Planning efforts often fail, and one important reason is that planners underestimate the time it takes for causes to produce effects. You might plan, for instance, to expand your sanctuary to make space to welcome more people. Increased attendance would…

“This is something I have found to be true without exception: that when we, any of us, focus on things in our lives that are passing away, we get scared, we get anxious, we get depressed, we lose hope; and…

It has become common for religious seekers of all ages to make the following statement: “I’m spiritual, but not religious.” Often this claim is given as explanation for leaving a particular church or choosing not to attend church at all….

Your pastoral leaders and your churches would be lost without you. Without you there is no community. Without you “Jesus” is an empty word rattling about in the corridors of history. Without you the church is a lifeless shell. The…

The interim period, in simplest terms, is the time between pastors. This period is, however, far from simple. The church must continue to function. Worship needs to happen. The board must lead. The staff continues to work. Members must be…

How would your church and its board react if your pastor announced today that he or she had accepted a call and would be leaving in two months? Could you manage the journey with the capable effort it deserves?  When…

John and Brigetta were pastors of neighboring congregations. Even though they represented different denominations, their congregations were quite similar. Both had approximately 110 members attending Sunday worship, and both congregations had been stuck at that number for the past eight…

At this moment in history, the world God loves is groaning under the weight of injustice and slowly being robbed of its capacity to sustain life. All around you, the people God loves are increasingly burdened by lifestyles they can’t…

There’s a commonplace ministry experience I’ve found that many of us don’t want to talk about. Every day we have to do things we’re no good at. Our prospects for improvement are slim, yet we’re rightly called on to do…

Ministry in the biblical traditions has utilized stories of faith for identity and renewal since its beginning. Jews celebrate the founding story of the exodus in their homes each Sabbath, and their tradition is laced with rabbinical midrash. Early Christians…