Gary Charles had as close a seat to the events of September 11, 2001, as anyone would have cared for. Then minister at the Old Presbyterian Meeting House in Alexandria, Virginia, Charles kept a near non-stop vigil for those affected…
Read MoreFaith, Family, and Food
A six-year-old boy was famished when he arrived for camp on the morning of Aug. 1 at Washington United Church of Christ. After devouring four bowls of cereal, toast, and fruit, he caught his breath and explained, “We didn’t have…
Read MoreThe Three Rs and Your Congregation’s Future
The Past Used to Be the Future Let us begin with a deceptively simple question: “What has changed in the last fifty years?” Perhaps you are old enough to reflect on this question directly. Fifty years ago, John F….
Read MoreFrom Champion to Church: How Being on a Championship Team Taught Me How to Lead a Church
Back in May of 2011, I had the opportunity to be part of a rare event. At halftime of the NCAA Division II lacrosse championship game, I walked onto the field of M&T Stadium in Baltimore, the stadium where the…
Read MoreOur Practice of Havruta
1. “Sorry I’m late,” Rachel announces as she joins her colleagues around the table. “It’s one of those days. I’ve had three difficult situations this morning,” she adds, glancing at her iPhone; “and it’s barely noon.” “Can you afford…
Read MoreFrom the Editor
What makes a congregation vital? The very notion of vitality is fluid. It ebbs and flows through communities; projects, programs, and approaches to ministry that work in one congregation can fail miserably in another just a couple miles away. Even…
Read MoreCongregations Magazine, Issues 3 & 4 2011
Alban members receive a subscription to Congregations, our award-winning magazine. Our mission is to provide clergy and lay leaders with practical, research-based information and ideas for effective ministry as they grapple with an ever-changing environment. Congregations is sent quarterly to…
Read MoreWhen the Mission Changes
In theory, everything a congregation does should serve its mission. Traditional strategic planning starts with a mission statement and progresses through strategic vision, goals, objectives, timelines, budgets, and a tagline for the T-shirts—each expressing and reflecting the mission. If leaders…
Read MoreRational Functionalism
Many denominations, churches, pastors, and members have become mired in a series of worthless arguments in their attempt to diagnose why mainstream denominations and churches are in decline. Too many in the mainstream church think the problems have to do…
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