On a pleasant morning a few years ago at a church preschool, a 3-year-old boy fell backwards off a piece of playground equipment and hit his head. It was no one’s fault. It just happened. His symptoms indicated the need…
Beware of the backfire effect
“Daddy long-leg spiders are one of the most poisonous spiders but their fangs are too short to bite humans.” “All vaccines are deadly to all children.” You may heard those statements, but those statements are not true. Despite facts that disprove popular myths, some folks…
Is your denomination slowly committing suicide?
For decades we have known that persons who smoke multiple packs of cigarettes per day are slowly committing suicide. Many of these people did not want to commit suicide. Some claim they did not know they were committing suicide. At…
The glass ceiling for women in ministry only slightly cracked
I recently returned from the Exponential church planting conference in Orlando where I spent time thinking about women in ministry; especially women in church planting. I sat in on all three workshop sessions led or co-led by a woman in…
Finding the associate pastor you need
The role of the associate pastor or minister is one that many churches think they cannot afford. In reality, the are a variety of ministry callings that do not involve staffing a full-time pastor or minister. In many cases, the…
More reflections on the rising student debt: A Latina Christian perspective
Recently I wrote a blog about student debt, and I received a comment that is worth exploring: “An essential piece of this puzzle relates to why the cost of higher education has escalated so dramatically, so as to make student…
Want to change your congregation? Find a crisis
Five years ago I spent two weeks in the hospital. I did not enjoy it. It was for a reason that had been creeping up on me for about a month. I had been to my doctor—a general practitioner–twice during…
Alban Institute, consultant for mainline congregations, shuttering after 40 years
By Bob Allen The Alban Institute is closing shop after 40 years as an independent consulting, educational and publishing firm catering to mainline Protestants, directors of the Herndon, Va.,-based nonprofit announced March 19. As of March 31, Alban Institute consultants…
Need innovative leaders? Look for agility and alertness
By John Chandler Clayton Christenson teaches at Harvard Business School, is the author of seven books and is co-founder of four companies. In 2011, he was named the world’s most influential business thinker in a biennial ranking conducted by Thinkers50….