By Bill Wilson One effect of growing up in 20th century America is that I love cars. Early on, I got the fever. I played with them as a kid, worked on them, collected them, admired them and dreamed of…
Cultivating a culture of call
By Bill Wilson Nearly all observers of the 21st-century church in America agree that the next generation of leadership is a cause for concern. Many write, blog, tweet and generally lament the state of leadership cultivation and training, or lack…
Resistant or resilient?
By Bill Wilson Two of the more important words for a congregation to ponder in the 21st century are resistant and resilient. Which of those two words better describe your congregation may well determine whether your congregation is viable in…
Resistant or resilient?
By Bill Wilson Two of the more important words for a congregation to ponder in the 21st century are resistant and resilient. Which of those two words better describe your congregation may well determine whether your congregation is viable in…
The surrender principle
By Bill Wilson A striking phrase from Luke 9:51-53 describes Jesus as “turning his face toward Jerusalem.” This implies a resoluteness of intent and a high degree of commitment to a divine agenda. Nothing was going to dissuade Jesus from…
Why your church building-use policy matters
By Bill Wilson I know firsthand how utterly boring and laborious creating a building-use policy can be. Every church I served entered into a major building project. The debate around building use has been a constant. It also has evolved…
Put your heart into it
By Bill Wilson Recently, our staff was talking about things our parents would tell us that we find ourselves repeating to our children or ourselves. We had to admit that we increasingly sound like those voices we vowed never to…
Staff-led vs. staff-controlled
By Bill Wilson A key predictor of strong congregational health is the type of leadership offered by the ministerial and paid staff. When a congregation’s staff functions out of strong spiritual and organizational health, the entire faith community benefits. Likewise,…
Christmas lessons
By Bill Wilson Current Christmas celebration habits are a uniquely post-World War II phenomenon. Much of the excess we experience stands at odds with the way Western society approached the holiday only a few years ago. This shift has lessons…