...the posture of principled disengagement runs contrary to the spirit and practice of the early English Reformation. As a scholar of early modern Christianity, I point this out as a matter of historical accuracy.
The stakes of requiring “principled disengagement” are larger that the Porter-Gaud affair. They raise a question of what kind of church the ACNA aspires to be.
Does seperation and disengagement work? In the 16th century the English Church broke with the Church of Rome, underwent a series of reforms, and adopted an identity and a direction more closely aligned with the teaching of the Bible. In the 19th century the Church of England and her daughter churches experienced a Catholic Revival which not only revived doctrine and practices of the medieval Catholic Church but also introduced those of the 19th century Roman Catholic Church and obscured these churches' Protestant identity. In the 19th century the Free Church of England broke with the Church of England and the Reformed Episcopal Church with the then Protestant Episcopal Church due to the growing influence and spread of the Catholic Revival movement. By the 21st century both churches have experienced their own Catholic Revivals and would be unrecognizable to their Evangelical founders!Beyond replication: The essential contextuality of Fresh Expressions
We are at an exciting time for the church and specifically the UMC as new and exciting ministries are popping up all over! The "Fresh Expressions" movement has ignited a spark of creativity and innovation within the church, prompting communities to explore new ways of being the body of Christ. It seems like the only limit to where God is leading ministry is that of our imaginations. However, as churches are popping up in burrito restaurants, tattoo parlors, and dinners, the crucial element of profound contextuality of these expressions is often overlooked. What thrives in one neighborhood and one context may (and often likely will) wither in another, underscoring the necessity of deep discernment over mere replication.
In this article Kellen Roggenbuck provides us with a much needed reminder of the importance of contextualization when planting a new church. I keep running across articles which champion an "Anglican" way of planting new churches, what is essentially a cookie cutter approach to church planting and give little or no consideration to conditions on the ground, to the conditions in a particular mission field. I have been involved in church planting and pioneering since the 1980s and one lesson I have learned is what may work in one neighbourhood, community or district may not work in another!Mothers’ Union celebrate one worldwide family in Christ on 150th anniversary
Mothers’ Union has concluded a four-day event in Durban, South Africa, to mark its 150th anniversary (30 September – 3 October). Themed‘Celebrating Worldwide Fellowship: One Worldwide Family in Christ’, it gathered delegates from across the world to honour the legacy of its service to women, family and community life and look forward to the next chapter.
St Mary-the-Virgin Anglican Church in Bermuda celebrates 400 years of faith and service
In recent weeks, St Mary-the-Virgin Anglican Church in Warwick, Bermuda, has been marking its 400th (quadricentennial) anniversary with special services and commemorative events. These celebrations culminated on 4 October with a rededication service, which gathered distinguished guests, clergy and parishioners.
Scottish cathedral to charge non-Scottish visitors £12 entrance fee for first time
St Giles’ Cathedral in Scotland has said that visitors from outside of Scotland will be charged an entry fee of £12.
The cathedral, located in Edinburgh’s famous Royal Mile, was established in 1124 and, in all that time, has never charged for admission.
Under the plans, Scottish residents will be able to book entry online for free if they can provide proof of residency. Visitors living in other parts of the United Kingdom or from overseas, will be required to pay the fee.
For the first time, a Catholic archbishop sues Trump over access to immigrant detainees
The lawsuit accused the Department of Homeland Security and ICE of instituting policies that violate 'core constitutional values.'
How I Changed My Mind on the Death Penalty
In recent years, I have become increasingly suspicious of the idea that capital punishment is reflective of the type of justice Jesus would have us pursue. I base this suspicion in practical concerns regarding the implementation of capital punishment in the United States, the trajectory within Scripture on the issue of violence, as well as the testimony of the early church.
Let’s start with my practical concerns.
“Sustainable Ministry: Leading Without Burning Out” featuring Margaret Marcuson
What does sustainable leadership look like when ministry leaders are navigating constant demands, anxiety, and competing expectations? In this episode, Jonathan Page is joined by Margaret Marcuson, the author of Sustainable Ministry: How to Lead (and When to Nap). Together, they explore how clergy can lead with greater clarity, manage relationships and anxiety, establish healthy boundaries, and create space for rest and renewal.
Also See: Ministry Would Be Great If It Weren’t for the PeoplePastors Are Preaching Longer, and Most Churchgoers Are Fine With It
Ask ten pastors how long a sermon should run and you will hear ten different answers, plus at least one story about the Sunday the roast burned. New research finally puts real numbers behind the debate, and the results upend a popular assumption.
In a culture trained on 60-second videos, more Protestant pastors are preaching longer than they did a few years ago. And the people in the pews are mostly happy about it.
Below is what the data shows about typical sermon length, why pastors and listeners rarely agree on the clock, and how to land on the right length for your own congregation.
