Author Luther K. Snow begins all of his workshops backwards. Right at the beginning of his Alban Institute workshop on asset mapping, Snow told the participants what the outcome would be. “You can only learn what you already know,” he…

Everyone is talking, but who is listening? In a world of sound bites, talking points, and one-minute management, how can we practice transformative listening that is adequate to the complex conditions we face in our personal lives, our religious communities,…

The question of governance has become the repository of all manner of discontent in churches and synagogues: “I feel that the real decisions are made outside the meetings and that we are a rubber stamp.” “The meeting lasted until 11…

Congregations, like individuals, often make resolutions for the new year. If your congregation still is mulling over possibilities for the year, Raising the Roof contains ideas that could spark a resolution or two. Visit www.sizetransitions.org for more about the book and…

Development of a new congregational vision promises exciting possibilities . . . and rough waters. A new congregational vision entails change, which is frequently met with ambivalence, trepidation, and disagreement. When the new vision is accompanied by saying “no” to…

A revolution in digital communication has hit many congregations. And, like many revolutions, we are finding that this one has its casualties. There is the pastor who gets an ornery email that feels like the last straw at the end…

“I really felt called to reach out to people like me, people who had been turned off by the church but were really spiritually hungry,” says Rev. N. Graham Standish of Calvin Presbyterian Church in a recent article by Ann Rodgers in…

Congregations, like individuals, often make resolutions for the new year. If your congregation still is mulling over possibilities for the year, Raising the Roof contains ideas that could spark a resolution or two. Visit www.sizetransitions.org for more about the book and…

Each congregational size presents its own opportunities and challenges, as well as its own set of leadership needs. In a recent Alban survey of pastors of large congregations (worship attendance of 500-2,000) and denominational professionals with responsibility to work with…

Nagging questions inevitably arise for even the most gifted congregational leaders, like: Why is my congregation not growing despite the fact that I spend more and more time and energy at church? Are my sermons reaching the minds and hearts…