David Cameron wanted to be Prime Minister of the UK. He ran for the position in two general elections and won both times. He was leader of the Conservative party for over 10 years. But he didn’t really like leading. His party was deeply divided over the question of whether the UK should stay in…
Over the last 30 years Christian charities, churches and schools have echoed a catchy phrase as the gold standard of board governance: “noses in, hands out.” It neatly delineates roles: boards should engage in oversight and strategy without meddling in operations. The goal of such a posture was to liberate the principal, pastor or executive…
A pastor, consultant and governance expert walk into the board room of a Christian organization and ask, “What kind of board are you?” The board answers: “We are a Policy Board, or at least we are trying to be.” If it were a joke, it would be a bad one. There’s no punch line. But…
One of the overpasses along the Queen Elizabeth Way in southern Ontario is spray-painted with three short words: “They all lie.” Think about it: ‘They all lie.’ This anonymous graffiti-sociologist has captured the zeitgeist of our age profoundly. This epithet identifies a spirit that is fuelled by cynicism, suspicion, anger and even contempt. This spirit…
I heard in seminary that Calvin once said “Don’t assume the Holy Spirit’s presence unless you sigh, cry, and die for that to become a reality.” AI tells me the quote comes from Samuel Chadwick (1860-1932), a preacher of English Methodism. So I can’t be sure. I frequently encounter the opposite assumption: Christian communities who…
On January 6, Prime Minister Trudeau announced his resignation and simultaneously prorogued Parliament. Curiously, the first editorial I ever wrote for Christian Courier was about prorogation – “The rogue and fool,” January 2009. In it, I described then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper as inconsistent, changing the rules to suit his own agenda. “Nonetheless,” I concluded, “I…
Content warning: This story contains a description of sexual abuse. Please take care when reading. January 7 was his final day as archbishop. Last November, as I pressed “send” on my email calling on him to resign, the news on my screen flashed – “Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, has resigned.” The spiritual leader of the…
I don’t like airline travel. It isn’t because I’m afraid of flying. It’s because I’m annoyed by waiting. Nothing is more frustrating than arriving at the airport at the recommended time, checking in and going through security, only to arrive at my gate to discover that the plane isn’t there. That description is similar to…
Christian Reformed Church of North America (CRCNA) members from 116 congregations (representing 17 percent of the denomination and roughly 32,000 people) met in Grand Rapids, Michigan for a Convening of Concerned Congregations in August. Why were they concerned? It’s complicated. Nate DeJong-McCarron, the director of a group called Better Together, said the event was organized…
Bruce Adema was the Director of Canadian Ministries for the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA) from 2006-2012. He pastored two churches after that, then retired from CRC ministry and, in January 2024, started working as Executive Director for the Henri Nouwen Society. Christian Courier’s Editor spoke with Adema recently about his new role…
Summer is over and Christian schools are beginning again. In Edmonton, the school year will likely be more intense than usual given the report of the July 1 Christian Courier story, “Tense Elections in Edmonton,” regarding the Annual General Meeting (AGM) for the Edmonton Society for Christian Education (ESCE). It was, reportedly, a “long night…
Summertime and the livin’ is easy! But what about Christian organizations? Is living any easier during the summer? Sure, there is a kind of “break”: vacations, time away from school, and the activities of church life reduced . . . but is summer really a time to break from intentional leadership behaviour? Let me suggest…
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