01/12/2021 - Creativity and Spiritual Formation in a Time of Pandemic
By: Bruce Epperly - Church Growth and Vitality"The past ten months of pandemic can either be lost time or the time of our lives, or a mixture of both."
Blogs
Blogs
01/01/2021 - Build A Robust Network
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and VitalityJanuary 2021—Volume 29, Number 1 Copyright @ 2021 by Dana Horrell Whatever else it did, the COVID-19 health crisis forced congregations to consider ...
09/01/2020 - Getting Started with Livestreaming
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and VitalitySeptember 2020—Volume 28, Number 9 Copyright @ 2020 by Dana Horrell Livestreaming an event, whether a worship service or Bible study, can seem like a ...
08/01/2020 - Hospitality: Offering a Third Place to Gather
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and Vitality Faith Formation and Christian EducationThe emergence of a novel coronavirus has led in some regions to measures such as social distancing guidelines and prohibitions against physical gathering. Whether meeting...
07/01/2020 - Care, Leadership, and Self-Renewal in Uncertain Times
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and Vitality Faith Formation and Christian EducationWhen 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 ...
04/22/2020 - We’ve Dipped Our Toes in the Water, Now What?
By: David Cleaver-Bartholomew - Church Growth and Vitality Conference staffThis period of no public worship has forced a great many of our churches to dip their toe in the water of online digital worship, and their experiences have ranged from ...
04/01/2020 - Enlist Specialists to Improve Outreach Ministry
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and VitalityLeading 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...
03/27/2020 - Transition or Transformation?
By: David Cleaver-Bartholomew - Church Growth and Vitality Conference staff StewardshipI frequently hear people express their strong desire for us to transition out of this pandemic and return to basically what life was before it struck. They just want to ...
03/01/2020 - What is the Emerging Church?
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and VitalityIn 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 ...
02/01/2020 - Get to Know the Community through Mapping
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and VitalityWhen 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...
12/01/2019 - Writing as a Tool for Community Engagement
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and VitalityDecember 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 ...
11/01/2019 - Learning to Love Variety in Worship Song Selection
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and VitalityAndrea, 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 ...
08/01/2019 - Learn More about Your Congregation through Focus Groups
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and Vitality Faith Formation and Christian EducationFor 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 ...
07/01/2019 - Team Talk Can Strengthen Volunteer Ministry
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and Vitality Faith Formation and Christian EducationTeam 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 ...
06/01/2019 - Overcome Volunteer Burnout by Building Capacity
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and Vitality Faith Formation and Christian Education Leadership DevelopmentVital congregations reach out to strengthen the communities where they are located. Different denominations give different names for this ministry, including mission and ...
05/08/2019 - Many Voices One Mission: Innovate and Create
By: Susan Townsley - Church Growth and Vitality Conference programming Many Voices, One Mission Together, As One"Churches need to be more innovative. Clearly, the old way of doing things is not working, as demographic studies will show." — Susan Page Townsley
05/01/2019 - Many Voices One Mission: Extraordinary Things
By: Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane - Church Growth and Vitality Church History and Identity Conference programming Many Voices, One Mission Together, As One"As the Spotlight editor, I hear about individuals and church groups doing amazing things every day."— Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane
05/01/2019 - Tips for Starting and Managing a Worship Band
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and Vitality“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 ...
04/10/2019 - Many Voices One Mission: Hope
By: Charles Kuchenbrod - Church Growth and Vitality Conference programming Many Voices, One Mission Together, As One"In the midst of an occupation by a repressive foreign power, where religious authorities were collaborators, where the economic system was unjust and income inequality ...
04/03/2019 - Many Voices, One Mission: Legacy Beneficiaries
By: Jonathan New - Church Growth and Vitality Church History and Identity Conference programming Many Voices, One Mission Together, As One"What if legacy thinking guided all our church decisions?" — Rev. Jonathan New
04/01/2019 - Building Your Community Ties with a Block Party
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and Vitality Faith Formation and Christian EducationSome 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...
03/27/2019 - Many Voices One Mission: The Backbone of Silver Lake
By: Ryan Gackenheimer - Church Growth and Vitality Church History and Identity Conference programming Many Voices, One Mission Outdoor Ministries Together, As One"It truly is a life changing experience being a counselor." — Rev. Ryan Gackenheimer
03/20/2019 - Many Voices One Mission: Cultivating Connections
By: Pamela Arifian - Church Growth and Vitality Conference programming Environment Many Voices, One Mission Together, As One"The magic is in connecting their hearts and minds with wonder and beauty of the planet..." — Pam Arifian
03/07/2019 - Grow: Part Two
By: Dan Smolnik - Church Growth and VitalityPart Two of Dan Smolnik's look at church growth patterns.
