CCBlogs thinking critically, living faithfully

Adam Copeland's blog

The tricky truth about children’s sermons is that it’s easier to come up with bad ones than good ones.

Yesterday, a Sunday morning Twitter exchange with a few pastors got me thinking about my children’s sermon approach, and how it differs from many of my colleagues. For example, when I saw this site and the idea of teaching about the bentover woman in Luke 13 with a bent spoon, I laughed out lout and closed my browser tab immediately. Later, when I had time to reflect, I found some redeeming qualities to the suggestion, but the bent spoon as an object lesson still puts me off (as if osteoporosis is anything like a bad ice cream scoop — that’s insulting both to our adults with bad backs and to our children’s intelligence!). So, here’s a few of my children’s sermons DOs and Don’ts:... READ MORE.

Adam Copeland's blog

A few weeks ago, thankfully without any fanfare, I preached my 100th sermon. I know this number not because I carefully keep track, but because there are 100 files in my computer’s “Sermon” folder. Many of you more seasoned pastors might scoff at a piddly number like 100, but I’m guessing that, of those who graduated from Columbia Seminary with me in 2009, I’m one of the fastest to reach 100. Many others, even most, won’t get there for years. Why?

Many of my seminary classmates are serving as associate pastors at larger churches.... READ MORE.

Adam Copeland's blog

The second reading from the Revised Common Lectionary (the Bible readings for worship used by churches around the world) for this Sunday comes from the book of Revelation. For a few weeks now, we’ve been working our way through Revelation and have now arrived at chapter 22. The assigned reading, though, is Rev. 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21. On first glance, it sure looks to me like we’re censoring the Bible.... READ MORE.

Adam Copeland's blog

When I lead worship, I try to stay out of the way. Sure, I say plenty of words and all, but if they are led correctly they point to something greater than myself. So, here’s my conundrum: whether the charge and benediction at the close of the service should be my words, as in reflecting the crux of the sermon. Or, whether the charge and benediction should be one common to the tradition and unchanged each week.... READ MORE.

Adam Copeland's blog

As a new 3/4 time rural pastor, I’m surprised to find that Twitter is a hugely important ministry tool for me. Without it, I’d be a much poorer pastor and would feel considerably less connected to supportive colleagues.

Before I began my position four months ago, I never would have guessed how helpful — to mind and soul — I’d find Twitter as a pastor. But here’s one simple real life example from last week. 
 I was planning Deacon Training a few days before the meeting and I realized I had no idea whether I should give the new Elders and Deacons Book of Orders when they were installed. My gut said, “yes,” but that wasn’t the practice of the church — and those BOOs aren’t cheap. So I didn’t know what to do. In such situations, since my experience is fairly limited, I find it’s good to see what’s common practice in the church. So, I put out a Tweet... READ MORE.

Adam Copeland's blog

When I was in high school and chatting with a teacher about our churches, he said “I don’t think I could ever respect a pastor who didn’t know Greek and Hebrew.” That statement stuck with me. Heck, it probably kept me going through some rather challenging times in both my Greek and Hebrew courses.

For a few years now, however, I’ve been wondering how much credence my teacher’s comment really has. I preached about forty sermons in Scotland two years ago without my Greek or Hebrew resources over there (I opted to take golf clubs, not books ;) ). I didn’t get too many complaints from church members about my lack of declining Greek nouns or parsing Hebrew verbs.

Now, though, I have my Greek and Hebrew books on my new pastor’s study bookshelf, but I haven’t been inclined to pull them out. Sure, I could check out a perplexing phrase in a text if I really wanted to, but I just rarely ever want to. So I wonder, what’s the rub: am I a sermon writing slacker or reality claiming time-manager? .... READ MORE.