Recently I attended a convening of amazing people who all care about religious buildings – what they mean for the people who worship in them, what they mean for the people and organizations that share them, and what they mean in the physical communities they often anchor. Partners for Sacred Places, headquartered in Philadelphia, was…
Ask someone why a congregation would share its facilities with an outside group or organization, and you may get the answer, “It’s all about the money.” Congregations need operating funds, and rental income is an obvious source of income, correct? National data challenge that assumption. Sociologist Nancy Ammerman’s study of more than 500 Christian and…
As COP 28 opened in Dubai, the international community was called to focus on combatting climate change. Doing so is critical for the sake of those alive today, and also for those born tomorrow. Given that reality, it is important to ask what the role of religious communities might be. Considering future generations in current…
As a pastor, not surprisingly, I often view my congregation through a theological lens, and I’ve recently challenged my congregation to join me. In a world that promotes division through competition and having the one correct perspective to a challenge, I’ve invited them to think more deeply about our collective mission as a congregation and…
What might we see and hear if we asked worshippers about what they experience? It isn’t always what theologians expect. For the past few decades, many Catholic liturgical theologians and others have expressed concern about the return of a ritual practice that they worried signaled a regression from the reforms of the Second Vatican Council.…