By: Paul Detterman, National Director for The Fellowship Community It happened last night. A few hundred people came out in the middle of a cluttered week when the local collegiate basketball team was playing (competing gods in this town!) to be reminded that we were going to die and that we could choose to truly…

By Paul Detterman – There is a true story in my family about a sibling a generation before me who, when caught misbehaving, would often say, “Well, I’m not as bad as the rest of the kids!” Any armchair psychologist can recognize denial when they hear it! The point, of course, was not what everyone…

G. K. Chesterton, the “Prince of Paradox” once said, “The world shall starve not for a lack of wonders, but for lack of wonder.” This is never more clear to me than each December as the “holiday” playlists arrive in stores, and everything from Handel to hip-hop brings the vibe of the season alive. Music…

It may seem like semantics – the difference between a congregation that prays and a praying congregation. They sound like the same thing – but what if they aren’t? The former describes a congregation who participates in prayer as an activity; it is a church that worships, that enjoy a good potluck together, that serves…

How do we get the church’s leaders ready for ministry in a world which has mostly moved on from Christianity? How can a denomination like ECO or a movement like The Fellowship Community prepare leaders who will be able to engage with a rapidly-changing post-modern (and even post-post-modern) cultural context? Dana Allin, Synod Executive of…

By Valerie A. Lucas- Looking back on the path that has led me here today, I realize there are 3 major things that have shaped my prayer life: unanswered prayers, the bold prayers of others, and living in the word of God. 14 years ago my dad suffered a massive stroke. My whole world collapsed,…

Lloyd Presbyterian with the Fellowship Community By Rev. Laura Spangler – What joy I experienced when our session unanimously said yes to joining the Fellowship Community, October 12, 2014.   Our vision statement at Lloyd Presbyterian Church is Following Jesus, Making Disciples and Serving God’s People. Lloyd is an historically African American Church founded in 1870.…

As the Fellowship Community “stays in…while reaching out”, the 2 or 3 Network (aka “Wee Kirk”) will do the same! The richness of small membership church ministry will reach out beyond “Wee Kirk” borders! We’ll be reaching out to share this UNIQUE ministry with folks in other denominations. In July 2014, the National Wee Kirk…

We continue our blog series on The Fellowship’s Core Values.  Recently we’ve heard from Donna Marsh about our Jesus Shaped Identity, Jim Singleton wrote about Biblical Integrity, and Jerry Andrews shared with us about Thoughtful Theology.  I wrote about community this past summer and the messiness that it can bring.  But, the bottom line is…

The Fellowship Community continues our blog series on our Core Values. Brenda Norton reminded us of our Jesus Shaped Identity and last week Jim Singleton shared about Biblical Integrity. Today, Jerry Andrews talks to us about Thoughtful Theology and its importance in the Fellowship’s conversations. Today he addresses this value: “We believe in theological education,…

As the Fellowship Community prepares to officially launch in January of 2015, we are visiting the Core Values that we were birthed from.  A few weeks ago, Brenda Norton got us started with “Jesus Shaped Identity.”  This week, Jim Singleton focuses us on our next value of “Biblical Integrity.”  Stay tuned for Jerry Andrew’s blog…

The Renovation of the Church When we let go of our visions of what success looks like, and if we are able to face ourselves and our own woundedness, there is great potential for God to move in our lives and in our ministries. As co-pastors of Oak Hills Church in Folsom, California, Kent Carlson…

In stressful times, everyone wishes for a silver bullet: one simple way out of a difficult mess, one thing to do to resolve interlocking problems. Every parent of a troubled teen searches desperately for one mentor or one school that will get the beloved child back on track. In troubled marriages, the couple often searches…

In this short video from the 2014 Gathering, Michael Homan introduces Katherine Alsdorf and her talk “The Church Scattered: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work.” And asks what does it look like for a community shaped in reformed theology to be the church not only gathered but scattered into the work?

In this short video from the 2014 Gathering, Michael Homan introduces Katherine Alsdorf and her talk “The Church Scattered: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work.” And asks what does it look like for a community shaped in reformed theology to be the church not only gathered but scattered into the work?  

“Connecting Your Work to God’s Work” Katherine Alsdorf unpacks how a faith and work ministry will help you and your church move forward in the values that ECO and the Fellowship put forth. She lines out three reason why your church should make a major commitment to faith and work ministry regardless of the size…

“Shaped By Shared Leadership” True community empowers every member to embrace his or her role. Instead of a single leader assuming responsibility, Ephesians 4 offers a model of what greater ministry engagement and impact looks like when everyone gets in the game. Alan Hirsch explains why the reformed church should be continually reforming according to…

“Creative in Community” What are the five key elements in creating biblical community? Most church leaders have a general understanding of community, but few understand how the church, in a desire to be effective, has actually inoculated itself against community. The “solution has become the problem” for many North American congregations. Discover the “secret sauce”…

Pastor Covenant Groups As pastors, elders, staff, and congregational leaders, what are we consuming or being consumed by that affects our call to follow Jesus and lead others? Anna Kent, Jim Singleton and others look at the overall health of pastor and church leaders and explore practical ways to nourish our continued growth as leaders of…