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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 A Prayer You Can Replay: Extending Care through Voicemail

Looking for a simple, intimate way to extend your pastoral presence? Laura Heikes reminds us that a voicemail prayer only takes a few seconds to record but can be replayed for hours, days, or long nights of waiting. “Leave a message at the beep.” One of the best innovations in my pastoral ministry happened entirely by accident. A sassy, compassionate,…

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Leading Ideas
0 The Outside-Inside Parallel of Church Leadership

Lewis Center Director Jonathan Page says that church leadership today requires holding two realities at once: engaging the needs of the community while also forming disciples within the church. He draws on examples from two recent United Methodist gatherings to illustrate how faithful leadership requires movement between the life of the church and the life of the community it serves.…

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Leading Ideas
0 Getting Your Missions and Ministries Grant-Funded

Have you ever considered grant funding for your organization and felt daunted by the process before you even began? Micháela Murray wants to help demystify the process by breaking grant seeking into clear, manageable steps—covering eligibility, readiness, research, and proposal writing—so church leaders can move forward with clarity and confidence. If your church is operating outward-facing ministries of service, you’ve…

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Leading Ideas
0 Do Service Trips Matter for the Church’s Future?

How can faith move from theory to action in the lives of young leaders? Brittany Bethel, executive director of Cross Connection, shows how they equip students through service, curiosity, and community to practice a faith that transforms both themselves and their neighborhoods. There are few things I believe in more deeply than the work of Cross Connection. If we want…

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Leading Ideas
0 Lenten Contemplative Actions for Leaders

This Ash Wednesday, Lewis Center Director Jonathan Page invites church leaders to enter a season of contemplative action: a time to discern what to add, subtract, or multiply in their lives and leadership. By taking on assurance, incarnation, and “good trouble,” leaders can cultivate space for God’s direction. Growing up in the church, I thought Lent was a time for…

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Leading Ideas
0 Leadership as Learning to Sail the Spirit

In this reflection, Isaiah Park explores a vision of church leadership shaped not by control, but by trust in the Holy Spirit’s movement. Drawing on the metaphor of a wind tunnel and Paul’s storm-tossed journey in Acts 27, she invites leaders to focus less on saving the ship and more on saving lives. Wind tunnels are designed to do one…

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Leading Ideas
0 Drive Thru Ashes

Rev. Mack Strange describes a novel approach to community outreach on Ash Wednesday. His church offered a “drive-thru” station for imposition of ashes alongside a busy commuter route. This article was originally published on January 21, 2015. Because this remains an innovative ministry outreach approach that many churches can emulate, we are highlighting it again.  There are certain times of…

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Leading Ideas
0 Proactive Steps for Congregational Budget Success

Did your congregation struggle last year with budget shortfalls? If so, you’re not alone. Many congregations deal with being “in the red,” often due to a lack of awareness among members about church finances. Andreá Cummings offers practical strategies for proactive communication, transparent reporting, and inspiring generosity—helping churches close financial gaps and strengthen their mission. When I arrived at my…

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Leading Ideas
0 Workaholics Aren’t Heroes: Finding a Healthier Rhythm for Ministry

“I’m so busy!” How often do you say or think this throughout the week? We live in a society that glorifies hustle. But our culture’s obsession with busyness is not only counterproductive but also damaging to relationships, well-being, and ministry. In their book Rework, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson critique workaholism, challenging us to rethink our approach to work…

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Leading Ideas
0 A Journey of Faith and Transformation: My Ministry in Las Vegas

Transformative leadership often begins not with certainty, but with vulnerability. In this reflection, Khalif Smith shares how arriving at a struggling church in Las Vegas became the starting point of renewal for himself, the congregation, and the community—revealing how faith, relationship, and adaptive leadership can spark lasting transformation. The summer of 2014 was a summer of transformation, for me personally…

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Leading Ideas
0 Some Considerations for Speaking Up

In times of public tragedy and social tension, church leaders are often left discerning whether and how to speak in faithful response. Recent events in Minnesota have sharpened these questions, prompting many leaders to search for answers. Lewis Center Director Jonathan Page offers five guiding principles for speaking with wisdom, humility, and conviction. Over the weekend, Alex Pretti was killed…

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Leading Ideas
0 Give the Mic Away: The Team-Based Shift That Grows Faithful Youth

What is the key to a vibrant, growing youth ministry? Many churches assume it’s finding the right youth director and offering programming so entertaining it can compete with every other option in a teenager’s life. But Laura Heikes shares how youth ministry in her congregation has grown in a different way—not by doing more for young people, but by choosing…

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Leading Ideas
0 Creating Digital Communities

