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Leading Ideas
Delivered every Wednesday, our free e-newsletter Leading Ideas offers articles by thoughtful, cutting-edge leaders on subjects you care about — navigating change, reaching younger people, financing your ministry, communicating effectively — to help you be the leader God is calling you to be.

The Lewis Center is committed to helping congregations and denominations thrive and grow by providing ideas, research, resources, and training for vital and fruitful leadership. Through Leading Ideas, we share vignettes of leaders and congregations, book reviews, leadership quotes, and helpful “right questions” built around the premise that leaders don’t need answers — they need to know the right questions.

Leading Ideas
0 Using What You Already Have to Jumpstart Outreach

What kind of reputation does your church have in the community? Laura Heikes suggests the answer may have less to do with your worship service or programs and more to do with how you show up in the life of your neighborhood. Drawing on examples of churches turning overlooked resources into opportunities for hospitality, she offers a simple framework for…

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Leading Ideas
0 It Is Hard to Be 10 Years Old in America Right Now

Church leaders have a responsibility to advocate for children’s well-being and inspire their congregations to do the same. Through the 2026 National Observance of Children’s Sabbaths, Trevor Beauford challenges faith communities to listen to children, advocate for their needs, and take meaningful action to address the challenges they face. It is hard to be 10 years old in America right…

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Leading Ideas
0 Ministry Would Be Great If It Weren’t for the People

Difficult people are part of every congregation, but Margaret Marcuson, author of Sustainable Ministry: How to Lead (and When to Nap), argues that leaders make a mistake when they treat a challenging individual as the problem. She offers practical ways for church leaders to step back, examine their own responses, address unhealthy patterns, and build relationships rather than simply reacting…

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Leading Ideas
0 United Methodist Clergy Age Trends in 2026

The Clergy Age Report from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership, produced in partnership with Wespath, offers an annual look at the changing age profile of United Methodist clergy. Lovett H. Weems Jr. identifies four key findings in this year’s report: the rebalancing of elder age groups, the continued scarcity of young elders, the growing presence of deacons, and the…

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Leading Ideas
0 What Clergy Age Trends Tell Us About Church Leadership

What can church leaders learn from the latest Clergy Age Trends report? Jonathan Page identifies three key takeaways for the church: cultivating calls to ministry among younger people, recognizing how changing family and vocational realities are reshaping itinerancy, and addressing the financial challenges that affect clergy recruitment and retention. For two decades, the Lewis Center for Church Leadership has tracked…

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Leading Ideas
0 Clergy Age Trends in the United Methodist Church: 1985-2026

Download the 2026 Clergy Age Trends Report. Highlights of the 2026 Report Ages of Elders Rebalancing Except for Young Elders Notice in the chart below the change between 2000 and 2015 when the percentage of elders between 35 and 54 dropped from 65 percent in 2000 to 38 percent in 2015, with the percentage of elders between 55 and…

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Leading Ideas
0 The Gift of the First: A Reflective Commentary from the Installation of Dr. Carla Works

Dr. Shonda Nicole Gladden, Director of Programs and Initiatives at the Lewis Center for Church Leadership, reflects on what it means when a historic first opens a door for generations to come. In response to Dr. Carla Works’ historic installation as the first woman president of Wesley Theological Seminary, Gladden traces the long legacy of women’s leadership in the church…

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Leading Ideas
0 A Committed Congregation

Dr. Dontá McGilvery invites churches to consider how they can help congregants move from discovering their God-given purpose to developing a concrete plan for living it out. By creating intentional spaces for discernment, planning, mentorship, and accountability, congregations can become places where people are not only called to serve the church but equipped to live faithfully into their callings beyond…

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Leading Ideas
0 Letting Pastor’s Kids Be Kids

Laura Heikes reflects on two decades’ worth of lessons learned from raising pastor’s kids while serving in ministry. Healthy ministry families, she writes, are nurtured when churches allow children to be fully human, respect family boundaries, and help kids discover meaningful ways to belong and serve. Pastor’s kids have a reputation. I have three, and between them they’ve joyfully lived…

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Leading Ideas
0 Responding to AI Concerns is a Matter of Pastoral Care

As with any significant community change, clergy need to help their congregants navigate the personal, ethical and social terrain of AI, writes Gabby Cudjoe Wilkes. She directs the Technology, Innovation & Digital Engagement Lab at Union Theological Seminary. Calling all pastors—this piece is for us. If you’re like me, you were trained by mentors, seminary professors and catechists to prioritize…

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Leading Ideas
0 A Practical Guide for Church Families Supporting Seniors in Need

As congregations seek to care well for aging members, good intentions alone are not enough. Justin Black offers practical ways church leaders can organize consistent emotional, practical, and spiritual support so older adults feel connected, respected, and cared for by the whole church community. Many older adults quietly face daily challenges—meals, medication routines, transportation, and home upkeep—while carrying the heavier…

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Leading Ideas
0 Back to… Christmas?

