Eighteen months of Covid has taught us that the church is not the building, and that physical distance does not necessarily mean spiritual distance. We have found sacred ...
“We all have within us a deep wisdom, but sometimes we don’t know we have it.” ~ Shakti Gawain Some of the most rewarding experiences since adopting our three children ...
Sharing Leadership is important in today’s UCC now more than ever. Our denomination is known for its stance on inclusivity and justice, which has attracted cherished new ...
In my church’s case, there is (or rather was) a lot of stuff in our building. We’ve filled a dumpster with trash, donated to area non-profits, recycled more paper than ...
Karen Ziel, Assistant Director of the Center for Transformational Leadership, affirms and ...
Which tools do we need to use for true innovation to take place?
For many small churches there is a painful journey of dwindling resources—less time, less money, fewer volunteers. Pastors travel this path with congregations, trying to ...
As people called to serve to God, it is easy to lose sight of our own woundedness yet spending some time with our doubts and pain brings greater self-awareness which ...
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This past Sunday was Easter Sunday and like many folks around the Conference, I was feeling despondent because it was not going to be the Easter that I am used to. I was...
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 ...
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...
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 ...
The Body of Christ is eternal. It is alive and well across the globe. And for the institutional church, the road ahead may look substantially different from the road ...
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...
Tim Shapiro, from the Indianapolis Center for Congregations, believes that vibrant congregations exhibit a commitment to increasing congregational capacity. As demands on...
Those of us in Christian Education work hard to provide our children and youth with information and experiences which we hope will lead them to have a lifelong faith. ...
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? ...
“Please do not laminate our new vision statement and put it on the wall,” a member quipped...
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 ...
Friends, We are frequently getting requests about resources for individuals and churches around skills to help transform conflict into health choices, conversations and...
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 ...
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 ...
Mission Insite has a way for you to economically acquire a list of folks who are new to your community.
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 ...
The brave, faithful members and leaders of Sanctuary United Church of Christ revealed what it means to be church this weekend in an article beautifully written for the ...
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, ...
See how the Dudley UCC connects to church and community through PJ’s Place email communication, yoga, theater, and Bible reading.
Increasing membership in a small church means having to empower the members and helping them dig deep into their faith.
In this current era of life and culture, one of the realizations is a return to an ancient concept of relationships. How do we get to know our neighbors? How do we ...
There is a church in Haverhill embarking on a path towards a new rebirth for this generation. Who is this generation? These are the children who heard a splintered and ...
The Rev. Jane Willan talks about the ideas behind her new book, Jump Start This Church!
Eighteen people from the Massachusetts Conference UCC went to the National Church Leadership Institute August 7-10 in Atlanta GA. Donna Spencer Collins, a member of the ...
Church on the Hill, UCC in Lenox organized a community communion service where church-goers and non-churchgoers sat at the same table and shared music, scripture, ...
One of your sister churches, First Church Somerville UCC, where I have pastored since 2003, has enjoyed a remarkable degree of growth during the last decade: from 30 to ...
“What if your church suddenly disappeared overnight? Would anybody notice?” First Congregational Church UCC of Saugus believes it can no longer count on the tradition of ...
Jesus’ words about the need to be born of the Spirit and born anew resonate with the current happenings at Foster Memorial Church in Springfield. The pastor – along with ...
God might be knocking on our church doors with opportunity! With parenting centers located in Arlington, Boston, Needham and Hanover closing, I immediately thought about...
Upon his return from a sabbatical, the pastor of West Parish of Barnstable, UCC, was astonished to see that the church had suffered a marked decline in attendance by ...