Vital Signs

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

By Bill Wilson Let’s eat grandpa.Let’s eat, grandpa. It’s true, correct punctuation can save a life. A comma is so very small, just a smudge of ink between two words. That small smudge, however, can make a huge difference. Same…

By Bill Wilson I had a first-ever experience recently flying out of New York’s LaGuardia Airport. The weather was deteriorating, but we boarded our flight on time and I had high hopes of getting out before things backed up. We…