For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. —1 Thessalonians 2:8-10 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and…
Let All Mobile Phones Keep Silence
The Prayer Book has seen many revisions: in America alone, there are the 1789, 1892, 1928, 1979, and now 2019 editions. Some have suggested that the next step should be to phase out printed copies of the Prayer Book altogether and replace them with an all-digital format that worshippers can access on their smartphones. I…
Why Should an Anglican Church Have a Healing Ministry?
I suffered from chronic back pain for years and most of the prayer ministers at my church knew it. During that season I was a regular recipient of prayer during Communion on Sunday mornings. One Sunday morning I walked into church particularly discouraged, almost unable to find the words to even ask– again– for healing….
Approaching 2021 as an Anglican Church Leader: Will Things Ever Be Normal Again?
When will we be back to some kind of normal? 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…
The Church is Not Closed
Churches all over the world are not holding public gatherings, and are moving their ministries to online or one-on-one ministry. They do this as an act of love, not out of fear. But we are not closed; we are more active than ever. Fear is understandable, and we should take this virus seriously. But we…
Readings for Pastors on Race in America
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…
Ministry at Work: Meet Greg McBrayer, the Anglican Priest at the Heart of American Airlines
Perhaps our vision for “bi-vocational ministry” is far too small. That’s what Fr. Greg McBrayer has me thinking. An Anglican priest and Chief Flight Dispatcher, he shows up to work at the world’s largest airline in a clerical collar. Our own David Roseberry took the opportunity to interview Greg McBrayer on-site at the American Airlines…
What Are We Missing? Ministry and Moral Failure
I know of a very talented ordained priest and colleague of mine who left his ministry; he was removed from the ordained ministry altogether. His bishop removed him. There was something he did to which he confessed, and he is no longer a priest. I do not know the details. I don’t need to know….
A Tale of Two Weddings: How Far Should We Stretch the Liturgy?
Ah, Spain. A beautiful country where, every now and then, non-Catholics who are Christians get married. Or a Roman Catholic gets married to a non-Catholic, which often means no Catholic wedding. And sometimes these folks come to us Anglicans. Just how much can the Anglican liturgy be modified? In this article, I want to share…
Talking Honestly about Anglicans and Alcohol
One of the earliest guides for pastors, the Book of Titus, tells a church leader to address drinking problems in the church, to instruct people “not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine” (Titus 2:3). The need hasn’t changed much. The National Institutes of Health estimate that 17.6 million people—about one in every 12…
