The television commercials were disturbing. Images showed congregants at traditionallooking churches barring or even physically ejecting members of racial and ethnic minorities, gay couples, and people with disabilities. One tag line read, “Jesus didn’t turn people away. Neither do we.”…
Read MoreShould We Have a Congregational Meeting?
Q: Our congregation is struggling with several difficult decisions, some of which have caused quite a bit of controversy and emotional responses among some members. We are considering having a congregational meeting to see what the members think, “clear…
Read MoreRecommended Readings from the Congregational Resource Guide
Baab, Lynne M. Friending: Real Relationships in a Virtual World (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2011). Lynne Baab explores the components of meaningful friendships—including listening, remembering, praying, asking, giving, thanking, sharing, caring, accepting, and forgiving. She asserts that the key challenge…
Read MoreNew and Noteworthy, Congregations, 2011, Issues 3 & 4 (Double Issue)
Inside the Large Congregation AL419 | $18.00 For five years, Alban Institute senior consultant Susan Beaumont has been giving voice to the organizational and leadership demands of large congregations. Through her work, she has identified five basic leadership systems that…
Read MoreReviews, Congregations, Issues 3 & 4, 2011 (Double Issue)
Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul by Howard Schultz with Joanne Gordon During our stewardship campaigns at Western Church, one of our thirty-something elders always brings up Starbucks as she speaks to…
Read MoreCenterView: Let’s Survey the Congregation!
I still remember how excited and hopeful I felt when my congregation embarked on the assessment process that was going to transform our ministry and lead us into a bright future. And I still remember the disappointment and let-down I…
Read MoreThe Leading Edge: Lessons from Prison
On July 28, OWN, Oprah Winfrey’s new television network, broadcast a powerful new documentary film that did not get nearly the attention it deserved. There were many reasons most Americans missed Serving Life : late summer vacation schedules, a desire…
Read MoreCabbages, Theology, and Me: A Pastor Ventures through the Looking Glass of Social Networking
The time has come,” the Walrus said, “To talk of many things: Of shoes—and ships—and sealing-wax— Of cabbages—and kings— And why the sea is boiling hot— And whether pigs have wings.”1 While social media (SM) has become de riguer for…
Read MoreClosing Time: A Congregation’s Witness to Ending Well
If your congregation had only three months to live, how would you spend your last days together? It is common to pose such a question about a human life. If you had only one year to live, what would you…
Read MoreA Place for Everybody: A Church at the Intersection of Faith and Disability
The historic First Reformed Church of New Brunswick, New Jersey, organized in 1717, sits literally at the intersection of faith and disability. Next door is the Elizabeth M. Boggs Center, a University Center for Excellence in developmental disabilities education, research,…
Read More