By Bill Leonard “What was Jesus’ DNA?” That’s a question my Wake Forest University colleague, physics professor Jed Macosko, says someone once asked him. Macosko mentioned it while concluding a superb lecture on DNA, Darwinism and evolution offered in the…
Sigh. It’s that time of year again.
By Amy Butler If your family is anything like mine, you probably recently engaged in the annual Thanksgiving tradition of sharing some things for which we are each thankful. It can be a tradition that lessens in meaning with its…
The hope button
By Scott Dickison There’s a little button on the wall in the birthing center at the big hospital in town, down the street from our church. I’m told that other hospitals in town and probably other places have a similar…
Curbing staff conflict
Bill Wilson There is a consistent theme in the conversations I have with clergy and laity alike about what frustrates or challenges them most. Without a doubt it is staff. Every pastor’s gathering in which we ask for issues that…
Boundaries 101
By Bill Wilson The headlines are relentless. I wince every time I hear of a minister violating sexual or moral boundaries. I listen sadly as clergy describe unrealistic demands placed upon them by their congregation. Over the years I have…
Things worth fighting for
By Bill Wilson As part of our work with congregations that are engaging in the process of imagining their future, the Center for Congregational Health invites them to first look back and connect with their past. An effective tool for…
When the cavalry doesn’t come
By Bill Wilson A seasoned minister was addressing a group of young clergy and talking about some of the lessons learned on the job — the kind you can’t learn in graduate school or from a book. These are the…
What’s on your menu?
By Bill Wilson Let’s start with a disclaimer. Congregations and restaurants are not in the same business. Thinking like a restaurant can lead to embracing the consumer culture of the day. Catering to expectations has been the death knell of…
Jesus on strategic planning
By Bill Wilson Building a congregation’s life around a clear vision and purpose is an easy thing to believe in. Aligning that purpose with biblical teaching and witness is an agreeable notion. I seldom encounter a leader or leadership group…
So, you want to be a minister?
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…
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…
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…