Generally, January is annual report time for Anglican Churches. Most churches will have an annual meeting to update the congregation on the past year and the plan for this year. Budgets will be discussed. Vestry members (or parish council members) will be elected. ACNA parishes will fill out their congregational report […]
Does changing your habits change your life? Can you become healthier, happier, or holier if you incorporate new, small daily habits into your life?
I decided to start this year off with a new habit. I have to work out regularly because I have arthritis. If I don’t work out, I […]
It is that time of year when new Vestry members are elected, selected, and then seated as their congregation’s leadership board. Usually, there is an outgoing class of three or four making up one-third of the total Vestry. And of course, after the election or selection process in a parish, there is an incoming class of three or four.
That is […]
Ministry life can be overwhelming at any time, but with a pandemic, the pressure is even greater. I’ve been working with pastors as a canon for the past eight years, but this past year has been the most stressful for pastors I’ve ever seen.
When I experienced burnout ten years ago, I had many supporters who helped me find […]
Even if your shopping is complete and the gifts are wrapped, the pastor knows that there is one more thing to do before Christmas morning. Hold Christmas Eve Services.
Whether you are preaching, celebrating the Eucharist, leading the prayers, singing the carols, handing out bulletins, or greeting people at the door, it is a big moment in the annual life cycle […]
Christmas Eve is rough on preachers; at least for this one.
The atmosphere for a truly great sermon is all there: scenery, families, music, lighting, Scripture, attendance, joy, and a holy hope in every heart and on every face. But my Christmas Eve sermons (33 and counting) are never equal to this setting. They always seem weak […]
The following is an interview with Anglican Compass author Duane Miller about his new book, I Will Give Them an Everlasting Name: Pastoral Care for Christ’s Converts from Islam.
Anglican churches, schools, […]
End the Year Strong is a new resource from the Evergreen Project! You can download it for free on The Evergreen Project website. Getting ready for 2021 is vital for wrapping up 2020. Start looking ahead now. Spend some time praying and dreaming! In May of 2020, Tim Keller did a webinar with Francis Collins through […]
The Evergreen Project began precisely to help churches grow for the kind of difficult days we have faced together in 2020. It is the hope of Archbishop Foley Beach and founders of this movement to help churches become “evergreen,” that is, green at all times. You have probably learned a lot about your congregation […]
“Sermons aren’t commentaries, sermons are events” (14).
This statement from J. Brandon Meeks encapsulates the message of his new book, The Foolishness of God: Reclaiming Preaching in the Anglican Tradition (affiliate link). This collection of essays possesses rich reflection on preaching from a brilliant man. To me, The Foolishness of God is a […]
The Evergreen Project is an initiative of the Anglican Church in North America to help pastors and congregations grow in generosity and stewardship ministry. The main work of the Evergreen Project is collecting, creating, and curating the best resources for a thriving church.
When most of us think of “youth ministry,” there are usually several classic images that come to mind: goofy games, contemporary worship music with lots of energy, young youth ministers with cool clothes, and big summer church camps. While these things can be good (and I’m sure a lot of us have plenty of nostalgic youth group memories […]
One summer during college I thought it would be fun to sew a dress for myself. I only succeeded because my grandmother intervened to rescue the project. Her generation still had a muscle memory for homegrown and homemade goods. I grew up shopping for what I needed. Our consumer economy trains us to buy, not to make.
Kids aren’t stupid. Today’s teenagers face more pressure to learn well and succeed academically than ever before. AP and IB programs around the country treat high school students like college students in the amount and difficulty level of the work assigned to them.
Outside of the classroom, students are exposed to a host of heavy and difficult concepts in the news, […]
We are living in some of the most challenging times the church has faced in recent decades. If truth be told, many leaders find themselves at a loss in times of crisis. One thing is for sure; we live in a different world than we did a few months ago, and things probably will never go back to the way […]
What does quality pastoral care look like? How many pastors, priests, and deacons receive training that adequately equips them to aid healing rather than add new wounds to the emotional and spiritual lives of people in their care?
As a priest’s wife and an observer by nature, I could offer a little perspective. But as someone who has experienced dire need […]
If your church is just riding out the pandemic, hoping that you can get back to normal, you are missing the opportunity of the century to reimagine the ministry of your congregation for the century ahead.
The main activity of every congregation has been upended. Sunday worship, which has been the core of church life for 2000 in most places, is […]
We live in a strange world where things like pandemics and protests seem to be the new norm. Since March 2020, the world has radically changed and will continue to change in the coming days ahead. Andy Crouch, Kurt Keilhacker, and Dave Blanchard describe the effects of COVID-19 as an economic and cultural blizzard, winter, and the beginning of […]
Early on in the midst of this global pandemic, Ed Stetzer told us to think about the next few months like an accordion. He predicted multiple phases of expanding and contracting in terms of our ability to gather in-person. We are beginning to see this accordion effect. The U. S. News & World Report ran an article Monday morning […]
In the shadows cast by the early English reformers (such as Cramner and Hooker) on the one side, and the giants of Anglican theology since the 18th century on the other, sits the rich trove of Anglican theologians and devotional writers known collectively as the Caroline Divines.
“Caroline” (derived from the Latin version of the name “Charles”) is the term given […]
It’s been an exhausting week. You spent much of it at the hospital, praying for a dying Christian, giving comfort to a grieving family. You missed time with your own family to be a pastor to the parish. You sat with a beloved parishioner’s children as they argued over how they wanted the funeral and burial to go. […]
Leading a church through the changes required for missional living is seriously complex work.
Many people, understandably, are fearful of the disruption taking place in our culture. With political and racial tensions reaching new heights in our communities, neighbors now see one another as enemies. Having any sort of conversation, let alone a faith conversation, puts people on edge.
But because missional […]
The last few months have been incredibly disruptive. We have all been navigating a global pandemic. Now, we are navigating phases of COVID-19 recovery (and possible resurgences) alongside renewed conversations about race and justice amidst social unrest.
As we move into the Summer, many congregations are regaining some sort of rhythm as they begin regathering. We have also noticed a “Summer […]
