Who are the mentors you have — and the mentors you need?
Read More
What are you reading?
Every leader needs to make reading an essential practice.
Read More
The art of getting better
If we take Luke 2:52 seriously, even Jesus improved as he matured. “And Jesus increased in wisdom and years, and in divine and human favor,” the verse reads. Knowing how to get better over time is a critical quality for…
Read More
The church and the gift of Black history
The annual celebration known as Black History Month began as “Negro History Week” in 1926. Historian Carter G. Woodson picked the timing for this commemorative week to coincide with the birthdates of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, two figures who…
Read More
Preaching is leadership
Preaching gives pastors an incredible opportunity that most leaders do not have. At their best, sermons teach, inspire and provoke, which are three essentials for leadership and change. Whatever approach we use for sermon planning, preparation and delivery, preaching has the potential…
Read More
Sharing in the pursuit of racial justice
What does it mean for a congregation — particularly a predominantly white congregation — to participate in the work of racial justice? In this week’s Weekly, we begin with the stories of three congregations that are excavating their pasts and finding…
Read More
Allen Stanton: What churches can learn from higher education
A year ago, I made the jump from pastoring a local church to running a center at a small denominationally-affiliated college. While I was well-versed in the conversations around church vitality, the world of higher education has been relatively new…
Read More
Bruce Epperly: Encouraging Lay Theology
A pastor reflects on the success of his church’s ministries of Christian education and formation
Read More
CenterView: How Your Congregation Learns
by Tim Shapiro Congregations, or perhaps more precisely, congregational leaders, need to learn new skills all the time. Such are the demands on congregational life. What do you do when your congregation either needs or chooses to do something new?…
Read MorePastor as Teacher, Congregation as Learning Community
Part of what drew me to the ordained ministry was a particular image of that calling: the minister as a field-based teacher and scholar. It is in many ways a rabbinic model. Rabbi means “teacher.” Rabbis were teachers who were…
Read More