by Michelle Snyder | Oct 19, 2020 | change, strategic planning
Let’s face it. Most people have believed for some time that things in the church have needed to change. We all know the data…decline, institutional stagnation, and shrinking numbers. More gray hair and fewer kids, not to mention structural albatrosses made of...
by Jim Kitchens | Oct 17, 2020 | strategic planning
In the not so distant past, organizations thought they should do a strategic planning / visioning process about every ten years. Organizational life ran smoothly enough that leaders could trust such a plan to provide them with plenty of guidance for the coming decade....
by Bill Wilson | Oct 5, 2020 | pastor search process, Transitions
What would you say is the best gift a Transitional Pastor can give a congregation? Most traditional interim training programs land heavily on the idea that the primary task of a church in transition is dealing with grief. Thus, much of the work of a traditional...
by David Hull | Oct 3, 2020 | pastor search process, Transitions
There is a well-known saying that applies to any kind of organization involved in charitable giving. It is simply “Money follows mission.” You may have heard it before. People are inspired to give to a compelling mission and vision in an organization rather than just...
by Ronnie Brewer | Oct 3, 2020 | pastor search process, Transitions
Don’t judge us, but one of the ways Janet and I have been surviving the pandemic is by watching movies. They are often old familiar movies, with happy endings and inspiring themes. Ron Howard’s excellent “Apollo 13” was on again not long ago, and we...
by CHC | Sep 21, 2020 | conflict
Have you and your congregation heard? There is an election coming in just a few short weeks. If your congregation is like most I’ve seen, not only are members aware that an election is coming; they have some opinions regarding the outcome. What strategies and...
by Guy Sayles | Sep 21, 2020 | conflict
To say the least and the obvious, we live in a time of confusion and upheaval. It’s well-known that St. Anthony the Great, one of the church’s Desert Fathers, said: “A time is coming when people will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack...
by Matt Cook | Sep 21, 2020 | conflict
“I need to talk to you about what you said in your sermon yesterday.” I guess I should have expected it. It was in the days after violence had erupted in Charlottesville, Virginia. As a pastor I’d spoken about the events that had taken place and while my criticisms...
by CHC | Sep 6, 2020 | change, conflict
A compelling example of leaders turning conflict into opportunity for structural and cultural change is found in the first seven verses of Acts 6. The idyllic description of the first Christian community (Acts 2:42-47 and Acts 4:32-37) is soon marred by incidents of...
by Craig Sherouse | Sep 4, 2020 | conflict
Leaders are change agents, and change causes conflict. Change often comes through a visioning process. Receiving, developing, casting and implementing a vision stresses the system. Systems like homeostasis. Some visioning experts say that 20% of church members will...
