To the Point: How Do New People See Your Church?
The Lewis Center asked church members in several states to attend nearby churches as visitors and report on their findings. Many reflect the difficultly churches…
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Lewis Center
The Lewis Center staff has assembled and edited this material.
BOGO Summer Special
Our Buy One, Get One Free summer special is here! When you purchase any Adult Christian Study through August 31, 2021, you may choose A Life…
Digital and Hybrid Worship Consultation with Dr. Tim Snyder
The pandemic seemed to change everything. Churches that had never before offered digital worship had to pivot on a dime to put programs in place.…
Eight Strategies for Managing Conflict
In her book Getting to Amen: Eight Strategies for Managing Conflict in the African American Church, Lora-Ellen McKinney summarizes key strategies for managing conflict in…
An Interview with Bishop Robert Schnase
Leading Ideas had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Bishop Robert Schnase, author of Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations (Abingdon Press, 2007). Here are some highlights…
A Pastor Describes Her First Day in a New Community
Having attended a workshop on transitioning into a new appointment, I kept remembering the stress put on the importance of your “first official day.” “You…
Ten Commandments for Pastors New to a Congregation
Lawrence W. Farris has written Ten Commandments for Pastors New to a Congregation, a guide for clergy in their early months and years in a…
Multicultural Church Offers a Distinctive Gift for Children
A small membership church finds a distinctive gift in offering a multicultural environment for children and learning. I have found an important starting point for…
Ducking Spears, Dancing Madly: A Biblical Model of Church Leadership
Lovett Weems reviews Ducking Spears, Dancing Madly: A Biblical Model of Church Leadership by Lewis A. Parks and Bruce C. Birch. The authors look at Saul,…
New Life for a 100-year-old Church
A pastor who went to a 100-year-old church in serious decline tells a story of renewal that came about by focusing on strengths not what’s…
Successful Planning and Evaluation for Religious Organizations
Lovett Weems reviews Projects that Matter: Successful Planning & Evaluation for Religious Organizations a user-friendly guide by Kathleen Cahalan for religious organizations to use in evaluating…
The Rhythm of Home Creates a Sense of Welcome in Multicultural Congregations
A pastor discovered incorporating familiar elements of worship from each segment of a multicultural congregation created a sense of welcome for all. have learned that…
Working with a Volunteer Treasurer
A pastor in her first year at a congregation tells of a lesson learned the hard way in working with a volunteer treasurer. Last fall…
Leading Your Congregation to New Life
Lovett Weems reviews You Only Have to Die: Leading Your Congregation to New Life, written by Jim Harnish about a church in Florida that built a…
Orchestrating Conflict
A pastor talks about practicing leadership theory learned from reading Leadership on the Line by Ronald A. Heifetz and Marty Linsky, who advocate the role…
Christian Reflections on The Leadership Challenge
Lovett Weems reviews Christian Reflections on The Leadership Challenge, the leadership book that Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner wrote in collaboration with religious leaders. For more than…