All around the country, church congregations are establishing separate 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations in order to draw new funding, new people, and new partnerships into the ministry of their church. In these difficult economic times when community needs have increased and…
Read MoreCreativity in Crisis: Responding to Community Hardship from Congregational Health
I must love church work. Though I make my living ministering to a variety of congregations across the country, every Sunday finds me in the same pulpit. A Baptist by tradition and persuasion, I log many hours in Presbyterian, Episcopal,…
Read MoreMinistering to the Soul of a Community
Congregations are born from a generative spark of interaction between stories of faith and stories of place. Some person or group looks out on a particular landscape and says, “There should be a church—or there should be a congregation of…
Read MoreKnowing Your Community, Defining Your Mission
Getting to know the community that your congregation will focus on is a critical step in defining your mission. To start, work on getting answers to several key questions: What are the primary issues in your community? How do the…
Read MoreCongregations in the Community: Making an Impact on Public Life
Congregations asked freelance writer ‘Marlis McCollum to interview key leaders in American religion about their perspectives on how congregations make a difference and why they matter. In the first of a two-part serices, Thomas Tewell, Lowell Livezey, Bob Abernathy, and…
Read MoreFulfilling the Great Commission: Congregations as Missionary Outposts
The Great Commission is Christ’s command to make disciples of the world. Reported in all four Gospels, it is the heart of a vibrant Christianity, a reflection of the kingdom of God at hand, and the source of a profound…
Read MoreWhat Matters in Ministry
Louisville Institute associate director William Brosend II discusses the five elements of ministry that are more important than anything else I quit my job. It’s a long story, and I did not stay unemployed for long. The point is that…
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