Ministry Matters - Ecumenical worship: an introduction | What preachers can learn from poets

Why is ecumenical worship important to a vibrant faith? Ecumenical worship: an introduction by Jean Hawxhurst & David Field   Today we will find variations within the same denomination or even the same congregation. This diversity is not wrong, because the gatherings are each grounded in their contexts.  Because Christians gather in distinct places, as part of distinct cultures, and are shaped by distinct traditions, there will always be diversity and differences. However, while the content, forms, means, and arrangements are diverse, we regularly find the common elements described in Acts. Read here

Who might help us hone our craft? What preachers can learn from poets by Peter Junker   Throughout that first pandemic-year, if clergy took the “Time Use Survey,” I suspect the results would have been staggering. Were we happy? No. Did what we were doing have meaning? Hard to tell—we couldn’t see the congregation. And stressful? Absolutely! Is it much better as we enter our third year? Are professions B, C, and D continuing to look better? Read here

What happens when we see him as he really is? Learning to love by Jake Owensby   They say that the legendary Delta Blues guitarist Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads in exchange for his extraordinary ability. They say it. But his contemporaries insist that Johnson himself never told that story. Bluesman Johnny Sines, for instance, said that he would have called him a liar if he had. Read here

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