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Blogs on Barnabas File that Received the Most Responses this Year



You never know what responses you will get when sharing your opinions on a blog.  On my blog—Barnabas File-- I write about things that interest me or get my attention.  Occasionally, they get someone else’s attention, too. In reviewing my posts for the past year, these received the greatest response.

 

1.  The Church is in Decline:  What a Great Opportunity for the Church!

 

In this blog, I encouraged churches to get back to the basics—to love God and to love one’s neighbor.  I noted the decline of disciple formation and spiritual practices in churches, but concluded in this way:

 

Even so, in these days, I see signs of hope for the people of God.  I talk with pastors who love engaging the Word of God and sharing it with their people.   I meet lay leaders who are bright, creative, and open to new ways of doing church.  I work with seminary students--many mid-career folks--who see new opportunities to lead churches and not-for-profits to address human need--spiritual, physical, and relational.  I lead coach training for people who sincerely want to help both believers and non-believers to move in constructive ways.

 

2.  The Implications of Significant Changes in Seminary Enrolment

 

I was a bit surprised in the great response to this post where I highlighted information from the Associate of Theological Schools that impacts leadership for the churches today and for the future.  I observed what this means for seminaries who prepare leaders for the churches:

 

The greatest challenges for seminaries will be the ability to marshal the financial and personnel resources to serve the churches in this way and the flexibility to try new structures and delivery systems.  If these institutions really want to serve the churches, change must come.

 

3.  Review—Beth Moore:  All my Knotted-Up Life:  A Memoir

 

This is the best biography/memoir I read this year, although I left it wanting more.  My admiration for Moore increased and my distain for how she was treated intensified.  I wrote:

 

The truth is that Moore was more spiritual, more empathetic, and smarter than the men who “provided a covering” (of male authority) for her.  She gave them respect and received ridicule.  Her own gifts showed that she was more than capable of approaching God on her own and perceiving God’s call on her life.

 

4.  Can I be a Life Coach Without Getting a Credential?

 

Of course, this is one of my bread-and-butter concerns, and I was pleased to see the interest it provoked.  In the opening paragraph, I laid out my case and then gave some reasons for coach training:  

 

“Can I be a coach without getting a coaching credential?”  I receive this question from time to time, and the answer is, “Yes.”  There are many gifted individuals doing coaching who do not have recognized training for a credential.  I suggest the better question is, “Can I be a really good coach without getting a coaching credential?”  My answer here is, “No.”

 

 

5. (tie)We Live In Volatile Times

 

This post was an effort to define reality for churches and their leaders:

 

The COVID-19 pandemic was considered a time of volatility and change, but we live an era of continuous and disruptive change.  This is the “new normal” where churches struggle for clarity and to pursue what is important as they do Kingdom work.

 

5.  (tie) Agreeing to Disagree

 

Written primarily in response to Rick Warren’s stance at the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in June, this post reflected my personal understanding of what it means to be a Baptist:

 

I have worked for several Baptist churches, three Baptist denominational entities, and a Baptist college, but I have never been asked to affirm or sign a creed or statement of beliefs.  Like Warren, I have always realized that Baptists “agree to disagree” on a number of points but have found productive ways to work together to fulfill God’s mission in the world.  That calling is no longer possible among Southern Baptists. In the move to uniformity, the SBC has destroyed that bond of trust.  

 

Although I am no longer a Southern Baptist, I am a Baptist, and I am sad.

 

 

So, those were the blogs who got the most response last year.  What will this year bring?  Hope you will keep reading.

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