The following are the prepared remarks of the managing director of Alban, Nathan Kirkpatrick, at Loren Mead’s funeral at St Alban’s Episcopal Church in Washington, DC, on May 21, 2018. In 1994, after Loren had announced his retirement from the…
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Changing the structure of your stewardship ministries might bring new life to familiar work, writes the CEO of the Executive Stewardship Center.
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An Episcopal bishop reflects on four realities and priorities for the early years of ministry in a congregation
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The Christian church is about innovation—embodying God’s new life, hope, and community for the world, writes a scholar and priest
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Last fall, I counted down the days to the big MacBook Pro reveal, but now here I sit, typing away on my 5-year-old laptop. While boasting of making the laptop millimeters thinner and ounces lighter, they loaded it with an…
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People are often well-intended. It is moving from intent to purposeful action that remains the hard work for most of us.
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This book provides concrete steps to aid congregants and pastors communicate their mutual expectations. Keck presents fifty “expectation statements”—examples of what pastors and congregations can expect of one another; a vital resource to anyone who seeks to initiate a discussion of expectations in their own church. Elucidating goals and expectations allows congregations and pastors to support one another and flourish, and fosters church health and harmony.
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The call to care for creation is a central part of our discipleship as followers of Jesus Christ. However, language and imagery of the earth is often absent in our worship services. This book helps reconnect our commitment to creation care with our life of discipleship. The process includes helping congregational members name ways that they are involved in caring for creation and encouraging them to see ways that these practices are related to Christian faith, and in doing so, nurturing the life of our communities while fostering our identity as those who care for the earth.
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This collection of true stories is written by Mihee Kim-Kort and Andy Kort, a married clergy couple who met while they were in seminary. They share their unique perspective on the joys and challenges of ministry in alternating segments, forming a collective narrative that illuminates the inner workings of a clergy marriage, even as it inspires with heartfelt tales of life in ministry.
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The first year or so of a pastor’s tenure in a new congregation is precarious; many pastors stay at a new congregation for fewer than five years. This handbook helps coach both experienced and new pastors to enter a new congregation effectively. Drawing from organizational systems leadership material in religious and secular worlds, it offers nearly 50 tips and tools designed to help new pastors analyze their congregation’s system and then to lead leaders within the congregation to affect positive change.
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