Return of the Roundtable

The Sermon Roundtable is returning.

For four years in Clarksville, every Tuesday night was a time when you could come and discuss the scripture passage(s) we would be reading at Bethlehem UMC the following Sunday. Those that participated ended up being much more engaged in the sermon on Sunday, since they had been part of the preparation process. Those who came on a regular basis really became theologians in their own right, growing in their ability to read the Bible critically in conversation with others who brought very different life experiences to the table.

I wrote an article about this gathering a few years back in Circuit Rider magazine, Collaborative Preaching and Holy Conversation, which you can read on Ministry Matters.

I have wanted to bring this method of collaborative preaching to Arlington, but I could never really find a time to do it with all the other things I did each week. We're starting this now because over the last three years, all the mid-week Bible study formats we've tried have not worked, so we're trying something new outside of the church walls.

Arlington's Sermon Roundtable be meeting on Wednesdays at 6pm at the Starbucks in Nashboro Village (2308 Murfessboro Pike, Nashville).

We'll be discussing the text(s) that we'll be reading at Arlington 10 days later. This week we'll be reading John 20:1-20, which is the Resurrection story in John's gospel that we'll be reading on Easter Sunday, April 20.

There are no rules at this Bible study other than to respect one another. There are no dumb questions, no bad ideas, even if we disagree. This is a fun format where we can explore in a more relaxed environment than we usually experience inside the walls of a church building.

The title "Sermon Roundtable" is taken from the title of a book called The Roundtable Pulpit one of my seminary professors, John McClure, wrote, describing the theory of incorporating multiple voices in proclamation.

For those that may be wondering, I haven't given up blogging altogether. I've had lots of thoughts and feelings in the last few months, I just didn't think that this was the best medium to share them as I am thinking through issues of church, faith, and my own understanding of how God is calling me in ministry.

I'll try to post on a semi-regular basis, but I don't know when or if I'll ever be a regular blogger again.

In the meantime, if you're in Nashville and inclined to engage in some free form spiritual conversation, come join us on Wednesdays at 6pm.