Speaking before a group has never been Meg Erickson’s favorite activity. As a skilled and dedicated nurse, she would much rather spend her time in the practice of her profession. But there she is on a Sunday morning, speaking from…
Read MoreThe Abilene Paradox Goes to Church: A Management Concept Suggests Why Some Congregations Can’t Nail Down a Decision
The letter was crystal clear: “You have precipitously dismissed the most valuable member of the church staff. And now you will pay the price.” So it seemed. After 40 years of employment, the choir director at Sunnyvale Church was being…
Read MoreReaching Our Limits: Burnout or Transition? What We Term “Burnout” May Be a Call to Something Higher
Burnout is a pressing concern of clergy—perhaps today more than ever before. Exhausted, overwhelmed, and caught up in a vocation that no longer embodies the meaning it once had, a pastor may fear that the clergy life, which once made…
Read MoreThe Marks of a Healthy Congregation
Consultant Terry Foland has concluded that 12 areas of congregational life are significant in determining a congregation’s health. Within each category are the challenging questions he suggests that church leaders ask themselves as they embark on the process of congregational…
Read MoreAsk Alban: Preventing Burnout in Board Members
Q: When I was elected to my congregation’s board, I thought I would have a more meaningful connection to the work of the congregation. Instead, I find myself dreading the meetings, which tend to focus on “brick-and-mortar” issues more than…
Read MoreThe Leading Edge: The Vital Leader
Of the four great stone faces that gaze out from Mount Rushmore, in the Black Hills of South Dakota, the one most of us know least about is Theodore Roosevelt’s. Situated between Lincoln, whom he loved, and Jefferson, whom he…
Read MoreOn Leaving and Leaving Well: Planning and Open Communication are the Keys to a Successful Exit
No one is an expert on leaving, but I believe we clergy might learn together how to leave well. My first performance in the role of a pastor leaving came as I finished my internship. In my farewell remarks, I…
Read MoreConfessions of a Reformed Problem Solver: Alternative Methods Can Help Build Vitality in a Congregation
Problem solving is a valuable tool. I’ve found, however, that it can be overused, much to the detriment of group morale. Alternatives are available—ones I believe to be consistent with the affirmations of Scripture—that can be used to build vitality…
Read MoreOrdinary People, Strong Congregations: A New Profile of People in the Pews
In the final moments of the film Jurassic Park III the scientist hero talks with the young boy who dreams of being a scientist. The scientist explains the difference between astronauts and astronomers. He says astronauts accomplish exceptional feats. By…
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