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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 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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Leading Ideas
0 The Faith to Rest: Why Sabbath Matters for Leaders

Is Sabbath the missing key to healthier leadership? Cary Humphries explores why practicing Sabbath is more than taking a day off—it’s an act of faith that requires trusting God with both your work and your results. He gives practical ways to help you embrace biblical rest and transform your leadership, productivity, and well-being. Do you struggle to accomplish everything you…

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Leading Ideas
0 5 Ways to Engage Youth This Summer

Many churches assume meaningful youth ministry requires extensive programming and resources. Laura Heikes shows how simple, relational experiences often have the greatest impact. She offers five practical ideas that will help churches of any size engage young people this summer. It’s summer! School is out and your church may be wondering how to meaningfully engage young people in the coming…

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Leading Ideas
0 Under the Surface: The Mission Trip

Mission trips are often viewed as service projects, but effective ministry leaders understand that mission trips can become powerful opportunities for spiritual formation and theological reflection. Andrew Mochrie explores how youth leaders can help students move beyond simply doing good works to recognizing and participating in the deeper work God is already doing in the world—both during the trip and…

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Leading Ideas
0 What the “Giving USA 2026 Report” Means for Church Leaders

The latest Giving USA Report offers a compelling snapshot of generosity in America and important lessons for church leaders navigating stewardship, fundraising, and financial sustainability. Jonathan Page highlights four key findings from the report and explores what they reveal about the opportunities and challenges facing congregations as they seek to fund mission-driven ministry in an evolving philanthropic landscape. On June…

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Leading Ideas
0 From One Blood: Faith, Justice, and Leadership

Dontá McGilvery reflects on the relationship between Christian faith, the pursuit of justice, and the responsibility of church leaders to remember the sacrifices that shaped America’s ongoing journey toward equality. As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, he challenges congregational leaders to move beyond historical remembrance and cultivate faithful communities committed to justice, civic responsibility, and the dignity of every…

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Leading Ideas
0 A Church LGBTQ+ Pride Guide: 12 Dos and Don’ts at Festivals and Parades

As more churches participate in Pride events, thoughtful engagement matters. Cody Sanders offers practical tips for congregations seeking to communicate authentic welcome, support, and solidarity with LGBTQ+ people in their communities. He provides 12 Dos and Don’ts for churches to use. June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month, honoring the 1969 Stonewall Uprising along with the many lives and movements that have…

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Leading Ideas
0 How Christians Can Celebrate Juneteenth

Church leaders are often called to shepherd their congregations through complex cultural conversations. Nathan A. Finn encourages us to see the holiday as an opportunity for discipleship, helping believers reflect on America’s history while pursuing Christ-centered reconciliation and service. Most Americans are familiar with the Emancipation Proclamation. On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared, Juneteenth is an occasion to…

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Leading Ideas
0 Is AI Out of Control?

As AI quietly integrates into everyday tools and church practices, ministry leaders are finding that their choices are increasingly shaped by forces outside their control. A survey by researcher A. Trevor Sutton on technology use in congregations points to how quickly new technology can be adopted, both willingly and not. According to a recent report published by the Pew Research…

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Leading Ideas
0 Leading Faithfully in a Changing Church: An In-depth Interview with Karen Stewart

How can church leaders navigate a rapidly changing cultural landscape while sustaining meaningful, faithful, and adaptive ministry? In this interview, Jonathan Page is joined by Karen Stewart as they discuss her new role at the Lewis Center for Church Leadership, her decades of experience in local church ministry and organizational leadership, and her vision for reimagining innovation, intergenerational engagement, and…

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Leading Ideas
0 Equipping Men for Spiritual Leadership at Home and in the Church

Equipping men for spiritual leadership requires a shift in our approach—moving from program-based training to relationship-based development. Aaron Summers offers guidance for building intentional mentoring relationships, prioritizing character formation, and creating a culture where men are equipped to lead and multiply leaders in the next generation. While we often speak about the importance of men taking up the mantle of…

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Leading Ideas
0 Healthy and Helpful Accountability

Healthy church leadership depends on accountability, but not the kind rooted in guilt, control, or micromanagement. Jonathan Page outlines three principles for creating a culture of accountability that is restorative, chosen, and mutual—helping churches stay focused on their mission even during the slower rhythms of summer. As we’re shifting into the summer season, one tradition I’d love to escape is…

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Leading Ideas
0 Showing Up with Questions: Listening in a New Setting

Strong leadership in a new ministry setting begins not with quick answers, but with intentional listening. Luke Edwards shares the key questions he plans to ask as he begins a new pastoral appointment at Huntersville United Methodist Church, offering a practical framework for leaders navigating transition, discernment, and community engagement. I have some big news. On July 1st, I will…

