4 Key Characteristics of Missional Congregations
Congregations that want to move forward and live more missionally need to understand and embody four key characteristics, says F. Douglas Powe, director of the…
Author
Doug Powe
F. Douglas Powe, Jr., is director of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership and holds the James C. Logan Chair in Evangelism (an E. Stanley Jones Professorship) at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC. He is the author of The Adept Church: Navigating Between a Rock and a Hard Place (Abingdon Press, 2020), available at Cokesbury and Amazon. He is also co-author with Jasmine Smothers of Not Safe for Church: Ten Commandments for Reaching New Generations (Abingdon Press, 2015), available at Cokesbury and Amazon. His previous books include New Wine, New Wineskins: How African American Congregations Can Reach New Generations; Transforming Evangelism: The Wesleyan Way of Sharing Faith; and Transforming Community: The Wesleyan Way to Missional Congregations.
4 Tips for Experimenting with Change This Summer
Lewis Center Director F. Douglas Powe says that the summer is the perfect time for a congregation to test possible changes through short-term experiments. He…
7 Ideas for Making Vacation Bible School an Evangelism Opportunity
How can you deepen your relationship with the children and families participating in a Vacation Bible School and stay connected with them throughout the year?…
4 Characteristics of Biblical Evangelism
To celebrate the Lewis Center’s anniversary, we are highlighting Leading Articles — some of our most popular posts of the past 20 years. We are…
How to Keep Preaching Fresh: An In-Depth Interview with Teresa Fry Brown
How can preachers keep their preaching fresh? Doug Powe of the Lewis Center staff interviews Professor of Preaching Teresa Fry Brown about preaching familiar texts…
Breakthrough: Trusting God for Big Change in Your Church — An In-Depth Interview with Dawn Weaks
What happens when a congregation trusts God for big change? Doug Powe of the Lewis Center staff speaks with author and pastor Dawn Darwin Weaks…
The Holy Work of Hybrid and Virtual Christian Education: An In-Depth Interview with Tanya Campen
How can Christian educators maximize the potential for learning in both hybrid and virtual classrooms? Doug Powe of the Lewis Center staff speaks with author…
Sustaining While Disrupting
Learn ways to sustain tradition while guiding fresh initiatives and addressing unfamiliar issues. Many churches today find it difficult to adjust to changing circumstances. Traditional…
4 Ways to Make Easter Hospitality the Pattern for the Year
Lewis Center Director Doug Powe says special efforts to welcome visitors at Easter shouldn’t be set aside once the holiday is over. He outlines four…
Leading Voices: “All Great Leaders Need Contextual Intelligence”
“All Great Leaders Need Contextual Intelligence” is presented by Lewis Center for Church Leadership Director Doug Powe. In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the…
A New Model for Leading Change
What is God calling your church to do in the near future given your church’s mission and context? Doug Powe and Lovett Weems outline key…
Gen Z and Mental Health: An In-depth Interview with Josh Packard
How can church leaders better reach Gen Z? Doug Powe, Director of the Lewis Center, speaks with Josh Packard about Springtide Research Institute’s research including…
5 Trends Impacting Church Leadership for 2023
Doug Powe, Ann Michel, and Jessica Anschutz of the Lewis Center staff identify five trends church leaders should keep in mind as they develop creative…
When Christmas Falls on a Sunday
Why worship on Christmas Day? Jessica Anschutz and Doug Powe share important reasons for worshipping on Christmas Day and offer ideas for innovative, hybrid (or…
7 Key Questions to Focus Your Change Agenda
Successful change requires setting priorities. But how can a leader discern which goals are most important? Doug Powe and Lovett Weems suggest a series of…
Improving Worship Attendance in a Post-Pandemic World
Learn best practices your church can use to increase in-person and online worship attendance. For most congregations, attracting new people was a challenge even before…
Sustaining While Disrupting: An In-Depth Interview with Doug Powe and Lovett Weems
How can you bring about meaningful change in your church? F. Douglas Powe Jr. and Lovett H. Weems Jr. maintain that genuine change also involves…
Genuine Change Involves Continuity
Doug Powe and Lovett Weems of the Lewis Center staff say that successful and lasting change is likely to come through evolution rather than revolution.…
Ideas on a Deadline: An In-Depth Interview with Phil Cooke
How can you be creative when facing deadlines? Doug Powe, Director of the Lewis Center, interviews media consultant Phil Cooke about gaining clarity about expectations,…
Sustaining While Disrupting: The Challenge of Congregational Innovation
NEW BOOK Clergy and other church leaders often feel pressed to preserve cherished traditions even as they direct people to discern the new thing God…
Moving Beyond a Congregational Identity Crisis
Asking “Who are we?” helps congregations gain clarity in the midst of an identity crisis. Lewis Center Director F. Douglas Powe Jr. offers three priorities…
Evangelism Insights from The Methodist Church in Britain: An In-Depth Interview with Trey Hall
What can we learn about congregational revitalization, Fresh Expressions, and evangelism from the Methodist Church in Britain? Lewis Center Director F. Douglas Powe Jr. interviews…
What Makes Christian Social Innovation Christian?
How can church leaders approach innovation in ways that are consistent with their faith? Lewis Center Director F. Douglas Powe interviews Kenda Creasy Dean, author…
4 Ways to Expand the Reach of Small Groups
How can you prevent your small groups from becoming inwardly focused and impenetrable to newcomers? Doug Powe and Ann Michel of the Lewis Center staff…
The Pandemic’s Real Impact on Clergy and Congregations: An In-Depth Interview with Scott Thumma
How has the pandemic shaped the vitality and resiliency of congregations? Did it really prompt large numbers of pastors to leave ministry? Doug Powe, director…
Normalizing Next
How can church leaders embrace rather than fear the future? Lewis Center Director F. Douglas Powe interviews Olu Brown on how leaders can “normalize next”…
Evangelism: A Witness to Love Not a Dirty Word
Our understanding and practice of evangelism are too often captive to stereotypes and false perceptions. Lewis Center Director F. Douglas Powe Jr. says we can…
Building Vibrant Community Connections in Digital and Physical Spaces
How can your congregation connect with new people in both physical and digital spaces? Lewis Center Director F. Douglas Powe Jr. interviews Jordana Wright on…
Understanding Conflict
How can leaders respond to conflict in healthier, more productive ways? Lewis Center Director F. Douglas Powe Jr. interviews Brian Brown on perspectives and practices…
The Building Blocks of Congregational Renewal
What does it take to turn a congregation around? Lewis Center Director Doug Powe interviews Ed Brandt, a long-serving pastor who recently retired as chief…