The Nurgakivi Selts is envisioned as a network of free-use chapels with capacity for 12 worshipers maximum. Chapels are intended as a short-term resource for small gatherings of seekers, worshipers and refuge seekers in places too small or remote to plant a church or maintain a full-use building. Chapels address the need for low cost, purpose-built, and easily managed infrastructure to facilitate small worship gatherings. Chapels also anticipate the growing need for temporary shelter for pilgrims, the broken and needy, or those fleeing war or hardship in their home country.
Rural Re-evangelization Summer Internship
Purpose The purpose of this internship is to provide a mentored, immersive, cross-cultural ministry experience for young people discerning the shape of their contribution to the re-evangelization of the post-Christian West. Growth focuses Skills for immersive cross-cultural ministry, applicable in any setting Familiarization with a functional language learning model Developing tools for asset-based community development … Continue reading Rural Re-evangelization Summer Internship
Q. Ukraine – Is NATO expansion to blame?
Below is my response to an article an inquisitive friend emailed to me earlier this year by Christopher Caldwell. As a number of other voices have done recently, Caldwell argues that Russia's military action in Ukraine is best understood as a predictable reaction to NATO "expansion". My friend asked for my perspective and I thought … Continue reading Q. Ukraine – Is NATO expansion to blame?
Ukrainitsi v Rapli
(Feature image by Pastor Craig Goodwin, Spokane, WA) I haven't been active on the blog now for quite some time because since early March my attention has been focused on welcoming, accommodating and assisting Ukrainian refugees who are settling in Rapla as they wait out the war in their homeland. Gathering what we have learned … Continue reading Ukrainitsi v Rapli
Pensively Pastoral: A Reader’s Advisory
I have been struggling to know where to start my next blog series entitled "Pensively Pastoral". The purpose of the series is to outline some of the problems that I see with our conception of the pastorate - at least in the traditions and settings I am familiar with. However, I fear this series will … Continue reading Pensively Pastoral: A Reader’s Advisory
Mission in the Cloud
My last few posts have been riffs on re-imagining our approach to evangelizing a whole cultural-geographical area. Missio-mandering introduced our Union's approach to administrative regions and discussed whether the limitations of the current system might be alleviated by redistricting. This may seem like a purely political question but for rural pastors geographical proximity to partners … Continue reading Mission in the Cloud