Every August our church—Bethesda Covenant Church in New York City—does something radical and countercultural, something so outside the norm of ordinary church behavior and tradition that most who hear of this practice seem to find it either brilliant or highly…
Read MoreAsk Alban: Bridging the Gap between Knowing and Doing
Q: When our congregation has made plans for change, we often seem to have good intentions, but we don’t seem to get anywhere. What can we do differently? A: It sounds as if your congregation is experiencing what some have…
Read MoreCENTERview: Not So Fast!
They need to decide tonight. That’s the message. The church governing board is deciding whether or not to enter into an unofficial partnership with the public school located next door. The after-school arts program needs more volunteers. Would the church…
Read MoreThe Leading Edge: Thirty-Five Years and Counting
In January, Alban staff members gathered in our conference room to slice cake and celebrate the thirty-fifth anniversary of the legal incorporation of the Alban Institute. Loren Mead, Alban’s founder, was there helping with the design of a workshop we…
Read MoreA Communal Sabbath: One Church's Annual Practice of Rest
Every August our church—Bethesda Covenant Church in New York City—does something radical and countercultural, something so outside the norm of ordinary church behavior and tradition that most who hear of this practice seem to find it either brilliant or highly…
Read MoreAn Unexpected Resiliency: How One Church Bounced Back after Hitting Bottom
In 2001, while conducting research for my book Revitalizing Congregations, I encountered a congregation that was in such a downward cycle and had such enormous internal conflict and divisions that I called it “Adrift Lutheran Church” and wondered whether it…
Read MoreHarvesting Manna
The last eight months have been brutal for the world economy. If any of us ever doubted the truth of globalization, we no longer doubt. What started out as a subprime lending crisis in our own country has ballooned into…
Read MoreMuch Is Given:Practicing Generous Faith in Uncertain Times
While I generally use the lectionary texts as the basis for my sermons and worship preparation on most Sundays, I occasionally depart from that structure and craft my own series. Currently I’m working my way through a nine-part series on…
Read MoreGetting Neighborly: Finding Abundance in the Gifts of the Spirit
Laura and I stood at the back of her apartment complex, located just behind the church I serve. Fast food wrappers from nearby establishments had caught in the long grass and settled on a tired old couch leaning against a…
Read MoreWho Else Needs to Hear This? Turning Pastoral Visits into Opportunities to Practice Faith Sharing
We were seated in her sweet, 1950s-style living room when Eleanor evangelized me (Nancy). Of course, she wouldn’t have used that term. She was a Yankee and a lifelong member of a New England Congregational church. In that setting, evangelism…
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