It is upon us. Both the COVID-19 coronavirus and the fear of it have descended upon the world—and soon upon our nation. The unprecedented decisions to limit travel into the United States will send shock waves all over the globe. At the time of this writing, tens of thousands of people are symptomatic and several thousand have died. It is [...]
Approximately one in four girls and one in six boys suffer abuse in their lifetimes. This means that, as we look out into our congregations, it is likely many have experienced this brokenness—and may even be currently experiencing it as we minister. If you have a congregation of 100, then approximately 25 women and 17 men have experienced it. And [...]
Learning to Love Lent The very first time I gave anything up for Lent, I did it with a desperate heart: not sure what I needed, not sure what I wanted, and not sure what the whole thing was about anyway. I was raising and homeschooling three growing children, teaching literature at my homeschool co-op, running 30+ miles a week, [...]
Serving in Christian ministry in America requires a knowledge of the racial history and current reality of our context. We need to understand how people are affected by our racial history and present struggles, especially through the African American experience. I’ve found the following books to be helpful to me for understanding perspectives on race and society. There are many [...]
We first enter through the bright red doors of an Anglican church, a preteen and two teenagers in tow. Questions permeate my thoughts, how will our children endure this shift, especially at this stage of their spiritual development? Is this even the right choice for our family? We have all grown up within the church; however, never exposed to liturgical [...]
I suspect we can all readily articulate what it means to worship like an Anglican, to pray like an Anglican, and to read the Bible like an Anglican. But how much have we thought about what it might look like to teach like an Anglican? Conversations about the teaching ministry of the church tend to focus on the content of [...]
There’s a movement happening—a movement of followers of Jesus rediscovering ancient forms of worship in a way that ignites fresh love and zeal for Jesus and His Church. Robert Webber described this movement more than thirty years ago in his book Evangelicals on the Canterbury Trail. In the thirty years since Webber released his book, more and more Christians have [...]
How do we know if our experiences of God are real or not? If we thought that we, or our congregations, were experiencing revival, or renewal, how would we discern if it was really from the Holy Spirit? What would be happening? What wouldn’t be happening? If we pray for God’s work in our own hearts, and in the lives [...]
I met Herb at breakfast in 1992. He and I were newly elected members of a national board and met for the first time the day before. At breakfast the next morning, I walked right by Herb carrying my plate filled with bacon, eggs, and my morning coffee. “David, join me!” Herb called out to me as I walked by [...]
In the face of senseless suffering, it’s easy to doubt that God exists. Family is a sacrament that could make all the difference. But what happens when someone lacks the sacrament of family? Whether in the form of a miscarriage, suicide, divorce, terminal illness, sexual abuse, job loss, or the slow revelation of the everyday brokenness that cohabitates each of [...]
I have been having fun writing about some gift ideas for Rectors and their Spouses. I served as a Rector for over 30 years and spend a lot of time now with Rectors and their families. I know that many laypeople want to get the Rector and their Spouse a gift for Christmas to show their love and appreciation. I [...]
Earlier, I wrote a post about What Your Rector Wants For Christmas. I love Rectors and have the good fortune to spend time with, teach, coach, and encourage lots of Rectors around the Anglican Church in North America. But I don’t just love Rectors. I also love their families! The role of a Rector is unique. So is the role [...]
Dear Readers, At the end of this amazing year, I want to thank our Managing Editor, the Rev. Joshua Steele, for a terrific ministry overseeing the day-to-day work of Anglican Pastor. He has helped our blog "step up" to the tremendous opportunity that we have to speak words of clarity and charity about the Gospel faith and The Great Tradition. [...]
I have a unique position in the church today. I used to be a Rector of a large church in North Dallas. (Christ Church in Plano, TX). But I am no longer a Rector. Instead, I have the good fortune to hang out, teach, coach, and encourage a lot of Rectors. For example, I spent three hours in the last [...]
The following is Tai French's review of A Thrill of Hope: Celebrating Advent at Home by Ashley Wallace. If you, like Tai, enjoy A Thrill of Hope, would you please leave a 5-star review on Amazon? It's the best, easiest way to get the word out about Anglican Pastor's very first book! A brief and delightful read, A Thrill of [...]
“We could call ‘halfway believers’ Only halfway read Ephesians Only if they knew what I knew I was never new till I knew of True and living God, Yeshua The true and living God Somebody pray for me.” Since last week, I’ve been listening to Kanye West’s new album Jesus is King and not just enjoying it, but finding myself [...]
For the past ten years, I’ve been making homemade Communion bread from the same handwritten recipe on a molasses-stained scrap of yellow legal pad. This recipe is now shared among a team of volunteer bread bakers in my small church plant, who follow it each week to bring homemade loaves to our Communion table. While I’ve got absolutely nothing against [...]
Recently, I presented a webinar on general trends in attendance and generosity across the United States and Canada for clergy and vestry / lay leadership. The webinar was part of the ongoing training related to the The Evergreen Project and our Fall Program – The Joy of Giving Up. Rooted in a vision of flourishing from Psalm 1 and Jeremiah [...]
Slightly edited from a sermon I recently preached at Church of the Savior in Wheaton, IL. There are just some passages of the Bible that you can’t get away from. Sometimes it’s because a passage is particularly inspiring, encouraging, or comforting. Think Psalm 23. Other times, it’s because the passage really bugs you. And I’ll confess that our Gospel lesson, [...]
Editor's Note: The following letter was written by Fr. Shawn McCain to his congregation, Resurrection Anglican Church in Austin, TX. It originally appeared on the church's website. With Shawn's permission, we're sharing it with you as we pray together for justice and peace. Rez family, We are all still reeling from mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton. If you’re like [...]
If someone had told me ten years ago that today I would be an Anglican priest, I would not have responded with joy or even disappointment; I simply would have been confused. Raised in a squarely evangelical culture, I grew up without conscious knowledge of liturgical denominations—and probably a degree of suspicion toward them. I still remember the first time [...]
My Anglican adventure began when I left home to go to a foreign country called Durham, North Carolina. Foreign to me, because I am from East Los Angeles. I grew up surrounded by the stories of a loving family and an eclectic neighborhood's influences of the '60s. In the words of the spiritual, “My soul looks back and wonders; how [...]
As we get ready for the Anglican Church in North America’s Provincial Assembly in Plano, TX, we are very grateful—not only that we three have met the Lord Jesus Christ, but also that we have found the Anglican tradition, a tradition that provides a vehicle to follow Him and express our love for Him in time-honored ways. Today we want [...]
Greetings from Atlanta, Georgia! Greg Goebel, David Roseberry, and I (Joshua Steele) are excited to be here for the Telos Collective’s 2019 Intersection Conference. The topic this year? “For the Sake of the World: An Anglican Missional Ecclesiology.” I’m looking forward to hearing from the following speakers over the next few days: - Bishop Todd Hunter – Opening Session - [...]
