In this era of rapid cultural change and declining church attendance, many Protestant congregations have embarked upon efforts to recreate or redevelop themselves. They want to attract new members, improve their financial status, and increase the participation and enthusiasm of…

I graduated from college in 1981, not exactly a banner year for mainline Protestantism. More than a decade of numerical decline and internal conflict had taken a toll on old-line denominations as these once-unassailable churches found themselves dethroned as chapels…

A. Preamble To advance God’s purposes and to build faithful partnerships between our faith community and its staff, this congregation commits itself to making decisions about staff compensation in ways that will ensure that members and church staff people are…

I began this morning as I do every morning—at the local coffee shop, indulging myself in a decaf mocha and the day’s San Francisco Chronicle. It must have been religion-page day. I found two whole articles covering religion—usually I’m lucky…

Pastors, church leaders, and members at large are failing to form a basic partnership in the early months of new pastorates. They are neglecting to establish the bonds of rapport, trust-based relationships, and a spirit of mutuality. This conviction stems…

“Crops weren’t so good this year, and offerings are down,” a worried rural church council president observed. “We’d like to give the pastor a raise, but we’re not sure the dollars will be there. How can we talk about this?”…

Pastor Luke, a young minister in his first call, serves a rural, midwestern congregation, Faith United Church of Christ. He was ecstatic when he learned that his wife was pregnant. Once he finished calling family, parishioners, and friends with the…

In the local cafeteria the other day, I overheard two pastors discussing their salaries. One was a Methodist minister named Melville and the other a Baptist minister named Blake. Pastor Melville was upset. He was 51 years old, had been…