Most congregations have some version of a personnel committee, or believe that they are supposed to. The practices surrounding these committees vary widely and are driven by denominational polity differences.  Denominations use different labels to refer to the human resource…

As we grew up, many of us learned that the world would give us all that we need, without our having to worry about limits. Now we know we need to curb our appetite for mineral, vegetable, and animal resources….

Fall is a time of bright red, yellow, and orange, shorter days, transformation, and letting go. Winter is on the horizon and the changing colors forecast cold days and bare trees. Although both of us have experienced the cycle from…

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.” Matthew 5:7 Mercy makes us look in the mirror. That’s been April Blaine’s discovery as she has wrestled with these words about the merciful receiving mercy. “Mercy goes two ways,” says…

Because ministry is about people, we often neglect seeing people themselves as resources for ministry. People, of course, are the recipients of ministry, and a changed person is often the goal of ministry. But ministry is done by people who…

Like many congregations and organizations, at the beginning of 2009 Western Presbyterian Church faced a serious budgetary shortfall. To deal with this painful situation, our session (governing board) needed to exhibit both leadership and management skills: leadership skills to bring…

We expect our congregations to be places of health and healing, an oasis in the midst of the demands and stresses of daily life. Yet some people experience great pain in their congregations, pain that robs them of the comfort…

About a week after the collapse of the World Trade Center on 9/11, I walked through Ground Zero. It was during the Days of Awe. Before me was utter devastation: a wasteland of smashed buildings and shattered windows; hideous, fantastic…