Saint Paul is such a great example of leadership. First, he gave himself 100% in service to God and the Church, showing us what commitment looked like, what it costs, and how it can transform people and communities. I love that. Enthusiasm is contagious, and St. Paul was enthusiastic for a … [Read more...]
Three Traps for New (and Old) Priests
There are many traps that new priests fall into (nor are the more experienced immune). Today I want to warn them away from three that occur all too frequently; choosing sides necessarily, blaming the former pastor for current problems, and making friends with parishioners. The Temptation of C … [Read more...]
Parish Boards, Truncated Sample Bias, and Parish Reform
Studies in the self-help genre are notorious for their bad science (i.e. for their poorly constructed research designs) - even when they seem to rely on good data. One of the most common traps is to rely on truncated or "survivor" samples. To see how easy it is to fall into that trap, let's do s … [Read more...]
Things in the Text of the Divine Liturgy That Make Me Smile
I pray that none will take offense at this post. It is the way of some (like the hobbits and the English) to make light of serious matters and to give light matters excessive dignity. This is a case of the former. - Fr. Anthony +++ Like all priests, I love the Divine Liturgy. Not just the M … [Read more...]
Priests MUST Manage Their (Financial) Households Well
For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God? (1 Timothy 3:5) The church leader must be "one that governs well his own house." Even those who are without the church have the saying that one who is a good manager of a house will be a good statesman. … [Read more...]
Orthopraxis and Theosis – The role of ritual in the training of the mind
Here is the paper I presented (warts and all) at the St. Sophia Institute Conference on Vladimir Lossky's The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church. The conference was excellent and recommend such things to all those interested in such things. The paper may be useful to priests and church lead … [Read more...]
You Can’t Plan for a Funeral
This title is not making a theological statement; of course we can and should prepare for our own funeral. This is about something else. There's a joke that is popular among priests. It goes something like this; Bishop: Father, I need you to come in for an important committee meeting on the … [Read more...]