02/28/2019 - Grow: Part One
By: Dan Smolnik - Church Growth and Vitality"Across America, the Church is not disappearing at all." - Dan Smolnik
02/20/2019 - Many Voices One Mission: Liminal Space – The Road is Made by Walking
- Church Growth and Vitality Conference programming Many Voices, One Mission Together, As One"One of the fundamental lessons of that road is liminal space. It is learning how to become comfortable with having more questions than answers." —Rev. Don Remick
02/01/2019 - What is Contemporary Worship
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and Vitality Faith Formation and Christian Education Leadership DevelopmentAt 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 ...
12/12/2018 - Many Voices One Mission: Intentional Christian Community
By: Ryan Gackenheimer - Church Growth and Vitality Church History and Identity Conference programming Many Voices, One Mission Outdoor Ministries Together, As One"What makes Christian Community different, however, is that in Christian Community we believe in reconciliation, the restoration of relationship, and welcoming folks back...
12/05/2018 - Many Voices One Mission: Ministry As Art
By: Susan Townsley - Church Growth and Vitality Conference programming Many Voices, One Mission Together, As One"A minister needs time to think creatively and playfully." — Susan Page Townsley
11/01/2018 - How to Develop Habits for Well-Being
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and Vitality Faith Formation and Christian Education Leadership DevelopmentSeminaries 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, ...
10/31/2018 - Many Voices One Mission: Actions Matter, Now
By: Pamela Arifian - Church Growth and Vitality Conference programming Environment Many Voices, One Mission Together, As One"The interconnectedness of justice issues and climate impact means that your action at every level matters." — Pam Arifian
10/31/2018 - Many Voices One Mission: Exciting Stewardship
By: Charles Kuchenbrod - Church Growth and Vitality Conference programming Many Voices, One Mission Stewardship Together, As One"The stewardship committee often is placed in the church trustee/finance budget constellation of people. It belongs in the deacon/faith formation constellation of ...
10/03/2018 - Many Voices One Mission: More Frequent, More Intense
- Church Growth and Vitality Conference programming Many Voices, One Mission Together, As One"And churches stay on the ground, involved in helping people find their way into a new normal, long after the news crews have moved on to the next disaster or lead ...
10/01/2018 - Don’t Disagree, Deliberate: How to Lead Community Conversations in Your Church
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and Vitality Leadership DevelopmentThe church is no stranger to controversy. Chapter 15 of the Book of Acts describes a ...
09/05/2018 - Many Voices, One Mission: Viability
By: Jonathan New - Church Growth and Vitality Church History and Identity Conference programming Many Voices, One Mission Together, As One"Churches are closing and it’s time to break the silence." — Rev. Jonathan New
09/01/2018 - Checking Up on Clergy Health: Assessing the Cost of Sacred Work
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and Vitality Faith Formation and Christian Education Leadership DevelopmentMany 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 ...
08/27/2018 - Do Not Cross
By: Jeffrey Lukens - Church Growth and Vitality Faith Formation and Christian EducationRev. Jeff Lukens created a communion liturgy to address the "healing and wholeness" needed in a time when news about immigrants and their families is often disturbing and...
07/01/2018 - Inviting, Informing, and Including Newcomers
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and Vitality Leadership DevelopmentIn 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 ...
06/20/2018 - Many Voices, One Mission: Paying Attention
By: Martha Goodman - Church Growth and Vitality Clergy Transitions Conference programming Many Voices, One Mission"High touch—paying attention—reduces these anxieties." —Martha Goodman
06/13/2018 - Many Voices, One Mission: Uncomfortable Work
By: Michele Mudrick - Church Growth and Vitality Conference programming Justice and Witness Many Voices, One Mission"When have you been uncomfortable, but did/said/stood up for [your work] anyway?" —Michele Mudrick
06/06/2018 - Many Voices, One Mission: Beyond The Vote
By: Ellie Richardson - Church Growth and Vitality Conference programming Many Voices, One Mission Together, As One Tri-Conference Annual Meeting"We can talk until the cows come home about structure, process and strategy and get stuck in the weeds missing the fundamental nature of what is truly important in ...
06/01/2018 - Making the Nursery a Place of Belonging
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and Vitality Faith Formation and Christian Education“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, ...
