One real dilemma of intergenerational worship is that it engages differing, and often competing, generational cohort values that live side by side in the congregation. People of different generations often like and enjoy being with one another. They may even…
Read MoreReclaiming the Story: Narrative Leadership in Ministry
Jewish and Christian ministries have used stories of faith to form communal identity and mission since their beginning. Jews continue to celebrate the founding story of the Exodus in their homes each Passover, and the rabbis tell us that God…
Read MoreCongregations Magazine, Winter 2008
Join Alban Now to receive Congregations four times a year Narrative Leadership: Rediscovering the Life-Giving Nature of Stories Contents IN FOCUS: Reclaiming the Story (Members Only Article)Alban research associate Larry Golemon explores how reclaiming the power of biblical, personal,…
Read MoreCharacteristics of Christian Worship
Christians and congregations bring a host of assumptions about what constitutes Christian worship with them to the service. Rather than allowing these assumptions to catch us in conversation about “good” and “bad” or “right” and “wrong” worship, we can testify…
Read MoreThe Heart of Simple Living
Here’s the easiest way to describe the kind of simplicity I think we are called to live. One sentence, so you can remember: you know you are living simply when “enough” guides your decisions and when you know the difference…
Read MoreA Good Deal of Books
Dear Friends, Thank you for subscribing to Alban Weekly. It has been a busy and exciting year for publishing at the Alban Institute. We’ve published more books than ever before. We’ve shipped more copies of books than ever before. The…
Read MoreSelf-Organizing Congregations
Steve Doughty, a Presbyterian minister and author who leads spiritual retreats, reports that an increasing number of attendees of his spiritual retreats describe themselves as “church alumni,” those who used to attend church faithfully but no longer do so. Doughty…
Read MoreYour Building Speaks
All buildings speak, and they speak in many ways. Sometimes they use written words. Drive through the Midwest and you see barns proclaiming, “See Rock City,” urging travelers to visit a massive natural rock formation atop Lookout Mountain in Tennessee….
Read MoreNew Podcast Featuring Alban Author
A new podcast featuring Doug Bixby, author of The Honest to God Church is available on the Alban Podcast Web page. Or you can download the mp3 file by clicking here. In the podcast, Bixby recommends we embrace the concept that we…
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