Congregations make critical decisions about things that really matter – budgets, starting new programs, eliminating programs, personnel. In so many of the decision-making meetings I attend, we spend tons of energy promoting a decision we reached before the meeting even…
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Clergy know the long periods of silence between contacts from a pastor search committee. Congregation members know the even-longer period between substantive reports about the activities of a search committee. The members of such committees are very, very busy —…
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It was William Bridges who helpfully named that there is a difference between change and transition — change is situational, whereas transition is psychological. Change can happen in a moment, but transition — adapting to that change — lasts much longer. In…
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My colleague Dave Odom recently wrote that, to begin the process of rehabilitating from the past year, congregations and other organizations need a plan that attends to integrity, mission and morale. In this Weekly, we explore those three focal points of…
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In congregational strategic planning processes, eventually a version of this question gets asked — “What do you need to stop doing in order to live out your mission as faithfully as possible?” In some congregations, this “stop doing” list is easily generated…
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Early in the pandemic, the question I heard most from congregational leaders around the United States and from the members of my own congregation in North Carolina was, “When will things get back to normal?” As days of sheltering at home became…
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Allen Stanton acknowledges the many challenges facing rural congregations — but also offers a hopeful vision for their futures.
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Even with dire warnings about what the next few months of the pandemic will bring and new restrictions in place around the US, it is hard not to feel some hope when watching the video of Margaret Keenan, a 90-year-old woman…
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Leaving a congregation well is an act of spiritual leadership, writes the founder of The Network for Spiritual Leaders
Read MorePrinciples for leaders to keep in mind from Brett Opalinski’s story of Rader United Methodist Church: Prepare yourself spiritually. The pastor in this story began with prayer for personal guidance and an attitude of openness to many possible outcomes. This…
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