I am constantly amazed at how quickly life changes today. When I first bought a computer years ago, I intended to have it for at least 10 years. Today, if we get 5 years out of a laptop, that's a great deal. I don't have to mention all the changes is software and hardware, either! Religion is not immune from the quick changes of modernity (or "post modernity" as the experts call it). Not only is religion changing quickly, but the old, traditional ways of doing religion don't seem to compute for people today. The Church finds herself changing almost daily in order to remain relevant, in order to speak God's good news in Christ in the vernacular. Again, almost everyday, a new book or article shows up that has the answers to all of our challenges for ministry. I would like for us to look at one of those books, read it together and disect it together. Where it makes sense, we can help to implement some changes in our congregation; where it makes no sense, we can wrestle with how God may be pushing us to grow.
Rev. Dr. Nathan C.P. Frambach, professor at Wartburg Seminary (ELCA) and also a recent keynote speaker at the Northwest Ohio Synod Assembly, wrote a book entitled, "Emerging Ministry: Being Church Today". It's a short book that you can order from Amazon, Barnes and Noble or your other favorite bookstore. If you have Nook or Kindle, check to see if you can get it there. I like the book for a couple of reasons: it's short and easy to read! The second reason, it's separated into small chunks that we can talk about and learn together in short sessions.
Which brings me to my final suggestion: We have not met for over a month now and we need to remain connected. Could everyone get the book in the next few weeks? I know that the summer shall be a time that's increasingly difficult to meet. We could read and comment online until we meet again in, say, September, after vacations are over - and everyone is back from "the lake".
As a teaser to buy the book, let's make the topic for our first posting: "The emerging landscape of spirituality".
Peace and good reading,
Tim