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Leading Ideas
0 Pentecost Reminds Us That God Speaks in the Ways That We Each Hear Best

Pentecost reveals how the Spirit breaks down barriers of language and belonging, calling faith leaders to embody hospitality, inclusion, and presence in ways that make God’s love tangible across difference. Drawing on Acts 2 and contemporary examples of multilingual worship and community formation, Angel Eaglin considers how the church can communicate God’s deeds in ways that are truly heard and…

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Leading Ideas
0 Prophets, Not Chaplains

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, Kendal McBroom challenges church leaders to reconsider the relationship between faith, patriotism, and prophetic witness. At a time when many churches feel pressure to stay silent or safe, he asks what it means for pastors and congregations to choose justice over comfort and discipleship over nationalism. This year, the United States of…

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Leading Ideas
0 Our Traditions Are a Sacred Inheritance to Be Used

Pastor Marc Antoine Lavarin draws from his experience leading the historic First Calvary Baptist Church in Durham, North Carolina, to explore how sacred inheritance can help churches honor their legacy while building bridges to future generations. When I first arrived as the senior leader of First Calvary Baptist Church in Durham, North Carolina, members and colleagues alike inundated me with…

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Leading Ideas
0 3 Questions AI Is Forcing Your Congregation to Ask

As AI reshapes everyday life, pastors are increasingly facing difficult conversations about identity, truth, and human connection within their congregations. Kenny Jahng, Editor-In-Chief at Church Tech Today, outlines three major disruptions church leaders must confront: the loss of work and purpose through automation, growing confusion around truth and authority, and the erosion of authentic community in an age of frictionless…

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Leading Ideas
0 Navigating the Pre-Transition Space

In a season of transition for the church, Jonathan Page offers practical and pastoral insights into how congregations and clergy can navigate change with intention and faithfulness. Rather than rushing ahead or clinging to what was, he invites leaders and communities to finish well, make space for reflection, and keep the main thing the main thing. We are in the…

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Leading Ideas
0 Leading Faithfully through Transitions

In seasons of transition, leadership is tested as much as it is revealed. Dontá McGilvery reflects on how shifting roles and uncertainty have shaped his understanding of resilience, trust, and spiritual grounding. Rather than treating change as disruption alone, he challenges leaders to see it as formation—an opportunity to lead with greater humility, awareness, and dependence on God. The last…

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Leading Ideas
0 What If Church Leadership Isn’t about Doing More?

Is the church’s biggest problem decline—or distraction? Craig Meek says that the answer may be unexpected. He engages with When Church Stops Working by Andy Root and Blair Bertrand, challenging common assumptions about leadership, innovation, and growth. Rather than offering another strategy for success, the answer may be to slow down, discern, and recover a way of being rooted in…

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Leading Ideas
0 Global Leadership Lessons for the American Church: An In-Depth Interview with Taylor Walters Denyer

Church leaders face constant pressure to adapt in a changing culture, yet the deeper challenge may be how the church understands its mission. In this conversation, Jonathan Page speaks with missiologist Taylor Denyer about how global experience reshapes leadership in the U.S. church. Drawing on insights from the worldwide church, Denyer presses leaders to reconsider how mission shapes every aspect…

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Leading Ideas
0 Christian Nationalism and the Crisis of Church Unity

In the aftermath of 2020, many church leaders continue to navigate fractured relationships and deep political division within their congregations. In his book Disarming Leviathan: Loving Your Christian Nationalist Neighbor, Caleb Campbell calls pastors to respond not with hostility, but with a missionary posture shaped by the way of Jesus. The year 2020 was an apocalypse. I don’t mean the…

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Leading Ideas
0 7 Ways to Transform Your Church’s Children’s Moment

What if the most overlooked four minutes in your worship service hold some of the greatest potential for formation? Erin Reed Cooper provides us with seven intentional shifts that can transform the children’s moment into a theologically rich experience for the entire congregation. In many congregations, it’s a familiar scene: a few minutes into the worship service, children are invited…

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Leading Ideas
0 What Gets Celebrated Gets Replicated: Why Joy Drives Leadership

What if the key to lasting momentum in your church isn’t more pressure, but more joy? Brad Aycock shares five practical ways leaders can make joy and celebration a consistent part of their leadership strategy, showing how celebration shapes culture and strengthens mission. We just celebrated Easter. Churches were full. Energy was high. People showed up. Why? Because when something…

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Leading Ideas
0 When No Children Come Forward: How Churches Can Grow Young Again

If you’ve watched the number of children in worship shrink year after year, you’re not alone. But renewal is possible. Laura Heikes gives us four practical, joyful steps that helped one church go from “no kids this week” to a vibrant, diverse, growing group of children who are now woven into the life of the congregation. I remember Sundays at…

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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.