Church leaders may not be thinking about Christmas in September, but this is an ideal time to begin preparing for Christmas Eve. Lewis Center Director Jonathan Page offers five practical recommendations for strengthening hospitality, engaging newcomers, supporting local missions, planning follow-up, and surrounding it all with prayer. Across the country, from campuses to playgrounds, there is abundant evidence that school…

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Leading Ideas
0 Dolly Parton: A Beloved Leader in a Time of Division

Dolly Parton was beloved by audiences across the political and ideological spectrum, having built an enduring legacy of philanthropy and service. Allen T. Stanton reflects on what Dolly Parton’s life can teach pastors about leadership in a polarized culture. In 2018, my family moved from North Carolina to Tennessee. At a rest area off I-40, somewhere, Dolly Parton’s rendition of…

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Leading Ideas
0 Honoring the Laborers

Dr. Dontá McGilvery suggests that churches draw inspiration from Labor Day to create an annual season of rest and appreciation for faithful volunteers. Drawing on 1 Thessalonians 5, he argues that intentionally honoring those who labor in ministry strengthens congregational health, reduces burnout, and demonstrates biblical gratitude. I am currently making my way through a novel that, like many novels,…

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Leading Ideas
0 Unlocking the Potential of the 164 Hours a Week Beyond Sunday

Jevon Caldwell-Gross says churches can no longer assume that Sunday morning is the primary way people will connect with a congregation. He shares how the COVID-19 pandemic revealed new opportunities for St. Luke’s United Methodist Church to engage its community—and why churches should think beyond Sunday when reaching new people and forming faith. In 2020, we set a goal at…

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Leading Ideas
0 3 Questions to Ask Before You Recruit Your Next Volunteer

Allen T. Stanton says the goal of volunteers in church isn’t more programs—it’s discipleship. He gives three questions to ask to help leaders and their congregations flourish. When I work with pastors, a key concern is how to mobilize their congregants to be more engaged in the life of the church. How do you get volunteers to lead new missions?…

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Leading Ideas
0 Leading Your Church Faithfully Through Elections

When discipleship extends into public life, what does faithful Christian leadership look like? Kendal McBroom equips leaders with practical resources and practices to build spiritually grounded communities that engage civic life with courage, humility, and a commitment to the common good. There is a persistent temptation within American Christianity to imagine that faith belongs primarily within the walls of the…

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Leading Ideas
0 The Rhythms That Sustain Ministry

Sustainable ministry requires more than working harder or managing stress. Drawing on biblical rhythms of Sabbath, joy, friendship, and receiving care, Laura Heikes offers practical ways church leaders can embody the patterns of rest they encourage in others. Self-Care If you’re reading this, I bet you’re very good at caring for others. I also suspect that like most church leaders,…

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Leading Ideas
0 Empowering the Next Generation: 5 Leadership Frameworks for a Changing World

What does it take to prepare the next generation of Christian leaders? Applying insights from an extraordinary gathering of ministry leaders, Elizabeth Tamez Méndez explores how churches can engage with Gen Z leaders. She shares five frameworks that can help experienced leaders build trust, foster collaboration, and intentionally pave the way for the future of the church. In October, I…

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Leading Ideas
0 Practicing Connection

Jonathan Page explores how the connectional nature of United Methodism provides a model for leadership rooted in shared purpose, intentional relationships, and collective growth. Through five practical practices, Page invites leaders to consider how gathering around what matters most can strengthen communities and deepen their impact. I consider myself a Christian before any other identifier. My particular “brand” of Christianity…

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Leading Ideas
0 Self-Care is an Act of Faith

Dr. Dontá McGilvery argues that self-care is more than a personal wellness practice. For pastors, ministry leaders, and church members alike, making time for rest is an act of faith that reflects trust in God’s provision rather than our own endless striving. Self-care has become something of a buzzword. Depending on who uses the phrase, it may evoke images of…

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Leading Ideas
0 The Myth of the “Stable Church”

Many congregations are asking what faithful ministry looks like in a time of change and uncertainty. Lovett H. Weems Jr. explores recent research on church attendance while challenging the notion that stability should be the church’s primary goal. Instead, he calls congregations to reclaim an outward-focused mission by building relationships with the people God has placed in their communities. One…

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Leading Ideas
0 Dramatic Changes Are Ahead. The Small Church Can Guide Us.

Church leaders are facing huge demographic shifts, leading to smaller denominations, fewer resources, and leaner institutions. Allen T. Stanton gives us three lessons we can learn from small-membership congregations about how to flourish in a shifting landscape. It sounds sensational, but over the next two decades, mainline churches are going to be unrecognizable from how we know them today. While…

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Leading Ideas
0 Part 2 — Conversations on Christian Nationalism: An In-depth Interview with Caleb Campbell and Rachel Williams

As churches and families continue to navigate political division and fractured relationships, the final part of this interview focuses on what it means to remain faithful amidst disagreement and uncertainty. Caleb Campbell, author of Disarming Leviathan: Loving Your Christian Nationalist Neighbor, and Rachel Williams discuss fear, identity, belonging, and the power of hospitality to foster healing and reconciliation. Watch the…

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Leading Ideas
0 Part 1 — Conversations on Christian Nationalism: An In-depth Interview with Caleb Campbell and Rachel Williams

In a cultural moment marked by deep division and difficult conversations, this episode steps into one of the most complex and emotionally charged topics shaping faith communities across the United States: Christian nationalism. Caleb Campbell, author of Disarming Leviathan: Loving Your Christian Nationalist Neighbor, and Rachel Williams explore not just what Christian nationalism is, but who it impacts and how…

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This article is reprinted by permission from Leading Ideas, a free e-newsletter from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary available at churchleadership.com.