Little ducks and geese know how to follow mom, and she knows how to lead them to food and safety. They have a system, and it works for them. Christians too find ways to lead and follow, whether they organize themselves into a church or a para-church, a small group or a monastery. The leadership […]
Community Life as Poetry
I write poetry from time to time. I don’t often share the results in public, but it is good for my soul. When I do write poetry I always find myself picking a form and sticking to it. I’m not up to writing a sonnet, but having the constraints of rhyme and meter actually help. […]
Where’s Your Community Going?
I was guest preacher at a little country church. There are thousands like it. They looked to be teetering on the brink of the abyss, hardly able to muster the leadership and funding to survive. My wife was chatting with one of the members — someone with a lot of complaints about their denomination’s influence […]
Exploring Models Of Christian Community
When Benedict of Nursia (c. 480-c. 550) set out to form a new Christian community — a monastery — he did it all wrong. If he’d been a member of my denomination we would have set him straight. He should, of course, have started with a “mission study.” We want our communities — typically local […]