by Jim Kitchens | Jun 19, 2018 | future
The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) met last week in St. Louis. We Presbyterians didn’t talk a lot about sexuality issues this year. We crossed the Rubicon on GLBTQ ordination and marriage equality a couple of Assemblies ago. The congregations who...
by Joel Snider | Jun 12, 2018 | communication
Have you ever: Sent a text that the recipient misinterpreted? Wondered how to decipher an angry sounding email you received? Congratulated someone on Facebook for an accomplishment, only to discover the news was still confidential? If you haven’t had one of these...
by Bob Dale | May 29, 2018 | Uncategorized
I was surprised. Driving into an intersection with a 4-way stop at one of Springfield, Missouri’s most notorious traffic bottlenecks, cars were moving ahead smoothly. What was going on? Then, I saw something new. A roundabout! A traffic roundabout is a circular...
by Bill Wilson | May 22, 2018 | healthy ministry
Ready for a vocabulary lesson? Stagnant. Boring. Aimless. Tired.Tepid. What do these words describe? You? Your minister? Your church? Your Sunday School class? Your career? All too often, I hear ministers and parishioners alike using such words to describe all of the...
by Bob Dale | May 15, 2018 | Adapting
We live in a “blur world.” Leaders are constantly challenged, disrupted, and disoriented by change. With so much turbulence, we’re almost surprised by any signs of stability and continuity. But, the globe hasn’t always seemed to spin so fast. Ten years ago, when my...
by Bill Wilson | May 8, 2018 | clarity, Education
Have you learned that nothing “goes without saying” anymore? That sobering truth runs counter to our tendency to think there are some universally shared assumptions that all of us agree upon. We may think that everyone agrees with us about what a family looks like, or...
by CHC | May 2, 2018 | preaching
The Center for Healthy Churches announces a new program, beginning May 1, that matches ministers who preach with preaching coaches – experienced preachers and teachers of preaching. Each of these preaching coaches has special training in this field. CHC coaches...
by Jim Kitchens | May 1, 2018 | Adapting, facilities
One of the most common conversations I have with churches of all sizes is one I’ve come to call “too much church / not enough people.” These churches have physical plants built for a time when the congregation’s membership was far larger than it is now. The current...
by Tracy Hartman | Apr 24, 2018 | love
If you are reading this column, you are passionate about the work of ministry. You may pastor a church, coach ministers, provide consulting services or lead a congregation through an interim time. This is good and noble work that we are invested in, and we often read...
by Mike Queen | Apr 19, 2018 | Resources
I know that is a terrible title for an article, but hopefully you will hang with me on this one. A young pastor friend of mine recently complained of too many senior adults in his congregation. Since I am myself a senior adult, I wondered why that was a problem. It...
