June 2022—Volume 30, Number 6 Copyright @ 2022 by Dana Horrell Small groups are a significant part of the church’s past. In early Christianity, the ...
May 2022—Volume 30, Number 5 Copyright @ 2022 by Dana Horrell On a sunny Saturday, Pastor Reginald looks at the crowd in line for free hamburgers and hot dogs as the...
April 2022—Volume 30, Number 4 Copyright @ 2022 by Dana Horrell Rachel Hildebrandt joined the priest-in-charge of Church of the Crucifixion in the ...
March 2022—Volume 30, Number 3 Copyright @ 2022 by Dana Horrell The world experiences its share of problems—hunger, joblessness, crime, environmental ...
February 2022—Volume 30, Number 2 Copyright @ 2022 by Dana Horrell Community engagement requires action, but does it require study as well? Standing ...
January 2022—Volume 30, Number 1 Copyright @ 2022 by Dana Horrell First Church on the corner of Heritage and Main had been around long enough to ...
December 2021—Volume 29, Number 12 Copyright @ 2021 by Dana Horrell It’s time to start a project in the community. Where to start? Let’s begin with a ...
November 2021—Volume 29, Number 11 Copyright @ 2021 by Dana Horrell “Pastor, I love this building. It evokes a special memory every time I enter. It’...
October 2021—Volume 28, Number 10 Copyright @ 2021 by Dana Horrell Walking the neighborhood offers an unparalleled chance for church leaders to ...
September 2021—Volume 28, Number 9 Copyright @ 2021 by Dana Horrell On the two-hour drive back from the federal penitentiary, Pastor Eduardo ...
August 2021—Volume 28, Number 8 Copyright @ 2021 by Dana Horrell When church leaders survey the surrounding community, its urgent ...
July 2020—Volume 28, Number 7 Copyright @ 2021 by Dana Horrell In the 2020 season of pandemic restrictions a number of churches found ...
June 2020—Volume 28, Number 6 Copyright @ 2020 by Dana Horrell Typically the question of whether to relocate is precipitated by a building ...
May 2021—Volume 28, Number 5 Copyright @ 2021 by Dana Horrell The end of the COVID-19 pandemic and a return to normal life requires that a ...
April 2021—Volume 28, Number 3 Copyright @ 2021 by Lauren W. Swanson These are difficult days for the church, but also days of real opportunity. The ...
How Can We Build Trust in a Vaccine? March 2021—Volume 28, Number 3 Copyright @ 2021 by Dana Horrell The development of a vaccine for the ...
February 2021—Volume 29, Number 2 Copyright @ 2021 by Dana Horrell Sandra Lommasson rediscovered the value of art in response to violent trauma. In its...
January 2021—Volume 29, Number 1 Copyright @ 2021 by Dana Horrell Whatever else it did, the COVID-19 health crisis forced congregations to consider ...
December 2020—Volume 28, Number 12 Copyright @ 2020 by Dana Horrell In A Field Guide to U.S. Congregations, Cynthia Woolever points out the many factors ...
November 2020—Volume 28, Number 11 Copyright @ 2020 by Dana Horrell Livestreaming a worship service extends its reach far beyond the physical gathering of...
October 2020—Volume 28, Number 10 Copyright @ 2020 by Dana Horrell Honest conversation about all matters, even politics, must be part and parcel of a ...
September 2020—Volume 28, Number 9 Copyright @ 2020 by Dana Horrell Livestreaming an event, whether a worship service or Bible study, can seem like a ...
The emergence of a novel coronavirus has led in some regions to measures such as social distancing guidelines and prohibitions against physical gathering. Whether meeting...
When the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 11, it ushered in a prolonged period of uncertainty. Since that day it has appeared that ...
At its most basic level, managing volunteers means supporting their work in order to sustain their activity over time. The apostle Paul urges leaders “to equip the saints...
A regional church officer told of visiting a church with a puzzling worship practice. Whenever it came time to recite the Apostle’s Creed, worshippers turned toward the ...
Leading a congregation often demands the skills of a generalist, whether it’s the pastor or a team of lay leaders. Yet expert knowledge has its place. Specialists such as...
In a pub in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Peter Rollins and a group called the Ikon collective organized a religious event for visitors in town for a conference called ...
When Pastor Alexis was hired to do community outreach for the church in a racially diverse, economically struggling neighborhood, church members told him, “This is a high...
January 2020—Volume 28, Number 1 Copyright @ 2020 by Dana Horrell Having to deal with poorly designed or ill-suited worship space can be ...
December 2019—Volume 29, Number 12 Copyright @ 2019 by Dana Horrell Writing can help church leaders in their efforts to reach out to the community. Typically seen as a ...
Andrea, music director at The Blue Note Church, straps in and prepares to select song ideas for the worship team to consider as it prepares for Sunday. She decides to ...
Walking alongside someone in a time of need can be vastly reassuring. The ministry of “accompaniment,” often provided by churches in support for immigrants facing ...
Audrey Wells, director of Under the Tuscan Sun, describes how the use of non-professionals enriched the film crew’s effort to tell their story. For scenes in the town’s ...
For church leaders seeking to better understand their congregation, it pays to listen. Everyone knows the value of one-on-one conversations, yet it might not always be ...
Team talk can build a strong ministry team. Of course, some may not think of conversation as an important task, viewing it as getting in the way of work and slowing it ...