The Ineffectiveness of AI Preaching
There is a time for AI and a time not to use AI. As with so many things, the promise of good has a shadow side. Preachers will be drawn to AI as Gollum is drawn to the Ring. AI offers something very powerful, but with the risk of preachers becoming correspondingly unfaithful. It is a slippery slope from Claude helping you prepare your sermon, to Claude writing it for you.
Pastor beware! Guard your heart, guard your flock; take responsibility, keep it real. Put in the hours, labour with love. Close your computer, get on your knees and ask God to help you, to speak to you, to shape and reform you. Open your Bible, open your mind, and open your heart.
Sam Altman warns against AI gaining religious authority after Grok affirms Jesus is Son of God
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman shared his strong discomfort with efforts to attribute religious or moral authority to artificial intelligence (AI) systems just days after a competitor AI affirmed the divinity of Jesus of Nazareth in a viral exchange on X.
In a now-deleted Oct. 1 post on X, Grok, part of the family of generative AI chatbots and large language models developed by Elon Musk’s xAI/SpaceXAI, was asked to remove the false gods from an image that showed Jesus amid a pantheon of deities and other religious figures. In response, Grok created and posted an image of Jesus by Himself with His hand raised, replying "Done," which prompted both celebration and outrage from many on the social media platform.
Small Groups are a Leadership Development Factory
If you need more leaders and even people just to help in your church, you are in good company these days. With low attendance numbers dragging on into the third year since COVID began, the leadership deficit in most churches is bigger than it’s ever been. Small groups are a great catalyst for growing leaders.
Recapturing an Evangelistic Mindset in Your Groups
If we’re to recapture an evangelistic mindset in our Bible study groups, we must intentionally position evangelism as essential in groups.
Christians Going to College Have to Be Intellectually Prepared
When it came to moral issues (substance abuse, sex, and the party scene) and practical issues (how to get along with my roommate, manage my budget, and stay focused on my studies), I had received plenty of good input. And to be sure, these are important things for any college student to address. Many believers have shipwrecked their faith over such matters.
The problem stemmed not from what I was taught but from what I wasn’t taught. I wasn’t prepared in the one area that would matter most in a university environment. I wasn’t prepared intellectually. And I would soon learn (the hard way) that intellectual preparation was what I needed more than anything.
What I encountered was not challenges to my beliefs and values from professors and other students but a lack of support and encouragement from the denomination with which my home church was affiliated. The Episcopal Student Center was closed, its doors locked, except for a weekly Canterbury Club meeting--a service of Holy Communion, followed by a meal of fried chicken and salad. Unlike Baptist, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic students, Episcopal students were left to navigate their way through university on their own. I would drift away from the Episcopal Church during university and not return until my late 30s.Parenting Like Aslan
C.S. Lewis’ portrayal of Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia is one of the most powerful and beloved images of divine love in all of literature. His sacrifice for Edmund on the stone table, his deliverance of the heroes again and again in times of distress, and his quiet but unmistakable power resonate deeply with us. But lately I’ve been taken with another aspect of Aslan: the fact that the characters he interacts most with are children.
This is not accidental: indeed he seems to want it this way. After all there is an age limit for Narnia, a place beyond which he no longer wishes to interact with you as Aslan, preferring to come in more human form. Of course as the Son of God, he relates to us at all ages of our existence and is the author and perfector of each of them. But as Aslan he is especially concerned with our childhood and with that part within us that is still a child.
Winnie-the-Pooh centenary marked with new Christian reflection resources for schools
Church schools are being invited to explore Christian values through the much-loved stories of Winnie-the-Pooh as part of new resources produced to mark the character’s 100th anniversary.
The Dioceses of Winchester and Portsmouth have created a set of nine classroom reflection cards drawing together passages from Alan Alexander Milne’s ‘Winnie-the-Pooh’ stories with Bible verses, prayers and questions designed to encourage children to consider how Christian values can shape everyday life.
The resources coincide with the centenary of ‘Winnie-the-Pooh,’ first published in 1926, and focus on nine themes: friendship, kindness and compassion, gratitude, grace, courage and trust, patience, joy, hope and forgiveness.
Christian Bucket List: 50 Things to Do Before Heaven
A bucket list asks one blunt question: what do you want to have done before you die? Most lists answer with places and thrills. This one answers with people, Scripture, and the choices you will be glad you made when you finally see Jesus face to face.
Moses asked God to teach us to count our days so we could grow wise (Psalm 90:12). Every item below grows out of that prayer. Some take an afternoon. Some take years. A few will cost you your pride.
Nothing here is ranked, and your list will look different from mine. Pick five to start. And read all the way to number 31. It costs nothing, and it is the one most believers keep putting off.
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