“Conflict is not bad” has been a consistent teaching of Alban and many others in the conflict field for years. It’s a natural, inevitable consequence of having more than one idea in the room at the same time. The goal…
Read MoreThe Case for Becoming a Type Watcher
Extending the Reach of an Alban Classic. We are well aware that the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is not a new idea and that people have been gaining insights into how type and ministry interact for many years. One of the…
Read MoreA Spirit of Hospitality
Amazing Gifts: Stories of Faith, Disability, and Inclusion is a remarkable collection of 64 stories about the way faith communities welcome and affirm people with disabilities in worship, ministry, fellowship, and leadership. Churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, and other congregations do…
Read MoreA Congregation of Theological Coherence
At lunch, the pastor tells me he has finished reading almost all of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s works. He hasn’t read Sanctorum Communioyet, but he just turned the last page of the Christmas Sermons. Beginning in Lent, the council is going to…
Read MoreWhat Type of Visionary Are You?
Visionaries are in high demand. They have been for quite some time now, to the extent that supply and demand has impacted the visionary role of leadership. Organizations demand visionaries, and leaders in the marketplace have learned to supply organizations…
Read MoreSoul Food and Southern Hospitality
Venture a few blocks north of the neon signs and honky-tonks in downtown Nashville to the corner of 5th and Church streets. If you happen to be there around noon on Wednesdays, you’ll witness the doors to the fellowship hall…
Read MoreJesus with Skin
Brian Becker is not your run-of-the-mill grant-maker. A vice president for ministry programs at Wheat Ridge Ministries (www.wheatridge.org), a Lutheran organization located just outside Chicago, he has, since 2006, overseen the grant programs and resources aimed at supporting budding health-related…
Read MoreYour Minister at Walgreens
A friend told me the story of encountering a woman who works at a Walgreens pharmacy. The woman told a heart-warming story of her work and of her concern for what she saw as “her congregation,” that is, the customers…
Read MoreCongregations Magazine 2012 Issue 1
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 MoreA Backdrop of Loss
Many congregations find themselves in crisis. Their crises may be related to significant changes in the surrounding community or culture, or within their own walls and structures. The heart of the crisis centers on years of accumulated losses that have…
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