Today’s CARD blog is written by the Rev. Elizabeth Dilley, Minister and Team Leader of the Ministerial Excellence, Support and Authorization (MESA) ministry team. Fitness Reviews are conducted when a Committee on Ministry receives a concern about a minister’s conduct that raises questions about the minister’s continued fitness for ministry in and on behalf of…
The last church I served was so rural that the pastor who followed me opened the church door one day to find a groundhog charging down the center aisle of the sanctuary. A church member not much older than I could remember her one-room schoolhouse. These days I serve a church just a few miles…
This week’s post is from Rev. David Schoen. Rev. Schoen’s new guide Facing Your Church’s Uncertain Future: Helpful Practices for Courageous Conversations & Faithful Decisions is now available on UCC Resources. To contact Rev. Schoen, email him at dschoen@ucc.org. Have you ever wondered how many churches there are in the United States? Or, how many churches are closing every year in…
As I write these words, in July 2019, I am dumbstruck that the Rolling Stones are once again rocking American stadiums. The Stones have been together (with a few key substitutions of band members) for 57 years! Even more amazing is Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger’s energy and athleticism, less than three months after having…
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…
“We convert, if we do at all, by being something irresistible, not by demanding something impossible.” — May Sarton, The House by the Sea One of the challenges we in the United Church of Christ face is about how to understand and leverage our unique assets to live into the ministries that God has placed…
In 1972, Gerald Rafferty and Joe Egan of the 1970s folk-rock band, Stealers Wheel, recorded “Stuck in the Middle with You.” The lyrics seem particularly apt in today’s climate of untruthfulness: Trying to make some sense of it all, But I can see that it makes no sense at all, Is it cool to go…
