“You should have seen the one that got away!” “I got a big one—quite a catch!” Each of these comments was followed by brief peals of laughter as a small group jokingly talked about the process of recruiting members for…
Read MoreSpecialist or Generalist? The Associate Pastor Role in the Large Church
Audrey and Libby are associate pastors serving mainline Protestant churches in the same city. Both enjoy their roles and both are considered effective in ministry. The challenges of life in associate ministry produce an immediate bond between Audrey and Libby…
Read MoreA Chosen Chair, The Call and Gifts of Second-Chair Leadership
There are times when being a second-chair leader in a progressive Baptist church should include membership in a multi-step support program. The second-chair leader is the most misunderstood clergy position of all time. Whether we are called executive pastors, associate…
Read MoreThe Truth Beneath the Myths, What We Can Learn from a Study of Clergy Competencies
Two years ago we published an article in Congregations exploring how seminarians stack up against the general population on measures of emotional health and interpersonal functioning. The purpose of our research was not about defending clergy but rather finding more…
Read MoreEmotional Intelligence and Effective Conflict Management, This Pair Can Make or Break Your Leadership
I was a young pastor, conscientious, concerned for my congregation and the unity of our church. So on that Sunday afternoon when John, an experienced deacon, showed up at my home unannounced, my antennae went up. John’s agitation and dire…
Read MoreSaving the World One Church Garden at a Time, A Cautionary Tale
I’m a purposed kind of guy—my mission statement is “to finish the Reformation”—and I’m a backyard gentleman farmer. So I was honored when I was invited to be part of a group who would promote and execute a plan to…
Read MorePitfalls and Possibilities: Understanding and Managing the Associate Pastor Role
Call it Senior Pastor Syndrome. Call it creeping corporatism in the church. Call it human frailty. Whatever its name, many people think second-banana pastors will be the solution to their problems when—based on my own experience—usually they are the opposite….
Read MoreCongregations Magazine, Fall 2009
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 MoreStewardship and Simple Thinking
Something about stewardship campaigns inspires simplistic thinking even in leaders who, on other subjects, are quite capable of grappling with ambiguity. Stewardship is complicated. It includes everything from dilemmas facing households in a shaky economic time to the pledge-dampening effects…
Read MorePastoral Care as Healing Presence
A single parent, Deborah recalls that during her first month as pastor of a United Church of Christ congregation in Western Pennsylvania, she performed nine funerals, four of which related to a boating accident. Already weary from moving across country…
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