Becoming Conversational #9 – Regularly Share a Meal Together.

Last updated on: February 9, 2012 at 4:32 pm By Christopher Smith

My ebook The Virtue of Dialogue: Conversation as a Hopeful Practice of Church Communities was recently released by Patheos Press, and in it, I argue that open conversation is essential for the health and flourishing of church communities and the places they inhabit. Over the past week and the current week, I will be running a 10-part series that I am calling “Becoming Conversational” in which I offer suggestions for how churches might enrich the conversational life of their church... Read more

Becoming Conversational #8 – Build relationships with other churches, locally and around the globe.

Last updated on: February 8, 2012 at 9:35 pm By Christopher Smith

Becoming Conversational #7 – Connect Church Members who live in Close Proximity.

Last updated on: February 7, 2012 at 1:31 pm By Christopher Smith

Becoming Conversational #6 – Spread the “Pastoral” Work of the Church Around.

Last updated on: February 6, 2012 at 10:18 am By Christopher Smith

What I’m Reading Now: Bonhoeffer, by Eric Metaxas

Last updated on: February 4, 2012 at 12:13 pm By John Pattison

I have read five books so far in 2012. Two were by Martin Luther King – A Call to Conscience, a collection of speeches, and A Knock at Midnight, a collection of sermons – and a third book was Manning Marable’s recent biography Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention. (I wrote a bit about the Marable book here and here.) I am now approximately four-fifths of the way through Eric Metaxas’s biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy.... Read more

Becoming Conversational #5 – Engage the Whole Church in Caring for the Church Property.

Last updated on: February 3, 2012 at 10:06 am By Christopher Smith

My ebook The Virtue of Dialogue: Conversation as a Hopeful Practice of Church Communities was released last week by Patheos Press, and in it, I argue that open conversation is essential for the health and flourishing of church communities and the places they inhabit. Over the next two weeks, I will be running a 10-part series that I am calling “Becoming Conversational” in which I offer suggestions for how churches might enrich the conversational life of their church communities. (Some... Read more

Becoming Conversational #4 – Engaging our Neighbors more Intentionally.

Last updated on: February 3, 2012 at 10:06 am By Christopher Smith

Becoming Conversational #3 – Engaging our Children and Youth in Conversation.

Last updated on: February 1, 2012 at 10:55 am By Christopher Smith

Serving the Common Good: An Interview with Miroslav Volf

Last updated on: January 31, 2012 at 3:59 pm By John Pattison

Chris and I recently collaborated on an article about the political role of the local church for the upcoming February/March issue of Neue Magazine. In preparation for writing the article, I had the opportunity to interview Dr. Miroslav Volf about politics, the local church, promoting human flourishing, and his most recent book, A Public Faith: How Followers of Christ Should Serve the Common Good. Dr. Volf is the Henry B. Wright Professor of Systematic Theology at Yale Divinity School and the... Read more

Becoming Conversational #2 – Leveraging the Skills of All Our Members.

Last updated on: January 31, 2012 at 8:12 am By Christopher Smith