I was walking my kids once in their giant double stroller. This thing is a beast. It weighs 35 pounds without them in it. With them, it might be closer to 85. Therefore I have to really use some force while I push this thing. We were taking a leisurely stroll that day, and I [...] The post Concrete Faith: The Daily Office in My Mental Health Crisis appeared first on Anglican Compass ..read more

(Part three of five in David Roseberry's Suddenly Surging series on church growth.) A friend once shared a valuable lesson she learned from a performance review at her previous job. Although her position was secure, her boss wanted to address a specific personality trait that he found bothersome. When given a task, she tended to [...] The post What Do People Look For in a New Church? (Suddenly Surging Part 3) appeared first on Anglican Compass ..read more

As much as any other set of readings for a Sunday, the Easter 6 schedule puts on display the influence the love of the Father God has over those who believe in the Son. The assigned Gospel reading out of John 15:9-17 sets the tone. After teaching his disciples, I am the true vine… and [...] The post Today in the Spirit: Easter 6B appeared first on Anglican Compass ..read more

A lion can be heard, even when it is not seen. And the lion's roar demands a response. Over the millennia, the church has paired each of the four evangelists with one of the living creatures from Ezekiel 1 and Revelation 4: Matthew with the Man Mark with the Lion Luke with the Ox John [...] The post The Roar of the Lion: A Rookie Anglican Guide to the Gospel of Mark appeared first on Anglican Compass ..read more

(Part two of five in David Roseberry's Suddenly Surging series on church growth.) In the first of this series, I mentioned signs that churches might be growing and offered reasons why that might be. I have no proof for this beyond anecdotal evidence and what has been on X in a few places (here is [...] The post A Heart for Others (Suddenly Surging Part 2) appeared first on Anglican Compass ..read more

An Ancient Tradition The first Easter Vigil I ever attended was in southern Ukraine, what is now annexed Crimea. I was 15 years old, on a spring break mission trip with my Christian high school. I don’t remember as much as I wish I did (and I admit I was smitten with a particular boy [...] The post On This Most Holy Night: An Easter Vigil with the Arts appeared first on Anglican Compass ..read more

On Easter 5 every year, the church moves us hard toward the mindset of expectation for the coming of the Holy Spirit. To get us there, the lectionary puts forward Jesus’ most explicit teaching on this matter, as found in the Last Supper discourse in John 14-16. For Easter 5B, the Gospel selection is John [...] The post Today in the Spirit: Easter 5B appeared first on Anglican Compass ..read more

On Good Shepherd Sunday, we both acknowledge that we are sheep who go astray and also glory in the good news that Jesus is our shepherd. Typical features of the day include a collect on the theme of the Good Shepherd and the reading or singing of Psalm 23 or Psalm 100. The gospel reading [...] The post Good Shepherd Sunday: A Rookie Anglican Guide appeared first on Anglican Compass ..read more

What is Going On? I first read a series of tweets from church leaders citing tremendous and unexpected growth in attendance in their congregations over the last few months. They were not commenting on Easter crowds but on Easter-like trends. Since their churches were not Anglican, I thought I’d better check in with some of [...] The post Is Your Church Suddenly Growing? appeared first on Anglican Compass ..read more

By the end of Easter 3, the Sunday lectionary has covered all the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus recorded in Luke and John; so at Easter 4, the church makes a shift in the assignment of Gospel readings to those of our Lord’s teaching about the new life of the kingdom of God under his reign [...] The post Today in the Spirit: Easter 4B (Good Shepherd) appeared first on Anglican Compass ..read more