The annual celebration known as Black History Month began as “Negro History Week” in 1926. Historian Carter G. Woodson picked the timing for this commemorative week to coincide with the birthdates of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, two figures who…
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As the pandemic trudges into its third year, many leaders are thinking about what needs to change. The paradox, however, is that a leader’s success is often judged by longevity and continuity. Innovation is not always appreciated in real time….
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The gospel provides a clear mandate to offer concrete acts of compassion to people on the economic and social margins of society. Today, unhoused people comprise a sizeable number of this struggling demographic. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban…
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We all know pastors who are burned out from the stresses of 2020 and 2021. Maybe we are willing to say, “I am burned out” — but I wonder if it would help us to think about a congregation being burned out. A Harvard…
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As we cross the threshold into another year of a global pandemic, the stress is palpable. We all want to be resilient, but resilience is becoming more difficult. For church leaders, the call to action is clear: Congregations must not underestimate…
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As congregational leaders, we are usually generalists in many aspects of our job. Yes, we are trained in seminary, gifted by the Holy Spirit and formed by years of practice to be dependable preachers, competent worship leaders, good administrators and…
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Happy New Year! We begin a fresh year of the Alban Weekly with a look back at the resources that resonated most with Weekly readers. If you feel like you have spent this year continually determining – and determining again…
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In a few days, 2021 will be in the history books. We will march, or meander, into the long-anticipated new year. The way we start 2022 will influence our leadership and our institutions. Experienced leaders recognize that having clear objectives for…
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Congregations typically aspire to be stable communities. They want to be the steady, faithful center of a person’s life. The concept of a network, however, offers a new lens for looking at the church, because networks are more fluid than communities. In…
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When we imagine an influential person, we might envision a prominent figure: a “mover and shaker,” as we say. We typically think of influence as the ability to guide outcomes, because in our world, influential people get what they want…
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