The ecosystem of congregations, judicatories and the institutions that prepare persons for ministry has been fraying across the denominational spectrum.
Pastors as ‘hybrid sailors’? New models for effective leadership in today’s churches
Borrowing from scripture and the U.S. Navy, I suggest a pastor’s role in today’s world should be like that of Jesus, who began his movement with the flexibility of a new type of vessel, a small crew and the vision of a new creation based on the pattern of heaven.
When the church you lead is the Titanic
Traditional, established congregations that are more than 40 years old are in steady and persistent decline. Now is the time to speak the truth, reclaim our hope and launch a realistic and thoughtful plan for our future as God’s people.
Love the church you have
Churches must be courageous and open to change. But sometimes, amid all the pulse-taking, evaluations, strategy planning and critiquing, we forget to love the church we have.
‘Prophetic or pastoral?’ A trio of black women preachers expose this false dichotomy
In American Christianity today, many pastors and other ministry leaders in the dominant culture are afraid of being prophetically pastoral. As a result, the Church and the Gospel suffer.
The best seminaries are laboratories for the Church of tomorrow
Seminaries should be religious science labs that help prepare leaders for the ever evolving work of the Holy Spirit in congregational life.
Called to ‘go hard in the paint’ for Jesus: Trump isn’t our biggest problem; we are
Christianity is not a game of chess. Following Jesus is risky business. What we need are knees worn out from prayer, hearts captivated by biblical authority and a will surrendered to God’s will, committed to go, do and say whatsoever God desires, no matter the outcome.
Most church ‘visioning’ efforts fail: how your church can succeed
When the visionary rhetoric of a vibrant future collides with the realities of established precedents, facilities, job titles or traditional methods, the result is conflict. This is where many congregational visioning processes get derailed.
Mad the pastor didn’t make a hospital visit? Question: did you call?
The words sting all these years later. They came earlier in Alan Rudnick’s pastorate when a congregant called to chastise him for not visiting another member in the hospital. “You’re not doing your job,” the caller said. “You’re not being…