holiness in the modern world
Two years ago, I had the blessing of being part of an ideal study group to examine the biblical basis of a contentious doctrinal question: Does God intend for men and women to share leadership equally within the church and home? As some brief background, "yes" answers to this question indicate an egalitarian position, though …
I used to believe that every church should be multiethnic, but my first day of seminary teaching in 2011 showed me the limits of that view. One of my students was ministering in a hamlet truly lacking racial and economic diversity. Another served in an urban center where diversity was already the norm, and another …
Continue reading "Should Every Church Be Multiethnic? A Border-Crossing Perspective"
In May, I had the opportunity to lead the faculty and staff of Concordia University Irvine into consideration of how they can make their intercultural efforts as a Hispanic Serving Institution effective, satisfying, and sustainable. I created this video to recap the main content, addressing cultural intelligence theory, grounded theory research, border crossing concern, and …
Continue reading "Why Bother? The Most Important Question about Intercultural Competency"
Over the years, as I have taught about the social and cultural dynamics that limit church diversity, I have often heard thoughtful resistance from people I respect. They care about their Christian responsibilities and love people, but they are not convinced that the demographics of their congregations and communities really matter. Ministry is demanding enough, …
One of my favorite professional responsibilities is teaching about culture, often for people serving in Christian ministry. I'll venture to say that my courses and workshops are creative, transformative, and fun. But lately, in places where I used to stand in carefree confidence, energized by the sunshine of happy students and the breeze of Holy Spirit …
Continue reading "Cultural Bias Gets a Bad Rap–and Why It Shouldn’t"
If your church wants to welcome poor or working class families, have you considered providing nutritious food along with your activities for children and youth? A few years ago, I was listening to the child of an immigrant family recite Bible verses during AWANA on a Wednesday night. She had studied at home. She was …
Continue reading "Accessibility for the Poor: Veggies, Protein, and the Bread of Life"
Ever been priced out of church? We have, and we’re not even poor. My husband and I used to live in the DC suburbs with four teenaged boys. In that affluent region, we both worked in ministry occupations, so although margin was pretty thin in our monthly budget, our income was sufficient for our needs. …
Continue reading "Accessibility for the Poor: Priced Out of Youth Discipleship?"
How well does your church welcome and retain working-class or poor people? If you have tried, you know that it takes more than compassion and good intentions. In this series about accessibility, I’ll offer suggestions related to transportation, student ministries, and food for crossing that socioeconomic border effectively. The topic of this first post is …
Continue reading "Accessibility for the Poor: Getting to Church Is Half the Battle"
We may have different pressure points, but I'm guessing we've all experienced it. People ask us questions that make us feel exposed. Ever been there? I have the classic packaging of albinism--a striking lack of pigment in hair, skin, and eyes--so I've had a lifetime of opportunity to figure out how to respond to the …
Continue reading "3 Tips for Handling Intrusive Questions Graciously"
In this sermon to the congregations of Crosspoint Wesleyan Church in Lynchburg, Virginia, I tell the story of how God transformed the area of greatest impossibility in my life and taught me in a surprising way about his heart for a diverse and divided world. https://youtu.be/LqGmwB8dQxs Start at 33:10
My husband and I used to receive credit that we didn't deserve, especially when it came to generosity, and it bothered us. We both grew up in church. Our families both had ministry commitments spanning generations. We had ample opportunity to learn the Christian-life basics early, including those about generosity. Traipsing along behind our parents …
Continue reading "Lessons in Generosity from the Believing Poor"
I grew up assuming that the whole point of accepting my white eyelashes and all the other aspects of the albinism package was to feel good about myself and thus to get by. Not too long ago, my perspective about the purpose of self-acceptance began to expand, helped in part by a very old story. …
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