by Joel Snider | Aug 7, 2018 | communication
Pastors and other ministers want to know the best practices of a healthy church. Here’s one: healthy churches communicate well. They recognize it is almost impossible to communicate too much. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? If it’s so simple, why don’t more congregations...
by Sarah WIlson | Jul 25, 2018 | Uncategorized
The Center for Healthy Churches (CHC) is delighted to announce two important additions to the consulting arm of the ministry. Each of these new consultants brings vast ministry experience and exceptional expertise to their work. The Rev. Dr. Carol Tate is the Interim...
by Mike Queen | Jul 24, 2018 | success
As my interview with the Personnel Team of a church looking for an interim pastor came to an end, the chair turned to me and said, “We don’t want to waste the momentum we have right now.” When I asked for a broader explanation of what he meant by that, he said, “We...
by Doug Haney | Jul 17, 2018 | worship
On the book shelf in my office is a gift from a church member and former adult choir member, Frances. The ceramic plaque reads, “Singing is praying twice.” It’s an adaptation of a quotation usually attributed to St. Augustine, “One who sings prays twice.” What does...
by Phill Martin | Jul 10, 2018 | healthy congregation
“Healthy organizations need healthy staff teams”. Sounds right, I guess. Is it true that all successful organizations, in fact, have a healthy leadership team? Short of a comprehensive assessment of health indicators, it might be difficult to predict organizational...
by Guy Sayles | Jul 3, 2018 | Jesus, roles of ministers
What’s your guiding image for ministry leadership? In addition to the traditional roles of “pastor,” “priest,” and “prophet,” there are many others. Some of these images provide theological wisdom; some offer pragmatic guidance, and a few manage to do both. Among the...
by Bill Wilson | Jun 26, 2018 | change
I recently listened to a friend as he described the challenge his church had faced as they navigated a difficult congregational decision. It was no surprise to hear him talk about people taking sides, expressing opinions, twisting facts, assigning motives to the...
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...
