heart, WORSHIP.  Now I am thinking of a particular God, the One God.  I am not thinking of money, football or success in academia.  Though I know that each one of these are at the focus of many in these days with rise and fall of the stock market, the start of a new football season, and the start of a new school year.  However, it is also the start of Sunday School, Confirmation, and so many other programs or ministries that happen within the church.  I have also seen a growing number of people returning to the church services.  Yet the question remains, why did they take three months off?  In talking with many people, I have found that worship simply did not fit within the schedule.  They used the weekend to go out to their cabins so t...

The whole concept of church planting was one that I explored while I was in seminary.  I joined in the various conversations and understood many of the necessary things that needed to take place. For often, a new church is started within an area with the help of the synod (the larger church organization that is right above a congregation).  It takes a lot of work and time to build the relationship and organize the various events to invite those who are either never been to the church setting or have been hurt by the church.  Within a church plant, there is often a planting of seed within a given community and hopes that with nurture, the leader would be able to reach out to people and build a sustaining community. . A popular model that has been happening in a number of places as well is that a congregation will actually give birth to another congregation within the same community.  This often comes around when either the facility that current congregation is unable ...

The Future of American Religion | Via Meadia : I have seen a lot of the same articles.  Not that they are the exact same but their message is the same.  While I agree that the culture has changed. I think that the basis is still the same. People are looking for a genuine relationship with not only a community but also with God. I think that we need to get back to a wholistic approach to be Christians. That we realize that every part of our life has to do with our Christian journey. So while the "old ways" are not going to look the same. I think that we can learn a great deal about them so that while we are cutting off the fat from the meat, we are not throwing away a lot of the good meat along with it. I mean if we continue to talk about how we are shrinking and the church needs to change or it will die.  Then we begin to grasp for anything that draws people.  However, more often than not, these messages display that we are not being faithful and placing our tr...

I can not believe that it has been nearly a month and a half since I blogged last.  January has proven to be a busy time for Pastors.  Between the wind down from Christmas, having several baptisms and then gearing up for Lent.  Then to top it off, I had two conferences to go to.  One of the conferences was FCTE (First Call Theological Education).  This is basically a gathering of new pastors to get together and talk about what is new and what is difficult.  This was a really good conference to get to talk to others and find out how they are doing and share what I have been doing.  The second conference was for Mid Winter Convocation at Luther Seminary.  Many of the topics and speakers was much of what I had heard within seminary.  It was good to stop and reflect on some of the good things that we have done and continued within the congregation that I am currently serving.  It was also great to see some seminary friends.  However, th...

After months of waiting and wondering when it was going to happen.  I am finally a Pastor. The service was absolutely great.  It went almost exactly as I had planned.  I realized just how truly blessed I am within my life.  Along with that, I was reminded of all the wonderful people who gathered together for a truly great event. The people involved have been a great support to lead me to this wonderful day.  The Bishop (and his staff) who presided has been great to work with in receiving my call to the congregation.  The minister who preached the sermon has been a pastor within my life since I was a  baby.  For years, I was able to bear witness to someone who has always been a great pastor within my life.  I hope that I can live up to a great example.  The leader who read scripture was a person who I was fortunate enough to work with while at camp.  She was the Camp Director of the Summer Staff.  All the years that I worked wit...