Many churches feel as if they have been through war. Advent offers the possibility of helping to heal the wounds of war in our midst.
All in Church
Healthy Responses for Church Leaders: What is “Health” Anyway?
I think a lot of how we think of pastoral care is actually care that’s happening at the intervention level of spiritual health.
Dimensions of Leadership
Mission, context and purpose are significant for congregational leaders, yet each of these things can quickly and easily be lost in the rapidly changing world we inhabit.
Confessions of an Exhausted Volunteer
Ultimately, I am praising God for inviting all of us to partner together to fulfill God’s purposes; we were never called to shoulder the work on our own.
What “Field of Dreams” Taught Me about Church
Wouldn’t it be great if we were so locked in to the guidance of the Spirit that nothing could persuade us to cease in our effort to follow where it leads?
Healthy Responses for Church Leaders: Preserving (not Creating) Unity and the Bond of Peace
Churches of Christ haven’t had a hard time wanting Christian unity, but we have had a difficult time keeping it.
Not All Problems Are Alike!
Congregational leadership is often comprised of various problems that call for attention—everything from sorting out a new insurance policy to discerning the next step for pursuing God’s mission.
You Mean I Have to Go Back Next Week Too?
It is--and always has been--a problem. But I do think we can be more intentional with our new disciples in order to help them understand what God expects of them.
Three Metaphors for a Missional Church, Part 3: Terminal
Consistently, Christians experience the various blessings of God, such as salvation in Christ, a loving family in his church, and physical provisions.
Healthy Responses for Church Leaders: How to Stop Playing Tennis with Yourself
”Your system is perfectly designed to get the results you are now getting!” Something is going to have to change in the system to produce a change in the outcomes.
Five Keys to Reviving a Dying Church
Some churches have to die, allowing its members to use their talents and resources elsewhere. Many churches, however, still have life in them.
Warnings and Prescriptions from a Christian Intellectual
we are often a thinking people. Rarely are we accused of being overly emotional. Personally, as a working minister, I sometime wish our congregations would do a bit more thinking
Looking for Millennials, Part Two
Not all young adults are the same, but Sachs and Bos identify major trends, encouraging churches to realign in several ways.
Three Metaphors for a Missional Church, Part 2: Sailboat
God may send his people to minister to a certain group or in a certain section of town that some do not want to go. He might call his people to bring a message that some don’t want to give.
They Are Weak, but He Is Strong
There is something about faith in Christ that causes us to be the most at peace, when the world thinks we should be the most disturbed.
Three Metaphors for a Missional Church, Part 1: Lizard
Slowly, over the past several decades, church and the Christian faith have moved from the center of society to the margin of society.
Healthy Responses for Church Leaders: Human Beings or Human Becomings?
Growth is movement. Growth is dynamic. Growth is process. Focus on cultivating healthy processes, and the content will improve.
To White Christian Leaders
Spend time in our communities, become a member or a frequent attender of a black church, live in our neighborhoods, and/or send your children to predominantly black schools to experience it.
Siburt Institute: Mission Revisited
We are grateful for the ways God has blessed the life of the institute, and we are hopeful for what lies ahead!
When Ministers Change Their Minds
When we preach we cast a vision, we speak a reminder, we offer a challenge, but more than anything, we invite people into the wonder of God. We extend the invitation, and that is all we can do.