In 2001, Duke Divinity School professor Richard Lischer published Open Secrets: A Spiritual Journey through a Country Church (Doubleday 2001), capturing in its pages the journey of his transition from a Lutheran seminary to ministry at a small, rural congregation….
Read MoreEmerging as Ministers
As the stories here remind us, the path to pastoral ministry is often an uphill one, and many young clergy choose to leave within the first few years of their ministry. But hope is on the horizon. In recent years,…
Read More"We Touched Grace": Spiritual Dimensions of Conflict Transformation
When we are entangled in conflict, it is difficult to fathom that anything in the situation could be transformed, much less that there are spiritual dimensions to it. Yet I have worked with and lived with conflict long enough to…
Read MoreThe Language of Leadership: Defining the Environment
The conversation you are hearing sounds violent. People are talking about “bringing in the big guns” and “rallying the troops.” You hear that people got “shot down” or “blown away,” and now there is talk about the need to “fall…
Read MoreRespectfully Disagreeing: How Dialogue Works to Transform Conflict
The work of the Public Conversations Project (PCP) is often summarized in a single word: dialogue. But such a simple and often-used term is insufficient to describe the care, planning, and skill underlying the work of those who call themselves…
Read MoreA Pioneering Spirit: Speed Leas Celebrates Four Decades of Conflict Management Consulting
What would motivate someone who never has enjoyed being in a conflict—whether his own or someone else’s—to spend almost four decades in the midst of congregational conflicts? “I’m curious,” explains Speed B. Leas, a long-time Alban Institute consultant who has…
Read MoreLarge Congregations: Insights from Gil Rendle
Gil Rendle, senior consultant and seminar leader at the Alban Institute, is a United Methodist minister who has worked with many congregations of different sizes—particularly in the areas of strategic planning, team building, and change management. Click here for Gil’s…
Read MoreHow Sound is Your Congregation's Budget? Take the Test
Congregations — like most organizations — face the ongoing challenge of how best to balance their income and expenses. Gauge how your congregation compares to best practices while deciding how much to spend on facilities, staff compensation and programs. Dan…
Read MoreWhat is Lay Ministry?
Signed work agreements with volunteers — Bible studies in the work place — congregational programs based on members’ skills and talents — The Yellow Pages of Christian Business — churches and synagogues hiring lay people to fill clergy roles —…
Read MoreOptimism for the Church Amid Declining Attendance
The decline and revitalization of Protestantism has been a hot topic for several decades. Some point to the move away from Protestantism as the majority faith affiliation in the United States as evidence that the mainline church (and, in some…
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