Years ago a bright Yale student asked me how I would describe the difference between a church and any other charitable group. I gave the sort of answer most of us might give: I emphasized the church’s unique life-transforming mission…

Whether you’re working from the ground up to build an organizational structure where none existed or working with a broken structure inherited from a predecessor, four basic design features need to be addressed and resolved. Division of Labor How is…

As humans, we like parity in our relationships with others. A tit for a tat. An eye for an eye. A kiss for a kiss. At its best, our desire for parity keeps relationships healthy. We enjoy flexibility in our…

Many people enjoy “being in the know,” being the first to learn a piece of news as an insider, even if they don’t intend to pass it on to others. But sometimes it’s hard to resist the temptation to tell…

A consultant working with a congregation on its conflict noted people’s sincere efforts to function in a more healthy and responsible way. “Be careful,” he warned, “When you start messing with the system, you don’t know what backlash you might…

To succeed, a congregation needs a lot of people to show up regularly, give generously, and work hard. Why do they do it? It’s a pressing question for religious leaders, especially in communities where religious participation is no longer a…

A helpful tool during a time of change is a descriptive lens called “the roller coaster of change.” Such a lens helps observers gather information about what a congregation (or some subgroup within the congregation) is experiencing by measuring where…