Vital congregations reach out to strengthen the communities where they are located. Different denominations give different names for this ministry, including mission and ...
“How often, making music, we have found a new dimension in the world of sound, as worship moved us to a more profound Alleluia!”[1] The worship band represents a way of ...
Some neighborhoods feel more secure once neighbors have become acquainted. Church leaders wanting to get to know their community could organize a block party. It can be a...
Recent advances in media technology have brought sweeping changes to many aspects of everyday life, including church. In 2012, 35% of US congregations were using video ...
At First Church, the newly arrived pastor faced a question over whether to continue holding its evening service, which utilizes a rock band, praise songs, and emphasizes ...
January 2019—Volume 27, Number 1 Copyright @ 2019 by Herb Miller Most pastors, laypersons, and denominational leaders develop a personal theory that ...
Holding conversations with neighbors can provide church leaders with vital information about the community. A one-on-one interview takes the process a step further by ...
Seminaries and social work programs often ask their students to create a self-care plan. Not only does this send a message about self-care while pursuing a degree, ...
The church is no stranger to controversy. Chapter 15 of the Book of Acts describes a ...
Many people feel called to their work and respond to job demands in ways that reflect a sense of vocation. But do we expect clergy to perform their calling with even ...
A congregation’s community project often starts with someone’s idea or dream, followed by a plan designed by a core team, and then, a group of volunteers willing to roll ...
In the 1950s, a new church start pastor challenged every member to invite two newcomers each month. Members enthusiastically committed to such a plan and the pastor’s ...
“Where is the nursery?” That is often the first question when young parents visit a new church. At a minimum, they expect their question to be answered with confidence, ...
When Jack picked up his car after repairs at the local dealership, he noticed instructions securely taped on the main desk where all customers could easily read it. "What...
Carbon dioxide emissions have been implicated as a key factor in rising global temperatures. Because all church buildings use energy, much of it derived from carbon-based...
March 2018—Volume 26, Number 3 Copyright @ 2018 by Cynthia Woolever Imagine a company with more than 300,000 small retail outlets, which are locally...
Jean grew up in a large Methodist church in Ohio—confirmed there, active as a young adult, and married there. To accept a part-time job at the church, and later to go ...
Tim Shapiro, from the Indianapolis Center for Congregations, believes that vibrant congregations exhibit a commitment to increasing congregational capacity. As demands on...
Serving a church without a written job description is like embarking on a long trip without a road map.
After thirty years of service, the pastor of Community Pine Church retired. For the majority of members, he was the only church pastor they had ever experienced. Lay ...
Reporting on the popularity of short-term mission trips, sociologist Robert Wuthnow estimates that in the US, 32 percent of congregations sponsor short-term overseas ...
Sociologist Joshua Packard describes an emerging population he calls the “dones.” They are “spiritual refugees” from organized religion who were once long-time members, ...
Do we see a snake or a rope? In this metaphor, the snake is fear, disappointment, discouragement, despair, anxiety, distrust, bitterness, or dejection. What is the rope? ...
A new church member—a recent African immigrant—described what his Christian mother taught him: “When someone comes to you and needs food and shelter, you give it to them....
On Friday, August 7, 2015, Vermont state employees left work and made their way to the parking lot together. There, a former client confronted and killed Lara Sobel, a ...
Even though they are not members, Bill and Dorothy go to a church in their neighborhood once or twice per month. They are fond of the pastor and proud of the ...
Although megachurches garner a great deal of attention, these supersized congregations comprise only a small fraction of all worshiping communities in the U.S. The ...
After months of meetings, the long-range planning committee of Epiphany Church submitted a report to the congregation’s board. The report highlighted three important ...
While Christian-Jewish may be most people’s first association for “interfaith,” as the population of “nones” grows, the most common pairing is actually a Christian and a ...
January 2017—Volume 25, Number 1 Copyright @ 2017 by Cynthia Woolever “We simply have too many churches in this small town,” declared a respected lay ...
December 2016—Volume 24, Number 12 Copyright @ 2016 by C. Jeff Woods God sparks innovations, but only on God’s terms, and those terms usually involve ...
November 2016—Volume 24, Number 11 Copyright @ 2016 by Cynthia Woolever The church governing board gathered with a consultant for their much-publicized first...
October 2016—Volume 24, Number 10 Copyright @ 2016 by Cynthia Woolever Forces large and small affect how best to answer the question: “What should we pay...
September 2016—Volume 24, Number 9 Copyright @ 2016 by Cynthia Woolever All individuals and organizations struggle with change. Implementing new ideas ...
August 2016—Volume 24, Number 8 Copyright @ 2016 by Cynthia Woolever “We’re not sure how to do it but we believe we should become a multicultural congregation,” the ...
July 2016—Volume 24, Number 7 Copyright @ 2016 by Cynthia Woolever Is it possible that our best intentions can do more harm than good? Sadly, ...
The celebration of Earth Day began in 1970 and has now spread to 192 countries. The early organizers could not imagine that almost fifty years later environmental issues ...
When asked, “How did you first find out about this congregation?” visitors give surprisingly diverse answers. Because not all visitors are seeking the same thing, their ...
April 2016—Volume 24, Number 4 Copyright @ 2016 by Cynthia Woolever The governing board met to make their final decision about hiring a new ...
Several years ago, the Rev. Dr. Freddy Hayes III, pastor of Friendship West Baptist Church in Dallas, noticed storefront payday lenders popping up like mushrooms, ...