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Kristine Blaess

The Rev. Dr. Kristine Blaess is rector at St. Paul’s Church, Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She spent her first decade of ordained ministry in rural Idaho serving congregations in majority LDS communities. Her doctoral work emerged from her desire to help congregations flourish as their leaders grow ever deeper as disciples and disciplers of Jesus Christ.

A Few Hours of Catechesis

At the beginning of Advent, one of the elementary-age children in our church walked into her Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Atrium and bee-lined...

On Being a Theologian of the Cross

The season is changing. These past weeks, in the mornings I have been putting the garden to bed. The horn worms have eaten the...

Joyful Mission in a Christian Household

By Kristine Blaess As our eldest child is preparing to leave home for college this fall, I have been reflecting on these precious years with...

Becoming Leaders of Profound Change

By Kristine Blaess In 1992, President Václav Havel of Czechoslovakia wrote an Opinion piece for The New York Times that electrified its readership. “The end...

A Tiny Pantry Becomes a Blessing Box

By Kristine Blaess In 2020, one of our young members proposed his Eagle Scout project — a tiny pantry on the church grounds like the...

Getting to the Heart of the Matter

By Kristine Blaess As we are taking stock after the pandemic, I notice in myself and in my congregation an increased clarity about who we...

Looking for Seeds of the Kingdom

By Kristine Blaess The incredible promise of Christianity is that salvation in all its fullness is coming to all people. Jesus the Messiah has come;...

Finding Life Through Death: An Encouragement

By Kristine Blaess Back in 2011, I was serving a small church in rural Idaho. We were two years into the 2009 recession with no...

Tips for Reversing the COVID Slump

“Being in touch has made the biggest difference.”

Some Thoughts on Thriving as a Church

Part of what makes leading a church so dynamic and exciting is that, within our ministries, we lead at least three different sorts of...