05/30/2018 - Many Voices, One Mission: Connected
By: Jennifer Kronholm Clark - Church Growth and Vitality Conference programming Many Voices, One Mission Outdoor Ministries"Our response to each new challenge has come from that core mission: intentional Christian community." —Jennifer Kronholm Clark
05/23/2018 - Many Voices, One Mission: Born for Such a Time as This
By: James Antal - Church Growth and Vitality Conference programming Many Voices, One Mission"Because we have been born in a time such as this, we have this opportunity to bear witness to the truth." —Rev. Jim Antal
05/16/2018 - Many Voices, One Mission: Collaborating In Covenant
By: Deborah Kirk - Church Growth and Vitality Conference programming Faith Formation and Christian Education Leadership Development Many Voices, One Mission"The blessing of a caring community will be realized in countless ways." — Debby Kirk
05/09/2018 - Many Voices, One Mission: Inspired To Do
By: Jonathan New - Church Growth and Vitality Conference programming Many Voices, One Mission"As with all charitable giving, church people are inspired to give when they understand and believe in the church's mission, know how it's making a difference, and have ...
05/01/2018 - How to Balance Hospitality and Church Security
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and Vitality Disaster Relief StewardshipWhen 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...
04/11/2018 - Many Voices, One Mission: The Saints Among Us
- Church Growth and Vitality Conference programming Many Voices, One Mission"For them, preserving and maintaining the church is not an end in itself. And it never has been."— Rev. Don Remick
04/01/2018 - Church Energy Use: Can We Harness Hope?
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and Vitality StewardshipCarbon 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...
03/23/2018 - Holy Week Message from Rev. Siladi
By: Kent Siladi - Church Growth and Vitality Justice and Witness"Love one another. It is finished. He is Risen!" — Rev. Kent Siladi
03/07/2018 - Many Voices, One Mission: The Why of Unity
By: Kent Siladi - Church Growth and Vitality Conference programming Many Voices, One Mission"Our congregations and our wider church need to look outward and shout to the world that Jesus Christ is Sovereign without being judgmental or formulating value judgments...
02/01/2018 - Best Practices for Church Members Serving as Staff
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and VitalityJean 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 ...
01/01/2018 - 18 Questions for 2018
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and Vitality Faith Formation and Christian Education Leadership DevelopmentTim Shapiro, from the Indianapolis Center for Congregations, believes that vibrant congregations exhibit a commitment to increasing congregational capacity. As demands on...
12/22/2017 - Partnering with Families for Children’s Faith Formation
By: Debbie Kolacki - Church Growth and Vitality Faith Formation and Christian EducationThose 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. ...
12/01/2017 - Does Our Pastor Need a Job Description?
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and Vitality Leadership DevelopmentServing a church without a written job description is like embarking on a long trip without a road map.
10/02/2017 - Our Spirits Fed
- Church Growth and Vitality"When we join in joyous music and faithful worship, our spirits are fed." — Persephone Hall
09/05/2017 - The Millennial Perspective – It Matters
By: Justine Fisler - Church Growth and VitalityI challenge everyone to think about their “not that it matters" moments and find out why it matters to say those words… to get to the root of it and ask yourself, does ...
09/05/2017 - This is the Perspective Our Church Needs to Hear
By: Michael Frady - Church Growth and VitalityAs a church pastor and parent of two millennial daughters, I recognize some growth areas that our church and I need to be more attentive to regarding this often ...
09/01/2017 - Equipping Volunteers Builds a Strong Community Church
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and Vitality Faith Formation and Christian Education Leadership DevelopmentSociologist Joshua Packard describes an emerging population he calls the “dones.” They are “spiritual refugees” from organized religion who were once long-time members, ...
08/01/2017 - What Promotes Hope?
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and Vitality Leadership DevelopmentDo 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? ...
07/18/2017 - Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast: Why Coaching is a Transformative Edge for Your Church
By: Todd Weir - Church Growth and Vitality“Please do not laminate our new vision statement and put it on the wall,” a member quipped...
07/01/2017 - How Can We Help Immigrants?
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and Vitality Faith Formation and Christian Education Justice and WitnessA 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....
06/01/2017 - Ministry in the Midst of Tragedy
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and Vitality Faith Formation and Christian Education Justice and Witness Leadership DevelopmentOn 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 ...
05/01/2017 - Financing the Local Church
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and Vitality StewardshipEven 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 ...
04/26/2017 - Growing Your Communication and Conflict Resiliency Capacity
- Church Growth and VitalityFriends, We are frequently getting requests about resources for individuals and churches around skills to help transform conflict into health choices, conversations and...
04/26/2017 - The Church is Leaving the Building!
By: Wendy Vander Hart - Church Growth and Vitality EnvironmentA reflection and details on the MBA leadership's decision to change the venue and program for the MBA spring meeting.
04/01/2017 - Small is Big Again: Reclaiming Small Church Ministry
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and Vitality Leadership DevelopmentAlthough megachurches garner a great deal of attention, these supersized congregations comprise only a small fraction of all worshiping communities in the U.S. The ...
