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…
Browsing: Mission
Articles
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…
12 Goals Finance and Stewardship Leaders Might Choose
Church financial leaders are encouraged to set one or two focused goals to strengthen mission and financial health. From creating narrative budgets to teaching year-round…
10 Ways Consolidation Can Strengthen Your Church’s Impact
Stewardship expert Ken Sloane writes that consolidation, when led by prayer and purpose, is a faithful act of stewardship that revitalizes mission and ministry. By…
Building Congregational Engagement in a Church-School Partnership
Jake McGlothin, author of The Mission-Minded Guide to Church and School Partnerships, explains how compelling messages that align your congregation’s vision to the task of…
3 Ways to Lead Well When a Ministry Closes
Church leaders must evaluate ministries to ensure they align with current and future community needs. Sometimes, this means closing a beloved ministry, which can be…
3 Critical Components of Rethinking Outreach
Many church outreach efforts lack impact due to marketing-driven approaches, unmet community needs, and internal focus. John Hughes shares the Listen, Look, Lead model that…
Struggling with What to Write in the Church Newsletter?
Struggling with what to write for the church newsletter? Jessica Anschutz of the Lewis Center shares ways to write meaningful and relevant material for your…
10 Ways to Turn Off Your Donors
Stewardship expert Ken Sloane says the relationship between a church, or any charitable organization, and its donors is delicate. He names ten common mistakes churches…
9 Questions to Ask if Your Church Giving is in Decline
Stewardship expert Joe Park says churches can promote more generous giving by better communicating the impact of their ministry, encouraging recurring electronic gifts, and challenging…
YES in God’s Back Yard!
Richard Reinhard shares how some congregations are using their property to develop affordable housing and meet other community needs, as well as local initiatives to…
Your Community is Your Congregation
Pastor Joe Daniels says vital churches focus outward, engaging their communities, not only to serve but to build relationships and make disciples. This article was…
5 Ways to Overcome Barriers to Affordable Housing Development on Church Property
Richard Reinhard says pairing the surplus of faith properties with the deficit of affordable housing appears to be a match made in heaven. Yet common…
The Mutual Benefits of Church-School Partnerships
Jake McGlothin, author of The Mission-Minded Guide to Church and School Partnerships, says it’s only logical that the two most important social institutions in our…
4 Key Characteristics of Missional Congregations
Congregations that want to move forward and live more missionally need to understand and embody four key characteristics, says F. Douglas Powe, director of the…
Covid Taught Us How to Shift and Pivot to Sustain Our Mission
James Kim describes how new expressions of ministry initiated in the years of Covid helped his two-campus church in Lakewood, Washington, thrive and grow. He…
Leading Voices: “Leaders Motivate the Contributions of Resources”
“Leaders Motivate the Contributions of Resources” is presented by Bishop Tom Berlin of the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church. In celebration of the…
Moving Beyond a Congregational Identity Crisis
Asking “Who are we?” helps congregations gain clarity in the midst of an identity crisis. Lewis Center Director F. Douglas Powe Jr. offers three priorities…
Doing Planning Differently
What if you focused on making already-planned ministry events better rather than creating new events? Olu Brown offers three planning strategies for Doing Church Differently™…
How to Get People to Follow You When the Way Is Uncertain
How do we lead in a time of chaos, confusion, division, and uncertainty? Carey Nieuwhof suggests five practices that can help leaders maintain focus and…
Keeping Church Staff Accountable to the Overall Mission
Evaluating church staff by measures related to their own individual performance can lead to ministry silos, says John Wimberly. When every staff person’s ultimate goal…
5 Steps to Resume Ministries beyond Worship in Fruitful Ways
Lovett Weems says that churches should be deliberate and careful in making plans to resume ministries disrupted by the pandemic. The restart of youth ministry,…
How a Food Pantry Became So Much More
Kevin Harney describes how his church transformed their successful food pantry ministry to attend to spiritual as well as physical needs. Volunteers are offering conversation,…
Leveraging Church Property Can Sustain Your Mission
Lovett H. Weems Jr. and Ann A. Michel say exploring additional uses of church buildings and property is an exercise in prudent stewardship. Many churches…
10 Paradigm Shifts for Mission Renewal
Tim Snyder and Paul Erickson say that congregational renewal involves a new way of being church and new approaches to our foundational callings. They outline…
Why the Church’s Mission Really Matters in this Time of Crisis
Anthony Hunt says crisis reveals the strength of the church’s ministries of connection and message of hope. Even with changing patterns of interaction, we need…
Leading the Church in the Face of Coronavirus
How can the church provide timely and proactive leadership when there is no tried and true template? Bill Owen, a consultant and coach with the…
How Can Your Church Building Reignite Your Mission?
Krin Van Tatenhove and Rob Mueller remind us that a congregation’s physical assets are resources to be stewarded to advance the kingdom. They recommend examining…
Episode 39: “Pastor as Community Activist” featuring Heber Brown, III
How can pastors be on the frontlines of community activism while also being faithful to their call? In this episode we speak with Heber Brown, III, pastor of Pleasant Hope Baptist Church and founder of the Black Church Food Security Network, about his work for racial justice in Baltimore and beyond.
To the Point: Doing Community Ministry in the Small Church
Editor’s note: This information adapted from an article by Joy F. Skjegstad which appeared previously in Leading Ideas. This To the Point version has been edited for…
