I listened to a lecture for class yesterday by Dr. Walter Sundberg that included some great quotes that give a hint of Luther’s ecclesiology. The radicalness of his vision for the church, especially considering the authoritarian hierarchy of the day, is remarkable. Does the ELCA want some suggestions for a way forward, a way of […]
The Church and the Rich Young Ruler
I’m going to be preaching later this fall, and the gospel text for that Sunday includes Mark 10:17-23. In an initial reading of the passage, I couldn’t help but wonder if today we need to be reading the passage something like this: As Jesus started on his way, a pastor ran up to him and […]
2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly: Thoughts from One in the Minority
“With the vote today, there was no ontological change in the church catholic or the ELCA” I am going to reveal my voting record pertaining to the resolutions regarding sexuality at this year’s ELCA Churchwide Assembly in order to hopefully offer some helpful perspective. I expect that my friends on both sides of the issue […]
Transforming Churches into Mission Centers: Rethinking Ordination
I’m at the ELCA Churchwide Assembly as a voting member, and there has been some very encouraging discussion on the requirement for the church to become a missional church. Those of us in emergent/missional conversations know this to already be true, but making this a strong emphasis across a mainline national church body is a […]
Adventures in Ecclesiology: ELCA Churchwide Assembly
Some of you may or may not know this, but I am a voting member in next week’s ELCA Churchwide Assembly. Because of that, I received about 500 pages worth of the Pre-Assembly Report in the mail a few weeks ago. It’s filled with reports from churchwide officers and offices, recommendations for action, information about […]
Why We’re Not Going to the ELCA Youth Gathering
Disclaimer: Read this First! November 11, 2007, I wrote the original version of the post below as part of a larger series on a new way to do youth ministry. I have copied and pasted it with a few slight edits to make it applicable to this year’s ELCA Youth Gathering. So, please understand that […]
ELCA Names
I’ve noticed since joining an ELCA church three years ago that the groups in the ELCA do not seem compelled like other Christian groups to come up with cool names for their organizations. You know, some might call their older groups something catchy like “Prime Time.” In the ELCA, it seems like we use only […]
The ELCA’s Brand Campaign
Last week the ELCA announced the launch of a brand campaign, which immediately caught my attention. You can view all of the ads that the ELCA will be running in various television, print, outdoor, and online advertisements by clicking here. I must say that as far as church advertisements go, these are actually pretty good. […]
Why are Politics and Theology Directly Related?
I find it interesting as I read blogs of people of certain theological persuasions during election season because you tend to learn their political leanings as well. In reading through the various blogs this year I’ve noticed that most people on the more liberal end of the theological spectrum are liberal politically, and conservatives are […]