Young Clergy Effectiveness: Good News-Bad News
Data from the Lewis Pastoral Leadership Inventory™ (LPLI) suggest that younger clergy share many of the same strengths as their older colleagues and that they…
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Articles
What Happened in One Small Church Mattered
Roger Lovette shares the touching story of returning to the first church he ever served, thirty years later, to find they had finally acted on…
7 Ways Congregations Can Respond to the #MeToo Movement
The #MeToo movement has been a wakeup call regarding the pervasiveness of sexual harassment and misconduct in virtually every sector of society, including the church.…
Begin with Where
Rev. William H. Lamar IV, pastor of the historic Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal church in downtown Washington, DC, considers what it means for an older…
“Rooted in Place — Committed to the City” featuring William Lamar
What does it take for an older church to thrive in a changing urban context? Listen as Lewis Center Associate Director Ann Michel speaks with Rev. William Lamar, pastor of the historic Metropolitan AME church in downtown Washington, DC.
Related Resources
Begin with Where by Bill Lamar
5 Key Practices for Connecting with Your Context by Mark Gornik and Maria Liu Wong
Is Your Building Impeding Your Mission? by Mark R. Teasdale
3 Ways to Extend the Impact of a Sermon
Mike Schreiner and Ken Willard describe ways to get more traction from each week’s sermon by layering its message into other materials that reinforce the…
What is Your Signature Ministry?
In their book Small Church Check Up, Kay Kotan and Phil Schroeder say stable, smaller churches can remain vital by focusing on a “signature ministry,”…
Boring Announcements? Try Fun Video Announcements
Texas pastor Laura Heikes shares how weekly worship announcements in her church went from being a boring ritual to a source of life and joy…
A New Start in Lent
Lewis Center Director F. Douglas Powe says that congregations, as well as individuals, can make a new start during Lent by giving up some things,…
Closing a Congregation as an Act of Faithfulness
Minnesota Pastor Lee Ann Pomrenke reflects on the painful reality of having to bring a congregation or a ministry to an end. While there is…