Articles for tag: Laura Buffington

February 11, 2016

By Laura Buffington Try as we might, we cannot escape pop culture. I could throw away my smartphone and move to a cabin in the woods, but Taylor Swift would still find me. I could try to ignore her and The Hunger Games and The Walking Dead. I could pretend Netflix never became a way of life and Twitter never became an official language. But it will all still be out there. Whether I open the door or not, pop culture will be around, shaping (or reflecting) the way people think, talk, and move. It is pervasive and powerful, sometimes

July 13, 2015

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Leadership Development

Laura Buffington’s Thought Leaders

We asked 35 Christian leaders, “Who is the influencer with the biggest impact on your life and ministry?” Most of these leaders listed severalÂ influential thinkers, writers, innovators, and leaders more of us should get to know. This response is from Laura Buffington, teaching pastor with SouthBrook Christian Church, Miamisburg, Ohio. ________ Wendell Berry: His poetry, stories, and essays on knowing our place and living in place reshape the world for me every time I read him. Christena Cleveland: Her work on loving through differences is truthful and painful in all the correct ways. Lee Magness: I”m indebted to many teachers

May 7, 2015

Christian Standard

Discipleship & Spiritual Formation

Growing Deeper

By Jennifer Johnson A look at how some growing churches are growing in ways difficult to measure but vital to achieve. ____ Jason Yeatts Executive minister, adults The Creek, Indianapolis, Indiana In our movement, I think the habits of the early 19th century are ingrained””that discipleship means giving people the right material or sermon. At The Creek, we have made an intentional shift from “informational discipleship” to a relational model. Four years ago we started a series of four classes called “Life on Life.” The idea was you”d move through them””from Belong to Grow to Serve to Engage””and be ready

January 11, 2014

Christian Standard

Money & Debt Stewardship & Generosity

Consuming Fire: Making Room for God

By Laura Buffington It”s absolutely right to consider congregational surveys, meet felt needs, and offer the crowd exactly what it wants. Jesus himself sometimes did this. But what can we learn from the times he did something entirely different? And how do we point church consumers toward the God who wants to consume them? When I was fresh out of seminary and brand new to church meetings, I had a hard time making a distinction between the two environments. In meetings about parking lot flow and service times, my mind was always wandering off to abstract questions about how traffic

July 4, 2013

Christian Standard

Church Leadership

40 Under 40: Laura Buffington

LAURA BUFFINGTON Spiritual formation pastor, Southbrook Christian Church, Miamisburg, Ohio “The word of God is powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword” is a truth that comes vividly to life in the preaching and teaching of Laura Buffington. Laura has an uncanny sensitivity into the aspirations and anxieties of others””including those very different from herself””so that her preaching touches the deepest center of needs in her listeners, offering comfort and conviction, understanding and inspiration. She is attuned to current cultural trends, while also being deeply grounded in Scripture. Her sermons bring the heart of Scripture to touch the hearts of listeners.