Church Ministry

On the Significance of Scripture Study

• DeVega, Magrey, “Why Pastors Should Lead Bible Studies” (Ministry Matters)
• Jones, Kirk Byron, “Wondering, Imagining, and Listening: The Hidden Bounty of Daily Bible Reading” (Ministry Matters) ~ on the lost art of reading scripture

On Church Leadership Challenges

• Austin-Young, Kira, “If Your preacher Doesn’t Preach About [Insert Item], You Should Walk Out” (Ministry Matters) ~ should current events truly hijack your sermon?
• Austin-Young, Kira, “Where Should Christians Marry?” (Ministry Matters)
• Ball, Courtney, “This Program will Save Your Church” (Ministry Matters) ~ on the seductive quest for the “silver bullet” ministry program
• Condon, Sarah, “When People Tell Me It’s Hard to Find a Church” (Mockingbird)
• Florer-Bixler, Melissa, “Resisting Busyness in the Time of Covid-19” (Faith & Leadership)
• Outcalt, Todd, “Three ‘Is’ of Stewardship” (Ministry Matters) ~ on Inviting People to Generosity and Giving in Today’s Society
• Sancken, Joni S., “Preaching Amidst Global Trauma” (Ministry Matters)
• Schramm, Tania. “Radical Hospitality in Digital Spaces: The Ministry of Extending Welcome” (LearningforTE)
• Stanton, Allen T., “Are Aging Churches a Bad Thing?” (Ministry Matters)
• Stanton, Allen T., “What Small Churches Can Teach Us About Discipleship” (Ministry Matters)
• Thomas, Frank A. “(the difference between) A Dangerous Sermon and ‘Getting Stuff Off Your Chest'” (Ministry Matters)
• Zscheile, Dwight, “Will the ELCA be Gone in 30 Years?” (Faith Life) ~ on the pressing importance of nurturing basic discipleship and community engagement amid widespread cultural and ecclesial changes

On Gender Matters and Ministry

• Austin-Young, Kira, “Not Going Home: Beth Moore and Female Preachers” (Ministry Matters)
• Knoll, Benjamin, and Cammi Jo Bolin, “Ten Things to Know about Women’s Ordination in the United States” (Oxford University Press Blog) ~ by the authors of She Preached the Word: Women’s Ordination in Modern America (2018)
• Johnson, Jill M., “Christians and Gender Neutral Pronouns” (Ministry Matters) ~ a basic and helpful introduction to why clarifying gender pronouns matters.
• North Carolina Synod of the ELCA, “Seriously: Actual Things Said to Female Pastors in the North Carolina Synod,” (2018)
• Riess, Jana, “It’s Good for Girls to Have Clergywomen, Study Shows,” Religion News Service
• Simon-Peter, Rebekah, “Women, Leadership, and the B-Word” (Ministry Matters) ~ on connotations of strong female leadership

On Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

• Molina, Alejandra, “For Some Latinos, Grappling with their Christian Identity Can Be Complicated” (Ministry Matters)

On Worship

• Kuruvilla, Cara, “People Who Attend Worship Services Regularly are Happier than Others, Study Suggests,” (Huffington Post)
• Pierce, Joanne M., “What are the Origins of Lent?” (Ministry Matters)
• Sundays and Seasons ~ a resource for worship planning

On Theological Education

• Yamada, Frank, “Living and Teaching When Change is the New Normal: Trends in Theological Education and the Impact on Teaching and Learning” (Wabash Center, Journal on Teaching)

On Spirituality

• Aroney-Sine, Christine, “Seasonal Spirituality,” on bringing your spirituality into resonance with the season you find yourself (Ministry Matters).
• Gregg Louis Taylor, “Be Where Your Feet Are” on finding God in the here and now (Ministry Matters)

On Caregiving and Pastoral Care

• Carder, Kenneth L. “Meeting Dementia with Pastoral Care” (Ministry Matters)
• Hawthorn, Ainsley, “Priests and Pastors Shoulder a Huge Emotional Burden, But They’re Burning Out… Alone” (CBC)