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...
by Natalie Aho | Apr 10, 2018 | communication
“Communication works for those who work at it.” – John Powell What are churches doing wrong when it comes to effective communication strategies? After almost 20 years as an administrative assistant, communications manager, educator, communications specialist or...
by Bill Owen | Apr 4, 2018 | change, Transitions
Over more than forty years as a pastor and now as an interim pastor and as a congregational and leadership coach, I have had a wide array of experiences in the local church. An emerging concern for me, and for many of my fellow pastors and congregations, has been the...
