by Mark Lau Branson Many forms of organizational development assume that the job of leaders is to find the problems and fix them. Perhaps members observe that their church has a declining membership, a changing neighborhood, and a dearth of…
Read MoreSigns of Vitality
What does small church vitality look like? To be sure, there is no one definition, and the variations on small church vitality are as numerous as the congregations themselves. Some are located in areas where numerical growth is possible and…
Read MoreCulture Streams
Culture is made of many different streams. These streams are like creeks and rivers, in that they flow in, around, and through the pond that makes up your church’s ministry setting. Cultural streams come in various sizes, from the tiny…
Read MoreCongregations 2012 Issue 4
Alban members receive a subscription to Congregations, our award-winning magazine. Our mission is to provide clergy and lay leaders with practical, research-based information and ideas for effective ministry as they grapple with an ever-changing environment. Congregations is sent quarterly to…
Read MoreSeparation Anxiety
Pastors say good-bye to congregations. Sometimes our good-byes are timely and sweet; sometimes they are jarring and painful. But as we hear the click of the front door of God’s house and stand on the sidewalk, we face a unique…
Read MoreThe Power to Make Promises
Bondage is the opposite of liberty: what could be more obvious than that? When a prisoner is released, we say, “he’s free!” But bondage can be voluntary. In fact, the power to make binding promises is part of being legally…
Read MoreThe Small Church
Quite often I drive by the Peaks Presbyterian Church on my way to hike through the Blue Ridge Mountains. The little white clapboard church sits in a beautiful setting, looking up to Sharp Top and Flat Top Mountains of the…
Read MoreEmbracing Conflict
Q: Ever since our congregation was divided over a conflict some years ago, I have this sense that we now avoid conflict at all costs. I’m sure that this impacts our own vitality as a congregation, but I’m not sure how…
Read MoreDiscernment as Worshipful Work
I have found that the many little steps in Discerning God’s Will Together, the corporate discernment process that I know best, mirror the order of worship. So we are literally doing worshipful work: turning our work into worship and our…
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