How do we, as Christians, bring the concepts of faith and money into harmony? And do we need to? For me the answer is yes. Absolutely. Let me share how I created more comfort for myself regarding money. Because most…
Read MoreGoing Global: Moving Beyond Local Missions
The prevailing notion of ecclesiastical mission is “hands-on mission in my backyard,” which combines the popular desire to do something locally with our wish for hands-on involvement. This type of high-tough localism may have been a good idea before globalization…
Read MoreThe Leading Edge: Leadership for the Time “After”
The terrorists who struck U.S. soil on September 1 divided our lives into the “before” and “after.” The days that followed were full of terrifying images, incredible human loss, and stunning stories of courage. And as those images, losses, and…
Read MoreRethinking Abundance: How Three Congregations Rediscovered It for Themselves
A crucial consideration in issues of faith and money is to know when we have “enough” of the latter. This is especially true since our culture tends to suggest that there is never enough. Both the Hebrew Bible and the…
Read MoreMoney and Spiritual Life: A Jewish Approach to Obligatory Giving
The rabbi squirms in his seat when a leader suggests that he engage in fundraising. Perennially vocal board members grow silent when it is time to follow up with congregants about their financial obligations. The topic of money makes us…
Read MoreAsk Alban: Finding the Right Pastor for Your Parish
Q: Our congregation is searching for a new pastor. Out of the pool of available applicants, how do we identify and call the right leadership? We want the best fit possible. A: The work of the calling committee (or pastoral…
Read MoreFollowers Wanted: An Antidote to Self-Help
As I browsed through my local Barnes & Noble bookstore recently, thumbing through books that piqued my interest while wondering if it would be too indulgent to get a second Mocha Frappuccino from the attached Starbucks, I found myself lost…
Read MoreBuilding Blocks: An Anthropological Approach to Congregational Size
Ever since Arlin J. Rothauge published Sizing Up a Congregation for New Member Ministry1 in 1983, mainline Protestants have been using the terms family,pastoral, program, and corporation to identify congregations by size, starting with the smallest.2 A sociological axiom underlying…
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 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…
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