by David Hull | Feb 20, 2018 | Uncategorized
The story of my life was captured on slides. Some families used printed pictures, but my Dad captured all the important moments in the life of our family on slides. Periodically we would have a family slide show and look at the pictures of yesterday. Since my Dad was...
by Phill Martin | Feb 13, 2018 | Administration
Good policies and finely tuned processes can be the backbone of the healthy church. Policies and rigid process can be the noose of death for congregations. But wait… Are those statements a clear contradiction? Bear with me in this short post, and let’s think...
by Bill Wilson | Jan 30, 2018 | healthy ministry, Uncategorized
I’m conducting a memorial service this week for a former staff colleague, and it has caused me to give thought to what makes for a healthy relationship between ministerial staff members. Ken Denton was, for 24 years, the gifted Minister of Music at FBC Waynesboro VA....
by Chris Aho | Jan 23, 2018 | balance
I like to think in images and metaphors. I reflect on the things around me and imagine how they illustrate an idea. I suppose that is why bicycle wheels cause me consider leadership and healthy congregations. Four years ago, I took up cycling. After years of running,...
by Bob Dale | Jan 16, 2018 | Adapting, future
We live and lead in a dark, chaotic world. But, you’ve noticed that already, haven’t you? How do we, as church leaders, lead effectively in the future? Leaders see disruptive forces everywhere. Church leaders feel overwhelmed by the instability of their ministry...
by Bill Owen | Jan 9, 2018 | change
Amy Butler, pastor of the Riverside Church in NYC, recently reminded congregational leaders: “Make it our priority to perpetually reframe the narrative from scarcity to abundance…. When congregations speak in narratives of decline and death, desperation and...
by Barry Howard | Jan 2, 2018 | future
As we begin 2018, the challenges to local congregations are real, but so are the opportunities. Generational attrition, rotating attendance, deferred facility maintenance, and the decline of denominationalism are realities that affect most churches. What if the...
by Tracy Hartman | Dec 19, 2017 | call
When I talk to people about calling, sometimes I like to start by asking them if their call stories are more like the shepherds or the wise men. Often, as folks look back over their own faith journeys, the answer is, “Both.” The Christmas story is a good reminder...
by Jayne Davis | Dec 12, 2017 | congregation, Jesus
Santa’s not the only one making last minute adjustments to his Christmas plans these days. At least he shouldn’t be. As church leaders we know that there will be a lot of faces in the pews on Christmas Eve that we rarely see for most of the rest of the year. A...
by Barry Howard | Dec 5, 2017 | Jesus
Although plans were being developed for a new federal highway system as early as the 1930’s, construction for the Interstate Highway System was finally authorized by the Federal Highway Aid Act of 1956. However, by the time I-20 opened between Atlanta and Birmingham...