Growing a large online audience doesn’t always create a healthy community. Brandon Robbins outlines a framework for discipleship that helps people see where they are on their journey, take the next steps, and support one another in following Jesus. It began as an escape from writing articles for my church’s newsletter. It became an online community of over 400,000 people.…

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Leading Ideas
0 Listening When You’re New in Town

Luke Edwards highlights a community-driven approach to leadership that centers spiritual discernment—listening to God, the congregation, and the surrounding community—to discover how the Spirit is already at work and inviting shared direction for ministry. The story goes that a pastor moved to a small town to start a new appointment. She knocked on every door in town and introduced herself.…

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Leading Ideas
0 Church Leadership Trends for 2026

As church leaders look toward 2026, familiar approaches to leadership are proving insufficient amid changing communities, evolving teams, and growing demands on leaders. Lewis Center Director Jonathan Page highlights key shifts shaping the year ahead and offers practical guidance for how church leaders can respond with clarity, collaboration, and purpose. As we begin a new year, I want to express…

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Leading Ideas
0 Top Leading Ideas Talks Podcast Episodes and Video Shorts of 2025

Please share this issue with your colleagues, congregations, and friends. The Future of the United Methodist Church What does the post-pandemic and post-disaffiliation United Methodist Church (UMC) look like? In this episode, Doug Powe and Lovett Weems discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the UMC. They highlight regionalization, the need for structural reform, and changes to the ordination process, while advocating for renewed…

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Leading Ideas
0 Top Leading Ideas Articles of 2025

Please share these articles with your colleagues, congregations, and friends. 7 Trends Impacting Church Leadership for 2025 As the landscape of ministry continues to shift, the Lewis Center sees congregations adapting in creative new ways. Jessica Anschutz, Ann Michel, and Doug Powe identify seven trends impacting churches and how they pursue their missions in 2025. Read more now. Ten Non-Negotiable Rules for Child Safety in…

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Leading Ideas
0 Connecting with Neighbors through Christmas Cookies

Laura Heikes shares an easy, low-barrier Christmas outreach idea that can involve your entire congregation and extend an invitation to worship that is warm, non-coercive, and inviting. Best of all, you can help your congregation get to know your community in an easy, non-threatening way. Christmas is the perfect time to help your congregation share God’s love with their neighbors…

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Leading Ideas
0 10 Guidelines for Paying and Hosting Guest Speakers and Musicians in Your Church

How much should a church pay guest speakers and musicians? Thom Rainer writes that when hosting guest speakers or musicians, churches should approach compensation and hospitality with generosity, transparency, and professionalism. Clear communication and respect for their time will foster strong, lasting relationships and reflect well on the church.  Money can often be an awkward topic for churches and guest…

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Leading Ideas
0 Learning to “Begat” Gratitude

Gratitude is one of the most powerful forces in shaping healthy ministry. Lewis Center Director Jonathan Page offers five practical ways to intentionally “begat” gratitude in the communities we serve. His reflection invites leaders to see gratitude not as something extra, but as a simple daily practice that forms teams, strengthens relationships, and grounds our leadership. When I was in…

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Leading Ideas
0 What Happens in Worship

Worship is the primary formational space in most congregations, yet many churches rarely consider what they hope will happen during the service. Emily Peck invites leaders to name their core values and design worship that intentionally forms disciples within their unique context. Worship brings faith communities together. As a Christian formation professor, I always challenge my students to think about…

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Leading Ideas
0 Christian Evangelism in a Pluralistic World

Canadian seminary president William H. Harrison, moved by the “irremediable damage” done to indigenous peoples by a primary focus on numbers in Christian evangelizing, writes of moving to a different understanding of evangelism. Dr. Harrison, president of Lutheran Theological Seminary in Saskatchewan, describes his approach to teaching what evangelism can look like in today’s pluralist world. Christians have become aware…

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Leading Ideas
0 A Layperson’s Deep Gladness Meets a Literal Deep Hunger

Pastor Kellen Roggenbuck writes about one of many examples that led him to give more attention to the clues God is giving us, often from laity, for next faithful steps in our congregational witness. He encourages the practice of discernment where we acknowledge that God takes the lead while inviting the faithful to join God’s redemptive work. Theologian Frederick Buechner…

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Leading Ideas
0 Helping After Natural Disasters: Please DON’T Do These 6 Things

In the wake of natural disasters, well-intentioned donations and self-deploying can inadvertently hinder relief efforts. Annette Spence shares how to effectively support recovery initiatives while avoiding six common pitfalls in disaster response. When relief efforts began for Hurricane Katrina in 2005, people from all over the nation sent clothes to a crippled New Orleans—an unbelievable avalanche of used clothing. The…

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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.