Author Archives: Richard Heyduck

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About Richard Heyduck

Pastor of Hardy Memorial Methodist Church, a Global Methodist Congregation. PhD Fuller Seminary MDiv Asbury Seminary BA Southwestern University

Pursuing Holiness

Posted on July 20, 2010 by Richard Heyduck

One of the defining convictions of the Methodist movement is that it is possible to live a holy life, a life pleasing to God. Methodists have at least given lip service to this conviction since the days of John Wesley … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, Spirituality, United Methodism | 3 Comments

Latest from “Call to Action”

Posted on July 15, 2010 by Richard Heyduck

Tuesday, the United Methodist News Service put out its latest report on the work of the “Call to Action” Steering Team. They give the bad news first. The United Methodist Church needs to change its operations denomination-wide to address financial … Continue reading →

Posted in United Methodism | Leave a comment

Predictable?

Posted on July 13, 2010 by Richard Heyduck

We’re just back from a trip to our 2010 family reunion. With a family of five, this means lots of driving to get there and back, staying in hotels, and eating out. Come mealtime while on the road, we tend … Continue reading →

Posted in Spirituality | Leave a comment

The Best Measure

Posted on June 24, 2010 by Richard Heyduck

What’s the best measure of effective ministry? What do we look for if we want to figure out whether effective ministry is happening or not? Our first tendency is to look at the numbers. The bigger the numbers, the higher … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, Local church, Ministry | Leave a comment

Avoiding the Sausage Factory

Posted on June 14, 2010 by Richard Heyduck

I like sausage. While I don’t like every kind of sausage I’ve ever tried, I like many of them. From what I’ve heard though, if I want to continue eating sausage I ought to avoid sausage factories. If I visited … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, Leadership, Salvation | Leave a comment

Dangerous Places

Posted on June 10, 2010 by Richard Heyduck

What should we make of this story? Apparently a school district in Indiana planned to hold its graduation ceremonies at a local church. I’m sure the church was thinking, “This is a way we can be generous and share with … Continue reading →

Posted in Church & State, Consumerism, Culture, Current events, Ecclesiology, Public Schools | Leave a comment

NOT the meaning of life

Posted on June 10, 2010 by Richard Heyduck

Of my many experiences at the meeting of the Texas Annual Conference last week, perhaps that most striking was Bishop Huie’s mention that the West Ohio Annual Conference was losing 42 positions for Elders this year. She didn’t share anything … Continue reading →

Posted in church growth, Texas Annual Conference, United Methodism | 1 Comment

The problem of technology

Posted on May 25, 2010 by Richard Heyduck

I read a fair number of books. When they grab me, I’ll apply myself and read them quickly. When they don’t,  I’ll work more slowly. Albert Borgman’s Power Failure: Christianity in the Culture of Technology is one of the latter. … Continue reading →

Posted in Albert Borgmann, church growth, Max Weber, Ministry, United Methodism | 1 Comment

Changing the Covenant

Posted on May 25, 2010 by Richard Heyduck

Some of the latest big news in the UMC is from the study committee that is suggesting that we do away with the “guaranteed appointment” for ordained Elders. It is “a promise the church can no longer keep.” For those … Continue reading →

Posted in Ministry, United Methodism | 4 Comments

I’m Not Drawing Today

Posted on May 20, 2010 by Richard Heyduck

Today is “Draw Muhammad Day.” I won’t be taking part. One response will be, “Of course you won’t. You can’t even draw a straight line with a ruler!” Well, yes, that is true. But even if I could, I wouldn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Current events, Islam, Prayer | 3 Comments