Northfield Ministerial Blogging Association

Rev. Craig Ellingboe joins the blogsophere

Rev. Craig Ellingboe, senior pastor at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Northfield, has become the second member of the Northfield Ministerial Blogging Association.

His new weblog is now up.

I took this photo of him today in his office, showing me his favorite technological tool for fixing typos. Click to enlarge.

Pastor Bruce Benson on gay marriage and civil unions

St. Olaf College's preacher/college pastor Bruce Benson had a commentary in last week's StarTribune titled: For sake of civil debate, there's virtue in silence.

I'm afraid that taking my own advice in the following paragraphs will be too difficult for me. I'm a firm believer in what the Bible teaches about homosexuality, but I'm proposing that all Bible believers excuse themselves from further public debate on marriage amendments and same-sex civil unions. Here's why:

Pre- or post-sermon blogging

I recorded this via my cell phone on the way to the Cities today. I'm wondering about the advantages and disadvantages of blogging in preparation for a sermon vs. blogging about a sermon that's already been given.

Click play to listen. Time: 5:05.

Engs on Dempsey

As I was departing the Ole Store after lunch with Justin Stets today, I chatted with Ray and Mary Ann Eng who had just had lunch with friends. They immediately told me that they'd started reading Father Dempsey's weblog... and Mary Ann made a point of how much she appreciated his What is God really like? post and subsequent sermon a week or so ago.  When I told them that Fr. Denny would soon have a podcast, he wondered if it might include some of pastoral singing, as evidently the padre has quite the voice.

I took the photo (click to enlarge) of Mary Ann and Ray last summer at The Contented Cow and blogged it. Mary Ann's son, John Kristiansen of Northport, Michigan, had contributed many items to an ArtSwirl art auction to benefit the NAG.

Sidebar changes

• I've added a sidebar listing of Northfield area churches with websites.  Let me know if I've missed any.
• On the bloggers left sidebars, I've added a feed that grabs the headlines from this weblog. I've called it "NMBA News." I figure that many people will link right to their favorite ministerial blogger and it might help them to know what else is going on with the project.
• I've renamed the listing of bloggers to "NMBA Blogroll."
• I"ve added the option for visitors to subscribe to the blogs via email, using a service called Feedblitz.
• I'm aggregating the ministers' blogs posts on the right sidebar of this weblog. Not sure what I'll do when the list gets long. That'll be a nice problem to have.

Real Live Preacher

Probably the best known blogging member of the clergy in the US is Gordon Atkinson, pastor of Covenant Baptist Church, in San Antonio.  His blog: Real Live Preacher.

He's published a book, a collection of essays from his blog, plus a few extras.

Rev. Craig Ellingboe, coming soon

Rev. Craig Ellingboe, senior pastor at St. Peter's Lutheran Church, will become a blogger next week.

Father Denny Dempsey joins the blogosphere

Father Denny Dempsey, pastor of the Church of St. Dominic in Northfield, has become the first member of the Northfield Ministerial Blogging Association to launch a weblog.

He's already marginally adequate and showing signs of considerable potential.

Coming soon

Watch for the first weblog by a Northfield, Minnesota area minister, coming soon.