Sometimes I wonder whether a lot of folks are totally clueless about simple living. Like it’s a new idea for time-strapped minds or an ideal that’s so small that it doesn’t get noticed among the furor of competing synapses. But…
Read MoreTransforming the Spirit of Communities
One fall CiRCLe M (Centre for Rural Community Leadership and Ministry), a nonprofit I direct, organized a conference on the church and community development. In workshops, worship, and conversation, one church leader after another shared stories of how their congregations…
Read MoreGreat Committees
In an old cartoon by Charles Addams, a man and his son walk through a park and look at statues, each of which depicts a little clutch of people. “There are no great men, my boy,” the father says, “only…
Read MoreShared Ministry Is Good for All Congregations
The idea of shared ministry has been with us long enough for many to think that they actually do it! Some do, of course—and one of them is Judith Urban, whose new book, New Life through Shared Ministry, can help…
Read MoreListening to the Listeners of Sermons
Adapted from Preaching That Matters: Reflective Practices for Transforming Sermons , by Lori J. Carrell, a book that Ronald J. Allen calls “inspirational, challenging, and practical–all at once.” Thousands of listeners from across the United States can contribute…
Read MoreA Better Starting Point
In my many decades of stewardship ministry, I’ve seen that stewardship ministry too often begins with presumptions regarding great and continuing neediness. You probably know what I’m talking about if you’ve ever had to cajole your congregation into generosity by…
Read MoreBound by Shame
Recently, author Karen McClintock wrote “The Challenge to Change,” in which she made this claim: “I believe congregations are in decline because they have become shame-bound.” I haven’t been able to get this provocative statement out of my mind. It…
Read MoreCulture: Downton Abbey and the Examined Life
by Twila Glenn As you prepare for worship this coming weekend, you are probably aware that some of the congregants will bring with them grief and some will bring joy. Some will come expecting a transcendent experience, and some will just…
Read MoreCongregations: Books Reviews 2013 Issue 1
How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character Paul Tough Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012 One of the most pervasive of American cultural narratives is of the smart, ambitious young scrapper who comes from nothing and moves to…
Read MoreFrom the Editor
by Richard Bass Thanks to all our readers for their continued interest in that most fascinating of human organizations, the congregation. At Alban, we don’t make particular faith claims—we can’t, our constituency is too broad. And we don’t tell you how…
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