Claiming the pastor’s role as spiritual guide is a matter of seeing God’s presence and then encouraging its emergence within the congregation, writes Bruce Epperly.
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Neighbors and Covenant Relationships
Stu was one of the first people to help me see that the patient work of discernment was a big part of what I was called to do. I was right out of seminary at the time. I thought that…
Read MoreFaith and Environmental Impact: Congregations Learn About, Celebrate, and Care for Creation
What are congregations actually doing in the way of study, celebration, and action on environmental issues? People have produced many books, study guides, and curricula aimed at teaching congregations about creation care. New ones are being published regularly. Furthermore,…
Read MoreAsk Alban: Religious Preference
by Larry Peers Q: It seems that a growing number of people indicate that their religious preference is “none”—or say, “I’m spiritual, but not religious.” Is there anything that congregations can do differently? Are we becoming irrelevant? A. Loyalty to religious…
Read MoreMission and the Challenge of Difference
by William Sachs Doug is proud that First Church where he worships has an extensive mission commitment. In the downtown area where it is located, First Church operates programs that feed dozens of hungry people and house almost as many who…
Read MoreFrom Stressed to Blessed, A Conversation for Recomposing Volunteer Service in the Congregation
“You should have seen the one that got away!” “I got a big one—quite a catch!” Each of these comments was followed by brief peals of laughter as a small group jokingly talked about the process of recruiting members for…
Read MoreStarting a Nonprofit At Your Church: Drawing More Resources to Meet Increasing Community Needs
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…
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