I spent part of this first weekend of Advent putting up a big, pink Christmas tree that Melissa picked out as a wonderfully playful addition to the mid-century modern look of our still new-to-us home. As a young priest, I embraced the role of the Advent curmudgeon with gusto and resisted Christmas creep with the … More The Invitation of Advent
Beloved in Christ, Since the time of the apostles, the Holy Eucharist has been the principal act of Christian worship, a fact that our tradition recovered in and through the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. It has become deeply ingrained in our spiritual lives and imagination as Episcopalians. I have heard from so many of … More A Theological Reflection on the Eucharist
Dear ones, On this day, when we are surrounded by uncertainty and anxiety, I invite you to remember that no matter what happens today and in the days to follow, three things simply cannot change: Jesus is LordLove winsDeath has died. No candidate who is elected to any office can save us, and, no matter … More Election Day Reflection
At Convention, Bishop Loya shared four priorities for ECMN’s life together in this moment. You can see the vision laid out here – he has invited our people and faith communities to attend to faithful innovation, justice, and vitality by leaning into discipleship. Discipleship, as in daily practices that help us follow Jesus as a whole way of life, as the … More Why Discipleship?
Beloved in Christ, Today is the feast of St. Michael and All Angels. Most of us, I suspect, don’t quite know what to make of angels. In scripture, they are present in many of the most important moments. They are usually terrifying, but they also represent the way human beings can be swept up into … More Swept Up
Bishop Craig Loya addressed ECMN on Saturday, September 26th as part of ECMN’s Online Convention. Bishop Loya is framing 4 priorities that will frame our collective work in the years to come: Discipleship, Innovation, Justice and Vitality. Watch the video below. You can find more information about these priorities, plus the video of this message … More Bishop’s Address
Check out Bishop Loya’s sermon, delivered online to the good people of Sts. Luke and James Episcopal Church in Minneapolis on September 20th, 2020.
The landscape we have been traveling through together these past many months is exceedingly complex. The constant disruption and shifting ground easily wears on us, and most of us are tired. In the midst of this complexity, I have found it helpful to remember that the Christian life is actually remarkably simple. We are called … More Rooted in Jesus
It is now impossible to miss the fact that another major election season has come fully into focus. (And, if you’ve been avoiding it, now is the time to make a voting plan! See below for resources to help you with that.) Like you, I am acutely aware of the fractious nature of this time … More Remember, Proclaim, Pray.
Beloved In Christ, As many of you know, this month I have begun making official visitations to faith communities. I began with those places that have gone the longest since their last Bishop’s visit. During this season, I’m joining congregations for whatever kind of worship they are offering. In a few places, we’ve gathered outdoors for … More On the Road Across ECMN
These courses start as soon as February 3, 2020, so don’t delay! … More We’ve got a gift for you.
Friends, we’re excited to share the resources from the ECMN Convention 2019. With the prayer stations from the Convention Eucharist, video and text from the presentations, and leader/participant guides, we hope these resources will help your faith communities connect the Way of Love with Beloved Community.
What is ours to build is the Beloved Community. It is up to us to create, nurture, and sustain compassionate communities and if you look at the world around us, we are sorely in need of compassionate communities. Dr. King says that this is an “achievable goal” when enough people make up in their minds that the only way forward to compassion and justice. … More What is Beloved Community?
That legacy of emphasizing doctrine and thought at the expense of practice has influenced global Christianity in profound ways.
What I’m hoping to draw for you here is that belief cannot
simply be mental assent to an idea about God. … More Why Practice?
True, inspired, healthy, effective, successful leadership requires a tremendous amount of inner work on the part of the leader. … More Courage and Renewal for Leaders
There were a lot of people in the congregation who were already trained public speakers. Any of these same people were serious Christians who had been reading the Bible, spiritual and theological texts their entire lives. No one had ever asked them if they wanted to be part of a regular preaching ministry. … More Preaching as Team Ministry
Looking for resources to train acolytes, lectors, lay eucharistic ministers, lay eucharistic visitors, and altar guild folks? These short video courses offer worship leader training in short videos you can access when it suits your group. The School for Formation’s partnership with ChurchNext means your faith community can access these resources at no additional cost. … More Worship leaders: This is for you
Get a refresher on some of the hardest work of ministry! ECMN Clergy: We’re offering five free spots in our Pastoral Care: Advanced Skills course, taught by the pros at Leaderwise. Use the code LABCOAT — and register soon before the spots fill up. The course starts August 5!
There’s no time like right now to lean into your faith — exploring the questions that captivate you, honing your skills, so you can put your gifts into action in the world. … More Fall 2019: Take your first course free
We continue our annual tradition of collecting notes at ECMN’s Clergy Conference on media, continuing education, and other soul-feeding resources. … More Take up and read
