By Bill Wilson Ask any minister, “What is the worst part of your job?” and nearly all will tell you, “Conflict!” Ask any congregation member what they like least about their church experience, and most will answer the same. Conflict…
Why your minister should be like your physical therapist
By Bill Wilson My experience with a physical therapist was fairly routine. I went in with a painful or injured body part (once a knee, once my back), and the PT helped me restore motion, function and strength to my…
The gardener, the garden and plants
By Bill Wilson This is the third of a series of three attempts to flesh out a parallel between gardening and congregational life. Gardens, plants, horticulture and growth processes are a steady theme in Scripture. Repeatedly, Jesus taught and told…
Churches and gardeners
By Bill Wilson Most of our nation has endured an extremely harsh winter. As a result, this spring has been met with a sigh of relief and a sense of welcome that seems stronger than in some years. Facebook is…
Gardening: A metaphor for churches
By Bill Wilson In recent years, I’ve been giving a good deal of thought to metaphors that communicate clearly what a healthy church or minister is like. There are many of them, but the one that I keep returning to…
Navigating the Land of the Giants
By Bill Wilson The story of the Israelite’s thwarted entry into the Promised Land has always made me curious. The 12 spies cross the Jordan and reconnoiter the land before them, returning with a mixed message. Ten of the spies…
Your congregational aroma
By Bill Wilson Like many of you, I regularly read outside the world of congregational life in an effort to understand leadership issues. Recently, in Fast Company, I ran across an article dedicated to helping startup entrepreneurs establish healthy practices…
What can we learn from America’s cities?
By Bill Wilson Imagine a community in steady decline. There are fewer and fewer people and revenues are declining. Young families, especially, are missing. There is a constant chorus of longing to return to the good old days. A sense…
Modeling change for churches
By Bill Wilson Churches are not the only institutions wrestling with the transition from a tradition-bound orientation toward a more relevant contemporary life. In recent years, I have had the opportunity to watch two universities model how to adapt and…
Breaking the me-addiction
By Bill Wilson I recently visited an impressive coffee shop in a southern city and noticed a sign above the counter that said simply, “We appreciate your addiction.” From the length of the line I waited in to get my…
The case of the declining congregation
By Bill Wilson It is becoming a consistent scenario in our work with conflicted churches — Anxious congregations overreact to symptomatic issues and cause great harm to people and ministry. In its simplest form, it looks something like this: a…
Lessons from the rumble strips
By Bill Wilson You’ve probably been helped by a rumble strip. You know, the series of grooved cuts in the pavement just off the right side of the road that rattles your car when you drift off the highway. The…