Some of the smallest congregations in North America are places of subtle vitality and frequent surprises. St. Thomas’s Episcopal Church in the village of Winn, Maine, is one such congregation. St. Thomas’s has stood on a rise above the Penobscot…
Read MoreCongregations Magazine, Fall 2006
Transition into Ministry Contents IN FOCUS: Emerging as Ministers Thirteen young clergy share the poignant and inspiring stories of their first steps on the path to pastoral ministry. Experimenting with the Transition into Ministry James P. Wind, president of the…
Read MoreMaintaining Confidentiality in Search Committees
Many people enjoy “being in the know,” being the first to learn a piece of news as an insider, even if they don’t intend to pass it on to others. But sometimes it’s hard to resist the temptation to tell…
Read MoreGod Wants You! How Military-Style Recruitment Tactics Can Help—or Harm—the Church
There are about 70,000 marines and army soldiers who are trained for frontline combat; in the language of the Pentagon, they represent the “tip of the spear” in military engagement.1 Interestingly, there is about an equal number of ordained mainline…
Read MoreSearching for the Key: Developing a Theory of Synagogue Size
Temple Aleph, founded by 12 families five years ago, has grown to 67 families. At the annual meeting there were two candidates for president: one was a “founding” member and the other was a “new” member who spoke of change…
Read MoreThe Leading Edge: Resisting Temptation
With the November elections behind us, we are on the cusp of the transition from the 109th to the 110th Congress, and the temptation for many of us is to forget about politics for awhile. The signs along our roadways…
Read MoreThe Cluetrain Manifesto: 95 Theses We Dare Not Ignore
In March 1999, four Webheads nailed 95 theses to the front door of the Internet cathedral and The Cluetrain Manifesto (www.cluetrain.com) was born. The document, authored by Christopher Locke, Rick Levine, Doc Searls, and David Weinberger, is a wake-up call…
Read MoreCollision Course? Traditional Worship Meets “The Theology of the Overhead”
Clapping during services, offering special prayers for healing, sharing personal testimony, and embracing fellow worshipers aren’t practices usually ascribed to Reform Judaism, but these activities are gaining favor at some liberal synagogues, according to Peter Knobel, chairman of the liturgy…
Read MoreAsk Alban: Setting Up An Endowment Fund
Q: My congregation is expecting its first bequest. We would like to use it to establish an endowment fund. A stockbroker in the congregation offered to manage it for us, but we’re wondering if this is wise. We’re also worried…
Read MorePreparing Ourselves for Worship
Few of us give much thought to entering worship. On most Sundays, we consider ourselves fortunate to get out of bed, locate suitable clothing, swallow some coffee, and glance at the newspaper before scrambling out the door, driving to church,…
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