About 12 years ago the Muttart Foundation, a private foundation based in Edmonton, commissioned Ipsos Reid to conduct a survey on public opinion that measured Canadians’ attitudes towards charities (including churches). Ipsos Reid found that 33 percent of Canadians trusted churches only “a little” or “not at all” (their two lowest categories for measuring trust)….
Warning: If you belong to a rural Christian community and you don’t heed the following advice, your leadership will go crazy and your community will likely decrease in size. Just joking. Sort of. Rural leadership. Is it different from urban leadership? I believe it is. I have served as a leader in both urban and…
There are people and moments that leaders should have etched in their minds as part of their framework for how they make decisions. For me, one of those moments and individuals came halfway through my first ministry assignment. I was a seminary student trying on the clothes of a pastor in Edson-Peers, Alberta. Ten weeks…
My home church has two pastors – one man, one woman. They’re not a married couple but two ordained ministers with different gifts and passions. I appreciate how they work together on sermon series, coming at a theme from multiple angles. I’m happy that kids in Hope Fellowship Christian Reformed Church (CRC) are hearing God’s…
Leadership. What comes to mind when you hear the word? If you are like most people in the western self-determinist part of the world, you think of a person, an individual. History and Scripture would not necessarily dissuade you. Lincoln, Churchill, Moses, King David. We immediately gravitate toward their successes. The individual is, for us,…
In 2015, John G. Stackhouse Jr. left Regent College, a well-known graduate school of theology in Vancouver where he was a professor of theology and culture, for a new job at Crandall University in Moncton, N.B., where he became a professor of religion. For some, Stackhouse’s departure from Regent was a mystery; why would a…
In late November, CBC news reported that Crandall University terminated the employment of John G. Stackhouse Jr., professor of religious studies, for allegations of inappropriate behavior. After a six-month independent investigation, the Christian liberal arts university in New Brunswick decided that some of Stackhouse’s jokes, stories, emails and classroom behaviour amounted to sexual harassment. Stackhouse…
Canadian artist Amanda Le Blanc is creating a series of hyper-realistic watercolour images of crucified birds, embodying the hurt church has caused. “Even though it is immediately very jarring and visceral, what can come out of the conversations around these pieces can be very hopeful,” she said. Le Blanc graduated Redeemer University as an art…
On October 10, 11,000 registered participants from 129 countries tuned in to pre-recorded videos covering various topics relating to mental health and faith. The Church Mental Health Summit exceeded its 2022 record of 5,000 registrants, attracting a larger audience than ever this year. Held on World Mental Health Day, this free event offered registrants hours…
After reading All My Knotted-Up Life: A Memoir, I want Beth Moore to be my new best friend. She’s indefatigable. Hilarious. Vulnerable. I first heard of Moore when she made headlines for being treated crassly by some evangelical leaders, including, notably, John MacArthur. Playing a game at a conference, MacArthur was asked to respond to…
Laurel Graham speaks from experience when she shares advice with future graduates: “Try as many things as you can while you are [a student], because it makes high school enjoyable and helps you decide what you want to do as you look ahead to your future.” Graham certainly tried a wide range of things during…
A few years ago, I was on Council as an elder at our church. This was before the pandemic; our congregation at the time was fairly large, around 700 professing members. I am not a numbers person but I would get a copy of the budget, like everyone else. We would vote on a few…
|
Uploaded
Failed
|
 |
