I began this morning as I do every morning—at the local coffee shop, indulging myself in a decaf mocha and the day’s San Francisco Chronicle. It must have been religion-page day. I found two whole articles covering religion—usually I’m lucky…
Read MoreThe Leading Edge: A Special Kind of Knowing
Each summer I clear time to read novels about clergy. Such reading provides a diversion from the literature that dominates my in-box at work. It also allows me to step back and look at congregational life, ministry, and my own…
Read MoreAsk Alban: Between Pastors: Do We Need an Interim Minister?
Q: Our minister has taken a new call, and we have been advised to enter an interim ministry period. Wouldn’t it be better to move immediately to the next “permanent” minister? A: For congregations the interim between settled pastors can…
Read MoreElements of an Approach to Conducting Compensation Conversations
A. Preamble To advance God’s purposes and to build faithful partnerships between our faith community and its staff, this congregation commits itself to making decisions about staff compensation in ways that will ensure that members and church staff people are…
Read MoreA Tale of Two Churches
I graduated from college in 1981, not exactly a banner year for mainline Protestantism. More than a decade of numerical decline and internal conflict had taken a toll on old-line denominations as these once-unassailable churches found themselves dethroned as chapels…
Read MoreOrdinary People, Strong Congregations: A New Profile of People in the Pews
In the final moments of the film Jurassic Park III the scientist hero talks with the young boy who dreams of being a scientist. The scientist explains the difference between astronauts and astronomers. He says astronauts accomplish exceptional feats. By…
Read MoreConfessions of a Reformed Problem Solver: Alternative Methods Can Help Build Vitality in a Congregation
Problem solving is a valuable tool. I’ve found, however, that it can be overused, much to the detriment of group morale. Alternatives are available—ones I believe to be consistent with the affirmations of Scripture—that can be used to build vitality…
Read MoreOn Leaving and Leaving Well: Planning and Open Communication are the Keys to a Successful Exit
No one is an expert on leaving, but I believe we clergy might learn together how to leave well. My first performance in the role of a pastor leaving came as I finished my internship. In my farewell remarks, I…
Read MoreThe Leading Edge: The Vital Leader
Of the four great stone faces that gaze out from Mount Rushmore, in the Black Hills of South Dakota, the one most of us know least about is Theodore Roosevelt’s. Situated between Lincoln, whom he loved, and Jefferson, whom he…
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