Sometimes our friends and colleagues have a way of helping us see something in a new way. They take the question we’ve been stuck asking personally or organizationally, reframe it and help us see possibilities that were always there but…
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Buildings — assets or albatrosses?
One of the trends in congregational life we have been following for a while is how communities of faith relate to buildings. We’ve watched as some congregations deal with the issues that come with aging structures and deferred maintenance. Other…
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Can you trust your gut right now?
For several years now, I have been fascinated by the instincts leaders develop over time that come to serve them well — how one leader knows just when to approach a congregational member about a major gift, how another gains…
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Congregations can help stop COVID-19
Powerless. Helpless. That’s how many of us have felt during the long months of the COVID-19 pandemic. What can we as congregational leaders do beyond providing pastoral care, supporting connections that come from being part of a faith community, and…
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Serving the homeless & housing insecure
No doubt you’ve seen the statistics. The U.S. Census Bureau reported in December 2020 that an estimated 14 million adults living in rental housing were behind on their rent. An additional 11.8 million adults lived in households that could not keep up…
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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…
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Helping your congregation understand why you need a sabbatical
Responding to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic has been taxing for congregational leaders. Even in December as many congregants were able to take vacation from work responsibilities, many clergy and other ministry leaders found ourselves with more work than…
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Celebrating the Graying Church: Mutual Ministry Today, Legacies Tomorrow
Today, many churches and their related agencies and ministries are shrinking. Often a large portion of those who remain are older adults. Celebrating the Graying Church suggests that this is an opportunity for a new and different kind of ministry—a ministry to,…
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The Jubilee years of ministry
For some Alban readers, December 31 will mark the end of their full-time professional ministries. January 1 will bring the gift of retirement, even if not the end of their ministries. In this week’s Weekly, we consider what ministry can…
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Bruce Epperly: The Jubilee Years
What if we rethink retirement by imagining the time as “the jubilee years”?
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