Not long ago, some friends and I watched as our denomination laid the mantle of ordination on thirty-three would-be pastors. We arrived at the service half an hour early, yet… read more

June 2008 There is a woman in a gray sweatsuit screaming “At the Foot of the Cross” into a microphone she does not need. The pianist, whose hair resembles something… read more

As a kid I was pretty normal. I played sports with my friends, enjoying all of the exciting kids’ stuff young people do. As I stumbled through adolescence and into my… read more

The numbers are simply against a good portion of our small North American congregations. North American Protestantism has always been a small-church experience. While most of the… read more

The other day my secretary came in with the mail. In the stack was a hand addressed envelope with my name on it and in the return corner it showed that it was sent by a former… read more

Yesterday, one of the really solid pastors that I am fortunate enough to work with called me. The conversation went something like this, “Clif, we just got updated numbers… read more