How do you define Innovation? This is one of the most important questions a congregation can ask itself OR perhaps a better way to frame this is: defining innovation is ...
Support growth in faith and discipleship.
"They might as well say what they are thinking: I’m a church killer." In this installment in The Building Church Legacy series, Church Legacy Specialist Charlie ...
A maze confuses, a labyrinth does not. Our goal in this time of challenge and change as we anticipate the new thing that God is doing is to move forward as if we were ...
As churches move into the final stage of maturity, turning towards legacy building and ...
The report from a Clergy Well-being study conducted by Rev. Dr. Frederick 'Jerry' Streets in Southern New England during the spring and summer of 2022 is now available ...
Karen Ziel, Assistant Director of the Center for Transformational Leadership interviews ...
I am envisioning thriving congregations full of supportive people.
On October 5, 2022, churches from across the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ gathered at Edwards House in Framingham, MA to view...
The pandemic has made the recruiting of volunteers a little more challenging, yet people still want to feel needed and know that they have something to offer.
Instead of waiting for a veteran Faith Formation leader to apply, why not cultivate one who may already be planted in your own backyard? We often look outside our church ...
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One of the challenges for small churches is figuring out how much the congregation can do. Old programs you did when you had twice as many members seem to hang on. And ...
Rev. Dr. Sarah Drummond, Dean of Andover Newton Seminary at Yale Divinity School is ...
Karen Ziel, Assistant Director of The SNEUCC Center for Transformational Leadership conducted an interview with Beth Estock on the practice of discernment. As co-author ...
A healthy approach to one’s sexuality.
With careful attention, each situation can be managed with successful outcomes.
Do you know there is an organization that exists to assist retired pastors and their families with situations like these? Bug infestations - then getting scammed. ...
Emily McKenna, Program Support Associate, interviews Katie Howe. Katie is a Masters of Divinity student at Chicago Theological Seminary, a Woodridge Congregational Church...
The work of faith formation is challenging. It takes more than purchasing the perfect curriculum or implementing the hottest new lesson plan. We are called to bring the ...
The last fifteen months have been stressful for you, your families, and your work as faith formation leaders. Everything shifted, and EVERYTHING related to your work had ...
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The question to ask is, "How do we pass on the faith knowing what we know now?"
Drew Page offers some tips for churches and pastors to protect against email scams.
Walking alongside teens on their spiritual journeys remains our focus.
How do we navigate uncertainty while ministering to our congregations?
How will you most effectively walk the path of faith with your congregation?
Playlists! What are they? An introduction to the concept of Playlists as a new format for shaping faith.
Blurred boundaries can result for lay staff who are also members of that congregation.
In this time of polarized opinions and beliefs, an attitude of humility toward our approach to the Bible and to each other is surely what God is desiring of us.
We owe it to our congregations to offer high quality faith formation and youth ministries, particularly during these uncertain times.
King Street UCC in Danbury, CT, this weekend seemed to have done everything right. Someone still got in.
January 2020—Volume 28, Number 1 Copyright @ 2020 by Dana Horrell Having to deal with poorly designed or ill-suited worship space can be ...
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 ...
Vital congregations reach out to strengthen the communities where they are located. Different denominations give different names for this ministry, including mission and ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
" Even though I didn’t understand the language being spoken, I clearly understood the purpose and meaning behind the act of giving praise, acknowledging our blessings, ...
"I have often felt as if I can see God in the faces of the congregation when I am singing." — Dori Hall
"The blessing of a caring community will be realized in countless ways." — Debby Kirk
"Do you know a young seeker who has an inquisitive spirit? Is there a youth in your congregation who is ready to explore faith at a deeper level?" — Debby Kirk
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...
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 ...
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? ...
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 ...
A Reflection on Mentored Relationships This reflection offers insights about our new Mentored Relationships model for leadership development. Karen Ziel, Minister of ...
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 ...
Rev. Michelle Hughes shares a few of the prayers lifted at the Women Clergy in the CT Conference retreat in Hamden.
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 ...
By The Rev. Carol Steinbrecher Are you in your first 2 – 5 years in congregational leadership? Do you feel you could use some new inspiration, spiritual refreshment, ...
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 ...