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 MoreCommitting to Mutuality: An Interview with Eugene Peterson
Eugene Peterson is perhaps best known for his 20 books, including Under the Unpredictable Plant: An Exploration in Vocational Holiness, and his paraphrase of the Bible, The Message, to be published in full this spring by NavPress. His primary vocation…
Read MoreGood-Enough Self-Care
Clergy self-care requires spending enough time to build and maintain transparent, truthful, and loving relationships with God, with those we love, and with ourselves. It is Monday morning, and she is exhausted. She had planned to take the day off,…
Read MoreWhere Does Vision Come From? Three Theories of Vision Formation
We at the Alban Institute are often asked where the vision is supposed to come from in the life of a congregation. This question is not really a technical issue that can be addressed with a “correct” method. Rather, assumptions…
Read MoreMoving Forward by Looking Back: The Story of Crooked Creek Baptist Church
Spiritual leadership is occurring wherever members of the faith community are weaving new strands of connection between the Source of meaning (as defined by their religious tradition) and their present situation—with all its perils, opportunities, and choices. The act of…
Read MoreAsk Alban: Church Growth: Shifting Your Leadership Style
Q: I am pastor of a growing 200-member congregation—more than a full-time job! Our governing board is pressing for even more emphasis on “church growth.” As we outgrow our present “cozy” size, what changes should we anticipate? Will I have…
Read MoreThe Leading Edge: Beyond the Heroic
We love our heroes. In every age people have longed for them and, when they found one, lifted the heroic one up in celebration. Whether we think of Moses or King David, Hercules or Odysseus, Napoleon or George Washington, Michael…
Read MoreWhat Our Members Say About Evaluation
We sent an e-mail in early January to 4,122 Alban Institute members to ask about how frequently both they and their congregation’s program of ministry were evaluated and how helpful this was. 628 members currently employed as clergy or lay…
Read MoreGetting Feedback on Your Ministry: Three Ways to Do Evaluation Without Risking a Public Flogging
To maintain competence, a parish pastor needs accurate feedback on how his or her ministry is perceived in the congregation. It matters little what I intend to do and be if members view the results of my ministry negatively—hence the…
Read MoreEvaluating Lay Participation: Monitoring and Reversing Troubling Trends
Most Christians in mainline denominations know that attendance and giving patterns are in trouble. But they are less mindful that churches are also experiencing declining levels of lay participation in spiritual practices. Why are these trends significant—and worth keeping an…
Read More