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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“We are about to mark the first time in the COVID-19 era when we have ‘lapped’ a Christian holiday, having completed one full circuit of the liturgical track,” writes my colleague Gretchen Ziegenhals. Even though this second Easter of the…
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When facing a truly complex challenge — the kind of challenge that is sometimes referred to as a “wicked problem” — one of the temptations for a leader is that we endeavor to solve the problem on too small a…
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It was one year ago today that COVID-19 was first mentioned in the Alban Weekly. Now, as then, we depend on our colleagues at Faith & Leadership to help us think about the opportunities, challenges, griefs and — yes — moments of…
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Congregational leadership is seldom dull. Even before the pandemic, congregational life brought weekly challenges, opportunities and surprises. How leaders lead when the unexpected happens … well, that’s improvisation. This week, we hear from several leaders about what it takes to…
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As congregations developed online worship offerings in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many learned that their reach could be far greater online than it had been previously. Some churches report people regularly logging on from across the continent or across…
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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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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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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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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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