Claiming the Beatitudes: Nine Stories from a New Generation Anne Howard By sharing the stories of ten earnest young men and women of faith who take the beatitudes both literally and seriously, Anne Howard brings Jesus’s simple yet revolutionary words…
Read MoreRecommended Reading, Congregations, Summer 2009
Bass, Diana Butler. A People’s History of Christianity: The Other Side of the Story (New York, NY: HarperOne, 2009). People often confuse the entire story of Christianity with what Diana Butler Bass calls “Big C” militant Christianity. The author, however,…
Read MoreNew & Noteworthy, Congregations, Summer 2009
Claiming the Beatitudes: Nine Stories from a New Generation Anne Howard By sharing the stories of ten earnest young men and women of faith who take the beatitudes both literally and seriously, Anne Howard brings Jesus’s simple yet revolutionary words…
Read MoreBook Reviews, Congregations, Summer 2009
For Life Abundant: Practical Theology, Theological Education and Christian Ministry Dorothy C. Bass & Craig Dykstra, editors Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2008 Want to know more about the abundant life promised in the gospels? This book…
Read MoreFrom the Editor, Congregations, Summer 2009
This issue contains many articles that appear, on the surface, to be helpful, process-oriented pieces to help congregations work through issues that arise in the course of their ministries. However, nearly every article can be appended with a BUT—another way…
Read MoreA Place that Offers Life
“Finances are tight, and our numbers are dwindling. The congregation is looking to me to turn things around. So is my denomination—that’s exactly what I was told when I was appointed here. And, frankly, that’s my expectation too. Isn’t that…
Read MoreTen Lessons about Being a Learner-Centered Teacher
I still remember what a shock it was to discover, just as I was finishing my graduate training to be a theology professor, that I was about to have to start to learn to be a teacher. Suddenly I was…
Read MoreAsk Alban: Conflicts of Interest: How to Avoid, Identify, and Troubleshoot Them
Q: As the new pastor of a small church, I am concerned that our music director is also the church treasurer and that two married couples sit on the church council. Doesn’t this create a conflict of interest? A: Yes—but…
Read MoreCENTERview: Social Networking and Congregations
A recent YouTube video titled “Social Networking in Plain English” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a_KF7TYKVc) claims networks are only as valuable as the people and connections one can see. If I think about real “friends” and connections in my life this makes perfect sense….
Read MoreThe Leading Edge: Building Congregations in an Anti-Institutional Age
One of the classic ways that Christian and Jewish denominations in America have sought to expand is by starting new congregations. This is a sizable enterprise, estimated by some experts to involve as many as four thousand start-ups every year….
Read More