by Bill Wilson | Oct 2, 2019 | future
What if you knew that your congregation was on a collision course with its demise? What would you do? Who would you tell? How would it change the way you lead? Would it affect your sense of urgency? Would it help you better distinguish between minor and major...
by Terri Springer | Sep 24, 2019 | Transitions
The Center for Healthy Churches uses the garden as a metaphor for healthy churches as we “seek to bring hope, help and healing to churches and clergy in the spirit of Christ.” One of the components of this metaphor is interdependence. Just like a garden depends on the...
by Joel Snider | Sep 17, 2019 | prayer
“Oh, Lord, as you read today in the Courier-Journal…” That’s how one worship leader began a prayer in our seminary chapel. The prayer created quite a discussion among all the young theologues on campus. The one thing no one doubted was that God knew about the event...
by Doug Haney | Sep 10, 2019 | Music
Many years ago, I interviewed for a position as Minister of Music with a church in a college town. It seemed like a good fit for my gifts and I could imagine myself having a long and productive ministry there. There was a point in the process when my wife and I were...
by Bill Wilson | Sep 4, 2019 | healthy congregation, unhappiness
My grandmother often used a word to describe herself or other people. It was the word “ill”. She did not use it to describe someone who was sick with a cold or the flu. She used it to describe an attitude, a demeanor, or a spirit. For example, if someone were rude or...
by Bill Wilson | Aug 27, 2019 | intervention
Intervention is an award-winning reality show about addiction and the extraordinary lengths it can take to face one’s unhealthy compulsions. Each episode chronicles the attempts by family members and friends to bring health to someone who is destroying their life. The...
by Chris Aho | Aug 20, 2019 | change
Have you ever visited Seattle? It is a magical place. In Seattle, the coffee tastes better (skip the green mermaid, you can’t get her here), the soccer is better (Go Sounders!), and even the views are better (when it’s not raining). But it wasn’t always...
by Tracy Hartman | Aug 14, 2019 | mission
Yesterday I was with a group of inter-faith pastors and educators. When we introduced ourselves, we shared our names, where we served, and the greatest challenge we faced in ministry. The answers to the last question surprised no one: “My church has been declining –...
by Barry Howard | Aug 6, 2019 | pastor search process
When I was a senior in high school, I was elected as the youth representative to the Pastor Search Committee at my home church. I had already shared with my church family my sense of call to ministry, so it was an informative and inspiring experience to see firsthand...
by Bill Wilson | Jul 30, 2019 | healthy ministry
If asked to identify a favorite New Testament character, most of us go with the predictable and obvious: Barnabbas, Mary, Nathaniel, Peter, Lydia, Timothy, Phoebe. You know the list. Let me remind you of an obscure character who can remind us of an important truth...
