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United Methodist Church

What The United Methodist Church Needs to Persevere and Thrive

Every day closer to General Conference intensifies the feeling of apprehension I have about The United Methodist Church. It prompts the question, “What does the church need to persevere and (even) to thrive?” In the following answer, I’ve tried to

Stephen Rankin March 15, 2016 Religion, United Methodism 2 Comments Read more

United Methodist Polity: A Question

United Methodism’s current agonies uncover a deep problem related to our polity.   Maybe it’s a good time, then, to ask a basic question. What does it mean for us United Methodists to live with a specific polity? To get

Stephen Rankin September 19, 2015 Ministry, Religion, The Church, United Methodism 7 Comments Read more

Exposing Bad Thinking: An Illustration of Why Method Matters

My most recent post spoke to the importance of good method in having arguments.  I follow up here with a specific example to show why it matters in crucially practical ways.) A recent flurry of blog posts and “sharing” among

Stephen Rankin October 4, 2014October 4, 2014 General, Religion, United Methodism 14 Comments Read more

A Practical Lesson in Church Order

Wendy Deichmann’s essay on Order in The United Methodist Church, found here (http://www.catalystresources.org/the-ministry-of-order/) prompted a memory of how I learned – up close and personal – about Order. It was the mid-1980s and I was a young pastor.  I don’t

Stephen Rankin May 14, 2014 Ministry, The Church, United Methodism 9 Comments Read more

Grown-Up Discipleship: Loving Enemies

John Wesley begins the concluding paragraph of his third discourse on the Sermon on the Mount in this way: “Behold Christianity in its native form; as delivered by its great Author!  This is the genuine religion of Jesus Christ.” When

Stephen Rankin November 30, 2012November 30, 2012 Christian Life, Doctrine/Theology, General, Ministry, Preaching/Teaching, Religion, The Church, United Methodism 1 Comment Read more
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Meet Steve

I serve as Executive Director of the Spiritual Maturity Project, a ministry some of us have recently started.  For 25 years I worked in higher education as a professor and chaplain and before that as a pastor.  I love to help people grapple with big and basic questions to grow into real ,grown-up Christian discipleship.

I ruminate on all manner of theological, biblical, historical, and cultural topics. I believe followers of Jesus need to be more like members of Issachar’s tribe, able to read the times. Read more

 

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