Hi there, Rev. Jeremiah, here again, to offer some analysis and insight using some recent headlines, polling data, and some thoughts on what this means. I could have started this post with a less tantalizing headline, something like “Is the church suffering from political polarization?”, but, I think it really is time to consider what…
This week’s post is written by the Rev. Dr. Patrick G. Duggan, Executive Director of the United Church of Christ Church Building & Loan Fund. Since 1995, Rev. Dr. Duggan has also served as senior pastor of the Congregational Church of South Hempstead in South Hempstead, New York. After presenting to a group of about…
When our team evolved and became the Center for Analytics, Research and Data (CARD – previously known as Research Services) six years ago, we gathered in a retreat center for team building and began to form our mission, vision, and purpose statement. One of the BIGs (bold, inspirational goals) that came from our meeting was…
This blog is all about statistics, right? So how do we measure the vitality of our congregations and the impact of our mission? We are used to some measures. Most of us count our worship attendance. I’m sure we all count the money that people give us. Yet, are people in the pews on Sunday…
We as the United Church of Christ recently took a look at our mission statement, purpose statement, and vision. The results gave us, among other things, a vision that is short and to the point: United in Christ’s love, a just world for all. This bold proclamation requires us to be accountable for acting faithfully in a…
This week’s post is written by the Rev. Dr. Patrick G. Duggan, Executive Director of the United Church of Christ Church Building & Loan Fund. Since 1995, Rev. Dr. Duggan has also served as senior pastor of the Congregational Church of South Hempstead in South Hempstead, New York. In January 2017, the United Church…
Recently, some United Church of Christ (UCC) friends asked me what the difference is between Progressive and Evangelical churches and beliefs. With more passion than wisdom, I bit off on their bait. I said that Evangelical congregations can be Southern Baptist, Reformed, Wesleyan, and Lutheran (Missouri Synod). They can belong to charismatic or Pentecostal fellowships like the Assemblies…
