United Methodist Church

The Difference Between “Now” and “Then”

Jun 17, 2013 | Leading the Church, Methodism

Some things never change. There are still hot dogs at baseball games. There are still fish in Kentucky Lake. And there are still Methodists meeting on a yearly basis to talk business and make decisions. In the past two weeks, I’ve been to two Annual Conferences....

Prop 8, Homosexuality, and the Loud Lack of Conversation

Mar 26, 2013 | Leading the Church, US Politics

Everyone is talking about the Supreme Court of the United States hearing oral arguments on the matter of California’s Proposition 8, which banned homosexual marriage. But is anyone listening? I sat down to an interview today on that matter. It’s been quite...

A Different Future from a Difficult Past

Mar 11, 2013 | Leading the Church, Methodism

Let’s cover some known facts. I’m a United Methodist pastor. The United Methodist Church is a Christian denomination. Christians follow the teachings of Christ. Christ was big on forgiveness. Based on this, we should be able to draw some conclusions about...

Take Disciples … Yes, You

Mar 2, 2013 | General, Leading the Church, Methodism

Today is Saturday. That means that I’ve heard that “the Church is in decline” approximately a hundred times since Sunday, give or take a few. It means that I’ve heard that the answer is “to make disciples for the transformation of the...

So What DO You Mean By “Grow?”

Feb 14, 2013 | General, Leading the Church, Methodism, Pop Culture

Once, as a child, I played sick to avoid a particular confrontation that I knew was going to take place at school. My plan was foolproof: Moan a little bit, wait for the thermometer to show up, and then fake a fever using my desklamp to inflate the reading. I may or...