Faith and Political Engagement: Latina/o Protestants At the Intersection

Interviews, Latinx Congregations, Participant Observation, Politics, Race & Ethnicity, Theology Frame

From the outside, Allen Temple Ministerios Hispanos (ATMH) is unimposing. Located deep in poverty-stricken East Oakland California, ATMH’s neighbors include two fellow protestant churches, a bar and a liquor store. It’s the week before Thanksgiving. Inside the Baptist church, Esther, the pastor’s wife and church leader, is finishing up the announcements for the close to…

Refocus the Conversation: About “Attracting Families”

Age & Generations, Culture Frame, Ecology Frame, Families, Interviews, Program Evaluation, Religious Education/Socialization, Timeline Exercise

Is your congregation attempting to reach out to “young families?” Jan Edmiston works at the Presbytery of Chicago and has a personal blog at at achurchforstarvingartists.wordpress.org. Below is part of a 2015 post on the topic: Almost every church I’ve ever known has wanted to Attract Young Families.  The reasoning behind this includes the following: If we don’t…

Membership Decline: Facing the Real Issue

Attendance, Demographics, Ecology Frame, Europe & UK, Leadership, Mainline & Liberal Protestant Churches, Resources Frame

Christianity Today is highlighting the plight of rural vicars in congregations in England. Churches are declining, and vicars are filling multiple pulpits. The article goes on to explain in detail implications of declining congregations — pastors are pulled thin between multiple responsibilities and congregational sites, and are unable to devote the time and resources to…