Grace-Filled & Firm Boundariedby Rev. Cynthia Vermillion-Foster “Grace-Filled and Firm Boundaried.” These words were spoken by my coach, Betty Pries, in relationship to something I was trying to achieve. I loved the way she described this desire; a beautifully...
10 Things You Can Do Right Now to Reduce Anxiety in Your Congregation, By Susan Beaumont
10 Things You Can Do Right Now to Reduce Anxiety in Your Congregationby Susan BeaumontThe effects of anxiety on human thinking and behavior are both observable and predictable. In his book Congregational Leadership in Anxious TimesPeter Steinke describes the impact of...
The American Congregation 2015: Thriving and Surviving
The American Congregation 2015: Thriving and Surviving Reviewed by Rev. Alan Mead Have you wondered lately what in the world is happening in congregational life and mission? There are continuing reports of decline, both in numbers of people and in resources, with an...
Making Connections: Transitional and Multicultural Ministry
Making Connections: Transitional and Multicultural MinistryBy Dr. Mark Smutny Attending the Annual Conference of the IMN Annual Conference for the first time was like being invited to a sumptuous Thanksgiving Day feast. The two keynoters were like Grandpa and Grandma...
Congregational Closure – By Rev. Dennis Alger
Congregational ClosureBy Rev. Dennis Alger Be prepared for the work ahead by going to your nearby worker-friendly retailer and purchasing sufficient quantities of facial tissue; there will be tears. It is a factor of our time. Mainline congregations are experiencing...
Embracing the Strategic Value of Small Church Ministry: Why Bigger Is No Longer Better – by Brandon J. O’Brien
When it comes to assessing ministry trends and strategies, American clergy are concerned primarily with two questions. The first is one of principle: is it true? Like all good shepherds, we want to lead our people toward the pastures that give life, not illusions of...
Do More with Less – by Eric Law
When I was young my family always had guests for dinner. On any given day, there might be twelve to fifteen people at the dinner table. Dinner was a time of joyful sharing of food and stories. I thought we were quite wealthy, feeding so many people every night. Only...
Currency of Relationship – by Eric Law
A church was facing a mid-year $10,000 budget shortfall. This was not because the church had not been doing missional ministries. In fact, they were serving the neighborhood with many innovative projects. During the coffee hour that Sunday, the pastor asked those...
Currencies Must Flow – by Eric Law
Best Practices, Personal Financial Planning I grew up with a Chinese saying: Water is Money. I often heard it as a joke, especially when it was raining – the rain became a wish or a symbol of financial abundance. In spoken Cantonese, I also heard people use the word...
Finding the Optimal Level of Conflict – by David R. Brubaker
Every congregation experiences conflict, even though each one does so in unique ways. The sources of conflict may vary from the micro to the macro—from intrapersonal pathologies to personality differences to globalization forces—but over time they are inescapable....