A few years ago, I moved from one church to another expecting the two congregations to be very similar. Both were mid-sized, with many young families and a healthy population of children and youth. Both churches valued music, worshiped informally,…

To help congregational leaders and members have the difficult conversations they sometimes need to have, I have developed a process called the Covenantal Caring Conversation, based on Dr. Marshall Rosenberg’s work in nonviolent communication (see www.cnvc.org). Covenantal caring is not servitude….

Growing up as a certifiable baby boomer in the ’50’s and ’60’s, I learned early on that my father was a “strong, silent type.” Strong because he had fought in World War II in the infantry in Europe. Silent because…

In my bedroom, I have a Gabbeh rug, woven in deep browns and greens. Not the typical elegant Persian rug, this one has thick choppy wool, rough edges, and crooked lines. Made with vegetable dyes, each row changes colors, leaving…

Reporting on a ravaged Mississippi town on the Gulf coast, the Associated Press said that “Katrina clobbered the rich and poor alike.” A cliché repeated often enough slips past the brain into the heart. We like the idea that in…

There are times when all congregations need to reflect upon who they are and where they have been to discern and understand where they are going. At such times, it is important for a congregation to research, create, and present…

There are times when all congregations need to reflect upon who they are and where they have been to discern and understand where they are going. At such times, it is important for a congregation to research, create, and present…