by Richard Bass I’m sure you’ve heard the rumblings: like the U.S. economy, congregations in the United States are heading for their own fiscal cliff. A couple of recent high-profile books—Diana Butler Bass’s Christianity after Religion: The End of Church and the Birth…
Read MoreAsk Alban: Neophobia
by Susan Nienaber Q: My congregation has never been very good with change. Whenever a new idea is proposed, it is quickly shot down with the phrase, “that isn’t how we do things here.” Our new pastor has been drawing in…
Read MoreUnconventional Wisdom: Fundraising Beliefs
by Dan Hotchkiss Why do people give to congregations? How you answer this question makes a difference to your fundraising efforts. Luckily, while stewardship theologies vary, there is little mystery or doubt about the motivations behind generous giving. Successful fundraisers, religious…
Read MoreCenterView: What Are Congregations For?
by Tim Shapiro Some time ago Wendell Berry wrote an essay in which the title asks, “What Are People For?” The context was the movement of people from farm to city. Berry argues that such a pilgrimage weakens small towns and…
Read MoreThe Leading Edge: Our Epic Journey
by James P. Wind One of the things that fascinates me about congregations is their paradoxical character. Regularly, they surprise us with their contradictory behaviors. A newcomer can visit a congregation one weekend and find it a very welcoming place. The…
Read MoreTraining Wheels
by Kathy Smith Recently, while walking our dogs in the neighborhood, my husband and I saw a girl and her mother riding their bikes. Clothed in helmets and reflective jackets they approached us on the sidewalk. The girl rode a bike…
Read MoreTo Pew, or Not to Pew, That Is the Question
by Donna SchaperPews are where most people sit to worship in old-line Protestantism. They are valuable as antiques, averaging $1,000 each in funky marketplaces. They tend to be uncomfortable, although The Comfortable Pew was the title of a once-popular Protestant book….
Read MoreSpiritual Travels with Bruce
by Martin Davis Though Bruce Epperly is now a grandfather, he understands well the trials and tribulations facing our youngest ministers. Graduating from Claremont University in 1980 with a Ph.D., he did not find a tenure-track job, so he was forced…
Read MoreFollowing–Backwards and In Heels
by Kerra Becker English Ginger Rogers danced all the same moves as Fred Astaire, but she did them backwards, and in heels! I’m not the first to notice. This quote has gone around in dance circles for probably as long as…
Read MoreCovenants of Leadership Behavior
Efforts to lead change are often defeated or sabotaged, not by open and honest disagreement, but by inappropriate, unhelpful, or indirect behaviors. Board members who do not say what they think while sitting at the board table but who hold…
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