By Bill Wilson The landscape of hiring and managing staff is rapidly changing for congregations. What are the implications for the men and women who desire to serve in those congregations? What does this dawning of a new era in…
So, you want to be a minister?
The staffing dilemma
By Bill Wilson There is a revolution taking place in the way traditional congregations hire, manage and compensate their staff. Some of it is healthy and overdue, some of it is painful and short-sighted. As traditional congregations entered the 21st…
Creatively outrageous congregations
By Bill Wilson I recently heard an interview with George Lois, a leader in the advertising world in the 1950s who helped revolutionize the industry. His innovations transformed advertising and made several of his clients into household names. I found…
The rise of church discipline
By Bill Wilson Have you noticed our tendency to try and control others with rules? We started with Ten Commandments. That led to Jewish scholars noting that the Torah actually contains 613 commandments, which can be divided into 365 “negative…
New clergy deserve a chance
By Bill Wilson A recent column on the surge of churches calling pastors in their fifth decade evoked a wide range of responses. Many came from mid-career clergy who offered a hearty “Amen” and were grateful for the news that…
Prime time
By Bill Wilson One thing that is predictable about pastor search committees is that they all want something similar: a great preacher, an amazing administrator who loves visiting, someone who is effective with young families and senior adults, a 38…
Can we have2 a healthier search process?
By Bill Wilson An increasing part of my life is spent advising and coaching pastor search committees. A healthy search process requires great patience, spiritual maturity and hard work. Done well, it can lead to a season of hope and…
Confession from a consultant
By Bill Wilson Time for a confession. Let me tell you a consultant’s dirty little secret: congregational strategic planning is frequently a waste of time and can be counterproductive. There, it’s out. Now, it’s time to explain. Many congregations, for…