BLOG SERIES: The RE REsearch REview Riverlocks and the Three Denominations: A Fairytale That Is Saturated with Bears, Meaning, and Truth and That Ends Really Well Once upon a time, Riverlocks decided she needed a new denomination. Her old denomination was good, but Riverlocks had started to feel like she had outgrown it. And so, she went to the denomination store to see what she could find.   The first denomination she encountered was “E.” Now, “E” came highly recommended. In fact, before Riverlocks went to the store, she was pretty sure this would be the denomination for her. And “E” seemed very familiar. It had the same theology, the same structure and, generally speaking, the same polity as her old denomination. It was nice being in the know. “E” even invited Riverlocks to share a quick snack with him, but while the snack looked like it should be appetizing, Riverlocks was surprised

BLOG SERIES: The RE REsearch REview If you want to buy a particular house, you create a pros/cons sheet and list them all out. If you want to join a denomination, you do the same thing; but instead of calling them pros and cons, we call them benefits and shortcomings. So, what about ECO? We know a lot about their theology and their methodology, their mission and vision, their strategy and hopes. It’s all pretty cool. But what about the benefits for us? To answer that, here’s a script with three readers. Enjoy. It’s truly beneficial.   Ten ECO Benefits Reader 1: One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine --- ten!  The ten ECO Benefits.  Reader 2:  The ten ECO Benefits.  Reader 1:  Number one: It’s egalitarian Reader 2: A former member said: “Being in a congregation where I knew I could never serve as an elder made me feel like

BLOG SERIES: The RE REsearch REview For the next few weeks, we have the privilege of hearing from guest bloggers to help us think about the plans for our church's future. ____________________ by Megan Ferber Have you ever had one of those very energetic friends, who has lots of great ideas, fresh vigor, and probably was, at some point in life, either a youth pastor or a middle school teacher? As an introvert, I love these people for their ability to draw me out and introduce really fun new adventures. But at some point, I start feeling fatigued and making not-so-subtle hints at them— like a cross symbol brandished at vampires. What if this friend then turned out to have depths of wisdom and understanding? What if, after telling you about an awesome hiking adventure they’re planning that should lead to incredible views and wonderful conversations, they say, “Now, if we’re going

BLOG SERIES: The RE REsearch REview For the next few weeks, we have the privilege of hearing from guest bloggers to help us think about the plans for our church's future. ____________________ by Megan Ferber I quickly realized that when I was first asked to join the denominational research team, I had to figure out first why denominations matter. That’s kind of a big deal. You don’t want someone helping to decide the next steps of a church, and not having a good idea why the choice matters! It’s a really big deal.  But I have thoroughly appreciated the journey and the conversations I have had along the way. And I wouldn’t mind having even more. So let me tell you where I’ve landed at present, and I’d love to talk more with anyone who’s interested! To begin with, I was raised in a non-denominational, Protestant church of a few hundred members.