Small Church, Big God

Jul. 07, 2022

A Blog Pause for Book Work

Great news! Market Square Books will be publishing my work on small congregation advantages. It should be out in Spring 2023.

Jun. 23, 2022

But We Used To Be A Big Church…

Small congregations come in lots of flavors. The differences matter—even when the size is the same. See 2 reorienting questions for but-we-used-to-be-big congregations.

Jun. 06, 2022

Participation Lessons for the Pentecost Season

Pentecost was not a spectator sport. It was not made for an audience. Observers saw drunks. But participants experienced something else–the good news of the High Holy in the Right Here.

May. 23, 2022

A Superpower Story of Small-Setting Nimble

…So that’s what they did. After the last bowls and boxes go out each week, the small group transforms that car-selling-haircutting-video-watching-tattooing-now-food-pantry space into worship space. Not a hard task, really. It is already holy ground. They are already a tent people. Next week’s boxes are moved against the walls. A work table is draped with a beautiful cloth and a cross. The room trembles with incarnational wonder. And doesn’t need a single pane of stained glass…

May. 12, 2022

In Lament of Praise Bands

We gave up worshiping in Latin 500 years ago. It didn’t fit our incarnational theology. At Pentecost a messy diversity of languages showed up. And the Spirit sent us to all the people. So we changed our worship to the vernacular—everyday words spoken by ordinary people in each particular place. Everyday. Ordinary. Particular.

The mission of the Church belongs in the vernacular. The best gifts of Right-Here. From every Even-Us group of folks. Context.