03/01/2017 - Guide to Good Governance
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and Vitality Leadership DevelopmentAfter months of meetings, the long-range planning committee of Epiphany Church submitted a report to the congregation’s board. The report highlighted three important ...
02/08/2017 - The Importance of an Extravagant Welcome
By: Cecile Gilson - Church Growth and Vitality Justice and WitnessIt is more important than ever for us as people of God to welcome all into the safety and embrace of our church communities. Our LGBTQ friends are hungry for a place to ...
02/01/2017 - How Do Congregations Respond to Interfaith Couples?
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and Vitality Faith Formation and Christian Education Leadership DevelopmentWhile 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 ...
12/09/2016 - Contact New Folks Near Your Church in Time for Christmas
- Church Growth and VitalityMission Insite has a way for you to economically acquire a list of folks who are new to your community.
12/01/2016 - Can We Wait for God's Spark?
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and Vitality Leadership DevelopmentDecember 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 ...
11/28/2016 - Post-Election Vigil Spurs Increased Worship Attendance
By: Todd Weir - Church Growth and Vitality Justice and WitnessWe discovered that many who attended our post-election vigil were looking for a safe place in the midst of uncertainty.
11/01/2016 - Does Your Congregation Suffer from Anxiety?
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and VitalityNovember 2016—Volume 24, Number 11 Copyright @ 2016 by Cynthia Woolever The church governing board gathered with a consultant for their much-publicized first...
10/01/2016 - Keeping UP with the Pastor's Pay: Trends Behind Clergy Wages
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and VitalityOctober 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...
09/01/2016 - What Keeps Congregations from Implementing New Ideas?
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and VitalitySeptember 2016—Volume 24, Number 9 Copyright @ 2016 by Cynthia Woolever All individuals and organizations struggle with change. Implementing new ideas ...
05/23/2016 - Sanctuary UCC journey shows power in collective
By: Wendy Vander Hart - Church Growth and VitalityThe 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 ...
05/01/2016 - How Do New People Hear About Your Church?
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and VitalityWhen 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 ...
04/01/2016 - How to Deal with Church Conflict
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and VitalityApril 2016—Volume 24, Number 4 Copyright @ 2016 by Cynthia Woolever The governing board met to make their final decision about hiring a new ...
02/01/2016 - The Payday Lending Crisis: What Can Congregations Do?
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and VitalitySeveral years ago, the Rev. Dr. Freddy Hayes III, pastor of Friendship West Baptist Church in Dallas, noticed storefront payday lenders popping up like mushrooms, ...
01/01/2016 - How Ministry Teams Get Things Done
By: The Parish Paper - Church Growth and VitalityHow Ministry Teams Get Things Done January 2016—Volume 24, Number 1 Copyright @ 2016 by Cynthia Woolever The pastor charged with recruiting teachers for the ...
07/07/2015 - Engage at All Levels (VIDEO and TEXT)
By: John White - Annual Meeting Church Growth and VitalitySee how the Dudley UCC connects to church and community through PJ’s Place email communication, yoga, theater, and Bible reading.
04/14/2015 - Dig Deep
- Church Growth and VitalityIncreasing membership in a small church means having to empower the members and helping them dig deep into their faith.
10/14/2014 - Getting to Know You
- Church Growth and VitalityIn 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 ...
09/17/2014 - A New Church for a New Generation
By: Donna Spencer Collins - Church Growth and VitalityThere 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 ...
09/08/2014 - Jump start your church - it's worth the effort
- Church Growth and VitalityThe Rev. Jane Willan talks about the ideas behind her new book, Jump Start This Church!
08/18/2014 - 18 from MACUCC inspired at National Church Leadership Institute
By: Donna Spencer Collins - Church Growth and VitalityEighteen 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 ...
07/29/2014 - Words Became Procedures, Thoughts Turned into Actions
By: Amy Chin - Church Growth and VitalityChurch 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, ...
06/04/2014 - How our church came back from the dead and yours can too
By: Molly Phinney Baskette - Church Growth and VitalityOne 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 ...
05/13/2014 - When is it OK to get involved with drugs?
- Church Growth and Vitality“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 ...
04/16/2014 - Planting Seeds for New Beginnings
By: Barbara Schenk - Church Growth and VitalityJesus’ 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 ...
02/19/2014 - Opportunity Knocks
By: Wendy Vander Hart - Church Growth and VitalityGod might be knocking on our church doors with opportunity! With parenting centers located in Arlington, Boston, Needham and Hanover closing, I immediately thought about...
02/07/2014 - A New Day, A New Way of Worshiping
By: Reed Baer - Church Growth and VitalityUpon 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 ...