What’s Good about That?
Dan Hotchkiss writes that churches need to ask themselves “What’s good about that?” in relation to established programs and ministries. He shares an example of…
Author
Dan Hotchkiss
Dan Hotchkiss consults with leaders of a wide spectrum of churches, synagogues, and other organizations. As a senior consultant for the Alban Institute for 14 years, and now as an independent consultant, Dan has helped hundreds of congregations in over 30 denominational groups. Prior to consulting independently, Dan served as a Unitarian Universalist parish minister. He can be reached at danhotchkiss.com and the Congregational Consulting Group. Dan’s most recent book is Governance and Ministry: Rethinking Board Leadership, Third Edition (2026, T&T Clark) and is available from the publisher and Amazon.
Why Congregations Sometimes Change
Systems resist change because their core function is to ensure people repeat established behaviors. However, systems can change when they believe it’s essential for survival…
Learning to Underreact
Overreacting to the criticism and complaints that are an inevitable part of ministry leadership only ups the emotional ante. Dan Hotchkiss says learning to underreact…
Staffing When You Can’t Afford to Staff
Dan Hotchkiss explains how congregations can build their staffs by “hiring” unpaid volunteers. He explains how this approach can make fuller use of a volunteer’s…
5 Lies We Like to Tell About Church Growth
Church consultant Dan Hotchkiss exposes some of the reassuring lies that cause many churches to stagnate at a comfortable size while ignoring well-established truths about…
Principles for Sound Staff Evaluation
Many people flinch at the mention of evaluation, and with reason. In congregations, staff evaluation often is conducted as a popularity poll with anonymous respondents…
Should a Church Staff Member Report to a Committee?
When board- and committee-centered congregations engage paid staff, they sometimes struggle to find language to describe how staff members should relate to one another and…