New Findings about American Congregations
Building on previous reports from 2000 and 2005, the Cooperative Congregations Studies Partnership based at Hartford Seminary has released a new research report on congregational…
Browsing: Change
Articles
Getting Your Congregation’s Story Right
Congregations, particularly mainline and established congregations, commonly tell either safe or weak stories about themselves. In an earlier era, when identity and purpose were clearer…
Don’t Go It Alone When Changing Worship
When I arrived two years ago at Redondo Beach, I was told that there were three very different worship services: one informal, one contemporary, and…
Facing Our Losses, Finding Our Future
Church leadership literature often seems lacking in psychological depth. It feels Machiavellian in its world view and behaviorist in its focus, particularly if your seminary…
Discerning Clues for the Future
What do leaders do? Pastors are leaders, and one of the important tasks of leaders is discerning clues for the future to which God is…
Review of Myth of the 200 Barrier: How to Lead Through Transitional Growth
Kevin E. Martin is the executive director of Vital Church Ministries, a teaching and consulting outreach of the Cathedral Church of Saint Matthew in Dallas,…
Introducing a Congregation to Contemporary Worship
How to start a contemporary service if you don’t know what it is like. This was the dilemma that faced Union United Methodist Church in…
Is Your Church History a Static or Dynamic Force?
Church history is a lot like gravity — it is always with us whether we are aware of it or not. While church history may…
Eat this Bread, Drink this Cup
When communion practices were changed, Pastor Jackie Hoy learned that time, flexibility, and education are key to a congregation accepting change. I have always believed…
Pitfalls to Avoid in Reaching a Younger Constituency
Reflecting on a failed attempt by Public Broadcasting Corporation to reach a younger audience, Lovett H. Weems, Jr., offers advice to churches about reaching younger…
