At first you might think Rob Bryceson is a contractor, not a pastor. He’s wearing a Caterpillar machinery hat and his phone keeps ringing about the morning’s water main break at First Covenant Church.
In the past two weeks, I have learned of a death of an acquaintance, celebrated a wedding and mourned anew on the 12th anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks. It was really a sharp contrast: many lives taken too soon juxtaposed with the radiant joy and fellowship of celebrating the forming of a new family.
The time that Christians are coming together to praise God — 11 a.m. on Sundays — is also the most segregated hour of America, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once pointed out. Two local religious leaders say decades later King’s words still ring true. They offered their insights on church segregation today, explaining what it looks like, why they believe people should care, and what can be done about it.
We keep saying millennials are leaving the church, but before we start discussing why that is, let's take a look at the numbers prompting researchers to make such a claim.