Darryl W. Stephens

“Global governance is dead,” declared Mark Holland, Executive Director of Mainstream UMC, in a recent blog post. He described a 30-year experiment in global governance within The United Methodist Church (UMC) and called for its end. Mainstream UMC is rightly concerned about the politics of globalization in the UMC. The history of this situation, however, … Read more

Elizabeth Soto Albrecht, my good colleague, you are making your mark in Anabaptist theology. Our book, Liberating the Politics of Jesus, is cited no less than three times in the St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology. Thank you to Jamie Pitts and Luis Tapia Rubio for their work in writing this article on Anabaptist Theology. The … Read more

Methodism and American Empire investigates historical trajectories and theological developments that connect American imperialism since World War II to the Methodist tradition as a global movement. Gathering voices and perspectives from around the world, this volume tells a tale of complex negotiations happening between United Methodists across different national, cultural, and ecclesial contexts and sets up … Read more

Diakonia is a strange Greek word. It is often translated as service. But diakonia means much more than simply doing things for others. It is an essential part of Christian identity and discipleship. It is about who we are and what we do as followers of Christ. Through baptism, we join not only the “priesthood of … Read more

I am honored to be one of the presenters for Lancaster Interchurch Peace Witness, Oct 22, 2023, at James Street Mennonite Church in Lancaster. Our topic is “Liberating the Politics of Jesus.” Please join us! https://lancasterinterchurchpeacewitness.org/ When politics is reduced to statecraft and peace to the absence of war, we miss the radical implications of … Read more

Diakonia is a form of Christian motivated social service. It is originally modeled on Jesus’s insistence on serving his disciples (Luke 22:26–27) and its expressions in Acts and the early church. Today, diakonia is focused not only on serving others but also advocating for others, empowering them, and joining them in solidarity to build participatory … Read more

What is the fasted growing segment of North American Christianity? So many congregations have lost membership over the past twenty years, this question may surprise you. Faith Communities Today, “Twenty Years of Congregational Change: The 2020 Faith Communities Today Overview” (Hartford, CT: Hartford Institute for Religion Research, 2021), https://faithcommunitiestoday.org/fact-2020-survey/, 11. If you are wondering if … Read more

Diakonia is essential to the church’s mission and ministry in North America. Such is the premise of “Revitalizing the Church through Diaconal Studies in North American Theological Education,” a research project of Warburg Theological Seminary, which recently received a grant from the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation for this work. The four-person leadership … Read more

Do mainline churches find traditional seminary education an obstacle to thriving? “As churches shrink and pastors retire, creative workarounds are redefining ministry,” reported Elizabeth E. Evans recently in Religion News Service. A workaround, by definition, is an alternate path used when the main path is not longer serviceable. Workarounds are required when existing structures no … Read more

During these summer months, I have been teaching and learning about the diaconate of all believers at Otterbein UMC, Lancaster, PA. We started by sharing how each of us volunteers in service in the community. Then, we asked, Where is God in these relationships? Listen to our podcast about “Diakonia, how and why we serve … Read more