As congregations gear back up for the increased demands of their fall schedules, their clergy leaders often find themselves also dealing with increased stress. A quick survey of resources related to clergy stress reveals that some of the key contributors…
Read MoreWhat is the Mission of "Missions"?
Most congregations engage in some form of social ministry—or believe they should. Some call it missions, others outreach, social action, or benevolence. From relatively modest actions like collecting canned goods for the local food bank to major projects like building…
Read MoreEmotional Intelligence Is…
“EQ is not destiny—emotional intelligence is a different way of being smart. It includes knowing your feelings and using them to make good decisions; managing your feelings well; motivating yourself with zeal and persistence; maintaining hope in the face of…
Read MoreFaith at Work
If reports are true that Americans spend more time at work than anyone in the industrialized world, what role might congregations play in supporting their members’ work lives? Here are several ideas that might help your congregation begin imaging its…
Read MoreGleanings from The Practicing Congregation Workshop
“Something is happening right now, but it’s not what we think,” asserted Diana Butler Bass, director of the Project on Congregations of Intentional Practice, during Alban’s The Practicing Congregation workshop in 2004 During a time when the story about mainline…
Read MoreWhat Seminaries Do Well
How often have you heard a new pastor, priest, or rabbi say, “Seminary was fabulous, even life-changing, but it didn’t prepare me for what I face in the local congregation”? Lee Shulman, president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement…
Read MoreA New Conversation Begins at Alban
An important new conversation took place at the Alban Institute on September 17. Diana Butler Bass, a gifted scholar of American religion and a fine writer, shared early findings of her new research project, Congregations of Intentional Practice. The project, funded…
Read MoreThe Language of Leadership: Defining the Environment
The conversation you are hearing sounds violent. People are talking about “bringing in the big guns” and “rallying the troops.” You hear that people got “shot down” or “blown away,” and now there is talk about the need to “fall…
Read More"We Touched Grace": Spiritual Dimensions of Conflict Transformation
When we are entangled in conflict, it is difficult to fathom that anything in the situation could be transformed, much less that there are spiritual dimensions to it. Yet I have worked with and lived with conflict long enough to…
Read MoreOne Size Does Not Fit All
“But it worked so well in my last congregation!” A key challenge for congregational leaders in moving from one congregation to another is to build on lessons learned in an earlier call while being alert to the new adaptive challenges…
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