Tag Archives: Ministry

Easy Ministry in the Time of Coronavirus

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Richard Heyduck

Here are a few easy things you can do in this time of “social distancing.” Prayer Walk: You can walk through your neighborhood and pray for the families in each house/apartment. If you know their names & situations, you can … Continue reading →

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Psychiatry and Ministry (sort of)

Posted on February 25, 2018 by Richard Heyduck

Pretend this piece on Slate Star Codex isn’t about psychiatry but about ministry. Alexander describes two ways of understanding psychiatry: Attitude 1 says that patients know what they want but not necessarily how to get it, and psychiatrists are there … Continue reading →

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Are We There Yet?

Posted on May 20, 2015 by Richard Heyduck

Maps are idealizations of territory. They are useful to the extent that their methods of idealization help us orient ourselves in space and figure out where to go and how to get there. This is true whether the space be … Continue reading →

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Scot McKnight’s The Kingdom Conspiracy

Posted on January 27, 2015 by Richard Heyduck

In his latest book, The Kingdom Conspiracy, Scot McKnight cuts across the grain of both recent scholarship and contemporary ministry practice. Biblical and theological scholarship for some time now has insisted that kingdom and church are two different things, generally … Continue reading →

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What Kind of Preaching Do We Need?

Posted on January 10, 2015 by Richard Heyduck

I’ve read/heard many admonitions over the years to keep sermons practical. People are having trouble in their marriages, in raising their kids, in dealing with work: they need wisdom. Now this is doubtless true. In a relativistic age ruled by … Continue reading →

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Miserable Job

Posted on October 20, 2013 by Richard Heyduck

On page 53 of Bishop Will Willimon references Patrick Lencioni’s definition of makes a job miserable: “Lack of measurement. Lack of accountability. Anonymity.” I’ve read a few of Lencioni’s books, but not this one (Three Signs of a Miserable Job.) … Continue reading →

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Motivation

Posted on August 3, 2013 by Richard Heyduck

My jobs require me to motivate others. As a teacher, I have to motivate students to do the work that leads to learning. As a pastor, I have to motivate people to engage in the practices that constitute a life … Continue reading →

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Definition-phobia

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Richard Heyduck

In a recent post Tony Morgan writes about reasons churches lack a strategy for life change. The first of his four reasons is that churches don’t define success, fearing the accountability that will come with it. I ran first ran … Continue reading →

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Which Quest?

Posted on November 4, 2012 by Richard Heyduck

Since our annual conference reduced the number of districts several years ago, district superintendents have made “cluster” charge conferences more regular. I heard recently of one such conference where many small churches came together in one location. Evidently the DS … Continue reading →

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Thinking about the “Guaranteed Appointment”

Posted on November 4, 2012 by Richard Heyduck

The Judicial Council of the United Methodist Church has recently overruled the General Conference legislation that did away with the guaranteed appointment for Elders. I’ve been ambivalent about the provision, seeing good arguments on both sides. On the one hand, … Continue reading →

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