Steve Doughty, a Presbyterian minister and author who leads spiritual retreats, reports that an increasing number of attendees of his spiritual retreats describe themselves as “church alumni,” those who used to attend church faithfully but no longer do so. Doughty…

All buildings speak, and they speak in many ways. Sometimes they use written words. Drive through the Midwest and you see barns proclaiming, “See Rock City,” urging travelers to visit a massive natural rock formation atop Lookout Mountain in Tennessee….

A new podcast featuring Doug Bixby, author of The Honest to God Church is available on the Alban Podcast Web page. Or you can download the mp3 file by clicking here. In the podcast, Bixby recommends we embrace the concept that we…

My hometown, I suppose, is like many other American towns. Founded in the mid-nineteenth century, it became the county seat and in 1889 constructed a stone courthouse building on the square in the center of downtown. Later, city hall was…

 Dan Hotchkiss reads this article in an eleven minute podcast. (listen) “Conflict of interest” is an ugly phrase, but it’s time to say it, lay it on the table, and deal with it as a normal part of life. Everybody who is…

In May of 2007 a two-day conference, Church for the 21st Century, was held at the Washington National Cathedral. Inspired largely by Diana Butler Bass’s book, Christianity for the Rest of Us, the conference featured (in addition to Diana) such creative thinkers…

Since Alban’s publication of The Practicing Congregation in 2004, when I first wrote about my research on vital mainline churches, hundreds of clergy groups and church leadership gatherings have invited me to share with them insights on what makes for…

After leading a church meeting, Henry Robert, a trustee of First Baptist Church in New Bedford, Massachusetts, came home feeling frustrated, discouraged, and even a bit embarrassed. He had been a trustee for some time, but this was the first…

Usually held on a weekly basis in most large congregations, the staff meeting is one of the most important disciplines a staff team can practice. Both the congregation and the staff need to identify where they are going and for…