'Vere Institute' Tagged Posts (Page 3)
“God Is Here”: How to Provide Pastoral Encouragement for the Frontlines (Alison Gerber)
Each Sunday, Alison Gerber remembers that many people are coming to her church extremely tired. It’s one of the challenges of life on the frontline in her New England context, where productivity is put on a pedestal. It’s also a reality that points to the need for encouragement from the church community for everyday faithfulness. With this in mind, one of the ways that she encourages her congregation for their everyday Kingdom work is an awareness of people’s time. “I…
How Do Relationships Equip Whole-Life Disciples?
When Dan Sylvia reflects on his own discipleship journey, he can’t help but mention his friends. The communities that have been formative in his growth have not been about a revolutionary Sunday morning service but about the relationships that have focused him on the reality that “every day, all day, you’re never not a Christian.” This vision of whole-life discipleship has shaped the support and relationships he seeks out as a pastor. A few years ago, he and another pastor…
Lord of “My” Time / Being Open to God’s Timeframe on our Frontlines
Our church has been blessed by God with the arrival of a refugee family into our congregation. It wasn’t something we planned or prepared for, but in God’s unique and perfect way, they were added to our number. In many ways it is clear that we were not prepared for them. We had no idea the connections and resources that they need to resettle here in our community. We were and remain confused by the process and the regulations and…
Spiritual Connectivity / 6Ms of Fruitfulness on the Frontline
The yellow light blinked slowly, alerting me that there was a problem. I asked Alexa for help, and she told me plainly, “I’m having problems connecting to the internet.” So I called the help desk to get the wireless router back online, but when the technician told me to cycle the power on the modem, the call dropped unexpectedly—I had forgotten that the phone also required an internet connection! Since you’re reading this, you know that I eventually did get…
New Year’s Resolution – Connecting My Goals to God’s Mission
I’ve always been a fan of New Year’s. I’m not necessarily talking about the big events like they do in Times Square (although I do like to watch the ball drop on TV!). No, for me it’s all about the ‘new’ – the possibilities that it brings. A new year is a chance to make changes, to do something different, to be different. So, as you might imagine, I have made a few resolutions over the years. As I’ve started…
God Bless You – U.S. Senate Chaplain Benediction
A pastor in our most recent Imagine Learning Community wanted to ensure that the last message his congregation heard before they left the building on Sunday morning was that they were being sent back into the world to be a blessing to their frontlines. To do this, he employed a benediction that was inspired by the former chaplain to the U.S. Senate, Richard Halverson: You go nowhere by accident. Wherever you go, God is sending you. Wherever you are, God…
Give Thanks in a Time of Trouble
Ok, I admit it. I’ve had a hard time getting excited about Thanksgiving this year. It’s not just the holiday itself, which will be different than any other in my lifetime. No, my challenge goes deeper than that. I don’t know how to get in the spirit of the day, to be genuinely thankful in a year that has brought so much difficulty, pain, and loss. I recently shared my struggle with a small group of friends over Zoom. I also…
You Are Indispensable (Your Work Doesn’t Define You)
While I was standing in line the other day waiting to order my lunch, I heard an employee encouraging people to use one of the empty self-service kiosks. I looked over, and saw some customers who had just arrived take up the offer. It then dawned on me that they were now ‘ahead’ of me, even though I was there first! So I felt a little foolish as I continued to wait to place my order with the woman behind…
Connecting Faith and Everyday Life through the Lord’s Prayer
One of our faithful readers responded to my last posting with a question about how Christians can practically connect their faith to their everyday life. It’s a great question, as I believe it’s something most believers have a hard time doing. Many of us have been taught the importance of having a ‘quiet time’ or ‘devotional’—the daily practice of setting aside time to read the Bible and pray. However, if you’ve been a Christian for more than a week, you’ve…
“Curiosity is the New Humility”
I was having lunch recently with a pastor named Dave who had participated in our most recent Imagine Learning Community. He shared with me a catchy phrase that his wife likes to say: “Curiosity is the new humility.” It’s a great line, for sure. What I really appreciated, however, was that it’s not just a slogan for Dave. Rather, he is actively seeking to live out this principle in his pastoral ministry. For example, he recently invited members of his…
Commissioned for the Frontline (Everyday Ministry Matters)
Can you imagine a business where 70% of the employees can’t connect how their daily work contributes to the company’s overall mission? If that were the case, odds are that business would soon be out of business! Yet sadly that’s the state of the church in America today. According to recent research by Barna, “70% of Christians do not see how their work serves God’s purposes.” Yet 93% of pastors have said that helping their people integrate their faith and…
The Problem with Elevating Pastoral Ministry Above Other Ministries – “What Ministry Might That Be?”
Several years ago I was sitting in the pew on Sunday morning at historic All Souls Church in central London listening to John Stott preach. To illustrate a point, he recounted a conversation with a friend of his. Apparently John’s friend had shared with him some news about a mutual acquaintance, explaining that this person had recently gone into “the ministry.” John then replied, “What ministry might that be?” John’s friend was confused by the question, particularly from such an…