According to a Pew Research study posted on December 14, 2021, approximately three in ten USA adults are now “religiously unaffiliated.” The study reveals that self-identified Christians make up 63% of U.S. population in 2021, down from 75% a decade
I think its safe to say, that at no other time in church history has “gathering” been so contested. Do we meet in person or online? Health and safety needs bump into our traditioned liturgical practices. If online how? How
I’m a City Changer is a worldwide campaign with the aim of sensitizing and creating awareness among citizens on urban issues to achieve better cities. It is promoted by UN-Habitat, the city agency of the United Nations, through the World
Guiding your faith community into even greater faithful presence within its parish invites discernment of the collective. Where and how to focus time and energy is a vital and ongoing journey of listening and adapting. Sometimes we get sidetracked by
Here are two great panel discussions from Parish Collective’s, 2021 Inhabit Connect. “Inhabit Connect” is the pandemic substitute for Parish Collective’s annual flagship event in Seattle, the Inhabit Conference. By the Way tickets for the 2022 in person Inhabit are
Mike Cosper and a talented team at Christianity Today’s CT Podcasts have produced series exploring “The Rise & Fall of Mars Hill.” As you likely know, Mars Hill Church was planted in 1996 and pastored by Mark Driscoll in Seattle
Flipping the Script on Stewardship: COVID-19 & the Shift from Church Property to Kingdom Building For more than a year, your church’s building has been unused. Yet, not having access to it didn’t stop your faith community from being a
Where I’m From By George Ella Lyon I am from clothespins, from Clorox and carbon-tetrachloride. I am from the dirt under the back porch. (Black, glistening it tasted like beets.) I am from the forsythia bush, the Dutch elm whose
Last week during my school’s Wednesday Holy Communion & prayer time a student shared some beautiful words at the Table. It appears these words were first used at Mt Hollywood Church in Los Angeles, California on Palm Sunday, 2020. If anyone
“The Spirit teaches us how to participate with God in the restoration of all things; maybe the more common term for this would be mission…[I]t’s a mission which connects our unique desires to the work of the Spirit to keep
Today The Parliament of the World’s Religions is joining organizers and community leaders in Chicago as part of the City’s Together We Heal initiative by hosting a series of virtual programs to foster conversation and share tools on healing and
“This is the story and song our ancestors bequeathed to us, and it comes at a time in our country when the very things they struggled and died for — faith and freedom, justice and equality, democracy and grace —
In the late 2000’s (maybe 2009?) at Washington State’s Sasquatch Festival during a performance by Santigold of her hit, “Unstoppable” a lone guy starts dancing on a hill. Derek Sivers made this video famous by using it to illustrate the
In 1962 Malvina Reynolds released her song “Little Boxes” – used as the theme for the Showtime series “Weeds” – and it’s a song capturing the fear of being ordinary, at least in part. The fear of having a ticky-tacky
“For unless love becomes tenderness—the connective tissue of love—it never becomes transformational. The tender doesn’t happen tomorrow . . . only now.” Gregory Boyle The Tacoma Catholic Worker newsletter which graced my mailbox yesterday referred back to some of the
My friend, Tim Soerens of Parish Collective recently introduced me to the remarkable UK think-tank, THEOS, (follow THEOS on facebook). THEOS stimulates the debate about the place of religion in society, challenging and changing ideas through research, commentary and events.
In this pandemic era many of us find ourselves walking our neighborhoods more than ever. Many are also experiencing limitations in terms of gathering together with others. So doing things with your group or your church may not be available.
Immediately following the release of The New Parish, Paul Sparks, Tim Soerens, myself, and a number of artists who joined us for legs of the tour hit the road. Our travels – which were a purposeful blending of on the
Back in February of 2020, just before COVID-19 re-ordered life as we’ve known it, myself and a crew of international, multi-faith urban thinkers and place practitioners gathered in Abu Dhabi to participate the United Nations, Habitat’s tenth convening of the
The ongoing collaboration between the Parliament of World Religions together with the UN-Environment Programme, has set forth a “Faith for Earth: A Call for Action.” This beautifully compiled document describes the essential, unshakeable reverence that all religions have for creation
My friend and colleague, Dr. Ron Ruthruff delivered a short talk at my school the other day drawing on some of the themes of his latest book. Ron’s new book is Closer to the Edge. He’s a good guy. A
In the revelation of this moment with COVID-19 and systemic racial injustice – is it too late to reorganize the church in the neighborhood for a more equitable future? For far too long, we as a society have ignored the
I recently reread Willie James Jennings‘ essay, “Can ‘White’ People Be Saved?” (highly recommended), after defining ‘whiteness’ and walking through the tragic history of the collusion the Christian faith with white supremacy Dr. Jennings writes: “As I close – I
Really helpful article by Joe Cartright who runs the think tank and blog City Observatory. Cartright’s article is posted on Strong Towns, its called: What COVID-19 Teaches Us About How to Fix Highways, by Joe Cartright The Small Towns‘ podcast
You are here! Actually your are there; I am here. This is amazing! This is real. Like no time in modern history – or least not since the inventions of the steam ship, the locative, the automobile, and the airplane
Here’s a little video The Seattle School put together, briefly talking about how our bodies placed in the real world is the primary means through which we discover what is real. Enjoy. Peace, dwight
During the World Urban Forum 10 in Abu Dhabi urban thinkers and practitioners from around the world and from a number faith traditions gathered at the invitation of the Urban Shalom Society. These gatherings serve multiple purposes it seems to
One of the most vital conversations at the intersection of: cities, humans, environment, design, and faith is happening at Thriving Cities. As their website says, “Thriving Cities Group uses a multi-disciplinary approach that brings together decades of research, training, community
