The pastor’s wife leads the worship ministry at their small congregation. Or…the pastor’s son-in-law becomes the youth minister. It’s only natural that family members serve together at a local congregation, isn’t it? Even some of Jesus’ first disciples were brothers. The prayer and ideal is of families sharing an active, engaged faith. Wouldn’t the logical…

An old friend who has been the pastor of a rural Lutheran congregation for more than two decades sent me the message below in response to the question I posed earlier this week about what ministry to older adults might look like. His response offers us a very important perspective on what multi-generational pastoral care looks like.…

Since I started writing and speaking about midlifers’ changing relationship with the local church, various friends have pointed me toward a few churches who are making some sort of attempt to minister to their older congregants. As I learned when I offered my survey on the subject earlier this summer, many congregations don’t know what to…

“I wish I were Jewish. I just love the Jewish people!” When some Christians learn I am a Jewish believer, they begin to gush their love of of all things Jewish to me. Some have stories of beloved Jewish doctors or accountants. Others share their deep political allegiance to modern Israel. Still others believe that they may…

We live as exiles. We’re called to be pilgrims. I am journeying through Scripture, stopping at a few oases along the way, in order to contemplate our exile experience. I’ll also offer some helpful thoughts about how Christ can reshape that identity and reorient our journey so we live as pilgrims. To read earlier posts…

Yesterday, I heard one of the bravest confessions I’ve ever heard in public. The church we attend has a space in the service for people to share their own written prayers of lament or celebration. Most are heartfelt, and a couple have been quite remarkable. Last summer, an expression of pain from a mom whose…