Eddie Pipkin

About Eddie Pipkin

Eddie Pipkin has 30 years in ministry experience at churches in Georgia and Florida, primarily in the United Methodist Church. His ministry leadership includes stints in youth and children's ministry, creative worship design, outreach and missions, communications, special event coordination, and leadership development. He currently resides in Orlando, Florida. His original careers were in journalism and teaching at the college level, and he has a Master's Degree in English from the University of Central Florida (with an emphasis in creative writing). He also has worked as an independent editor, and he has an alter-ego known as the Rapping Lamb. He is an avid cyclist, outdoorsman and pie aficionado.

Places to Play

by Eddie Pipkin Image by Aritha from Pixabay Jonathan Haidt has a new book coming out at the end of the month called “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness.”  His premise is clear.  Young people are in trouble because of the devices that [...]

Places to Play2024-05-10T14:41:38-04:00

Magnificent Ministry Milieus

by Eddie Pipkin Image by Alana Jordan from Pixabay The NFL Players Association does a highly detailed survey each year in which they have each member evaluate the working conditions at the various team facilities, as well as travel logistics, accommodations, food quality, support services, communications, childcare, really anything and everything that touches [...]

Magnificent Ministry Milieus2024-05-10T14:41:38-04:00

Icing on the Cake

by Eddie Pipkin Image by SplitShire from Pixabay I was at a wedding with chosen family this past weekend in Atlanta, and what a joyous time it was.  The venue was beautiful, as were the bride and her mom, our dear friend from way back.  The food was delicious, the ceremony heartfelt.  The [...]

Icing on the Cake2024-05-10T14:41:38-04:00

Peanut Butter Cup Ministry

by Eddie Pipkin Image by pixel1 from Pixabay I was making myself a quick snack-lunch the other day, a banana with peanut butter, when I thought, “You know, sometimes two great tastes really do go great together.”  There are plenty of potent examples of that truism, including the commercial version of the chocolate [...]

Peanut Butter Cup Ministry2024-05-10T14:41:38-04:00

Hype Man

by Eddie Pipkin Image by Julien Tromeur from Pixabay I was at the Friday night NASCAR truck race at Daytona International Speedway last weekend – always an evening of high-speed thrills and great people watching – but one of my favorite parts of the evening was watching the amateur “hype man” in the [...]

Hype Man2024-05-10T14:41:38-04:00

Love and Death

by Eddie Pipkin Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay This year marked one of the rare occasions on which Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday aligned.  The two “holidays” have antithetical purposes – one to celebrate the joys of romantic love and one to remind us that life is short and then we die.  It’s [...]

Love and Death2024-05-10T14:41:38-04:00

Introvert Economy

by Eddie Pipkin Image by ambermb from Pixabay The pandemic interlude had a dramatic impact on ministry.  Looking back on that era, we can see ways that things that felt like they were going to be monumental permanent shifts were really just temporary blips.  We can see ways that what was inevitable was [...]

Introvert Economy2024-05-10T14:41:38-04:00

Trending Now

by Eddie Pipkin Image by BeccaH from Pixabay You may or may not have seen a recent article from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership identifying ministry trends for 2024.  You will already be familiar with them in some form, since you are likely dealing with them in practical ways. The Lewis Center, [...]

Trending Now2024-05-10T14:41:38-04:00

Who’s Got It Better Than Us?

by Eddie Pipkin Image by Daniel Reche from Pixabay Jim Harbaugh, coach of the national champion Michigan Wolverines football team, is famous for, among other things, motivating his players with an old family motto, “Who’s got it better than us?”  It’s a phrase that works on multiple levels, and just as it helped [...]

Who’s Got It Better Than Us?2024-05-10T14:41:38-04:00

Polyrhythm Part 2

by Eddie Pipkin Image by majolala from Pixabay Last week I wrote about the collision of different schedules and lifestyle logistics when people in the same household are visiting together over the holidays.  I made the argument that, rather than tension and drama resulting from the intersection of those differences, a beautiful synthesis [...]

Polyrhythm Part 22024-05-10T14:41:38-04:00