Finding God Together

April 8, 2020

As I think about walking through Holy Week at home this year, I find a desire to do more than go through the outward rituals. I want to create space to be present with my kids the way Jesus was present with people. I want to invite them into the Love that came to us, delighted in us, ate dinner with us, went fishing with us, and in all ways invited us to see and cease our anxious frenzy, and instead notice the Kingdom, God’s love, already in our midst. As simply as I can, I want to find a way to attend with them to their emotions and notice the profound love and beauty in their lives. … More Finding God Together

Focus: One Conversation, Many Ways To Join In

October 2, 2019

Rather than pursuing more formation-as-entertainment, invite your community into one conversation with multiple access points. Friends, The other evening, with a matter of Actual Interpersonal Significance on my mind, I found myself doing just about anything to avoid addressing it. The weather. The news. Every other app on my phone (already relatively free of social … More Focus: One Conversation, Many Ways To Join In

Walking the Way of Love

October 2, 2019

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 Beloved Community?

September 18, 2019

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?

Why Practice?

September 17, 2019

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?

In for the Long Haul

September 4, 2019

Last week when I met a friend for coffee, she showed up wearing a t-shirt she had gotten at an Ani DiFranco concert. It said, “The world owes me nothing. We owe each other the world.” This is true for us who follow the way of Jesus, my friends. It’s language from one of our … More In for the Long Haul

Preaching as Team Ministry

August 30, 2019

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

Regular tune-ups prevent breakdowns.

July 5, 2019

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!