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…
Browsing: Visioning & Planning
Articles
Harnessing Social Capital for Community Centered Ministry: An In-depth Interview with Angie Williams and Audrey Smith
What does it look like for churches to truly center their communities in their ministry? In this interview, Audrey Smith and Angie Williams explore the…
An Inclusive Church Will Be a Growing Church
Healthy churches pay attention to the people God has placed around them. When ministry reflects the realities of the surrounding community, congregations bear fruit; when…
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…
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…
“Leading Together: Collaboration and Connection in the Church’s Future” featuring Jonathan Page, David McAllister-Wilson, and Carla Works
Podcast Episode 176 What does the future of church leadership look like? In this episode, new Lewis Center Director Jonathan Page joins Wesley Theological Seminary…
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…
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…
What’s Good about That?
Dan Hotchkiss writes that churches need to ask themselves “What’s good about that?” in relation to established programs and ministries. He shares an example of…
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…
Moses, Pyramids and Leadership After Empire: An In-depth Interview with Kathleen McShane and Elan Babchuck
How can an innovative exploration of Moses’s biblical narrative offer a more generous leadership model for today’s religious leaders? In this interview, Doug Powe speaks…
Leaders Tell the Story of Their Organization
Storytelling is a relatable, memorable way to convey information and engage peoples’ hearts and minds. Justin Irving says effective leaders master the art of storytelling…
“Moses, Pyramids, and Leadership After Empire” featuring Kathleen McShane and Elan Babchuck
Podcast Episode 150 How can an innovative exploration of Moses’ biblical narrative offer a more generous leadership model for today’s religious leaders? In this episode,…
Restoring Trust in the Institutional Church Requires Allegiance to Our True Purpose
Gil Rendle says all institutions eventually gravitate from serving their stated purposes to satisfying powerful institutional constituencies. The current deep mistrust of the institutional church…
Leaders Help Their Communities Dream Big Dreams
Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech proposed a big dream for what America can become. What big dreams do you have for…
10 Leadership Lessons from Nehemiah
Examining the biblical account of Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, Lovett H. Weems Jr. sees a compelling example of how a leader should function.…
Leading Voices: “Leaders Seek the Next Faithful Step in the Community”
“Leaders Seek the Next Faithful Step in the Community” is presented by Sidney Williams, president of Crossing Capital Group Inc. In celebration of the 20th…
There Is No Such Thing as Church Revitalization
William Chaney says revitalization is the wrong goal for churches in decline, since it implies a return to the past. Churches need to instead rewrite…
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…
Leading Voices: “Great Leaders Hear the Community’s Voice”
“Great Leaders Hear the Community’s Voice” is presented by Rev. Dr. Joe Daniels, lead pastor, The Emory Fellowship, Washington, DC. In celebration of the 20th…
8 Lessons from Jesus on How to Engage People and Help Them Grow as Disciples
Church leaders seeking to reach new people and help them grow need only look to the example of Jesus. Phil Maynard and Eddie Pipkin highlight…
Breakthrough: Trusting God for Big Change in Your Church — An In-Depth Interview with Dawn Weaks
What happens when a congregation trusts God for big change? Doug Powe of the Lewis Center staff speaks with author and pastor Dawn Darwin Weaks…
“Breakthrough: Trusting God for Big Change in Your Church” featuring Dawn Darwin Weaks
Podcast Episode 122 What happens when a congregation trusts God for big change? We speak with author and pastor Dawn Darwin Weaks about the rebirth…
Leading Voices: “All God’s People are Leaders”
“All God’s People are Leaders” is presented by Rev. Dr. Theresa Thames, Associate Dean of Religious Life and Chapel at Princeton University. In celebration of…
Leading Voices: “All Great Leaders Need Contextual Intelligence”
“All Great Leaders Need Contextual Intelligence” is presented by Lewis Center for Church Leadership Director Doug Powe. In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the…
Sustaining While Disrupting
Free Webinar — Register Now Learn new ways to address the challenge of congregational innovation. Tuesday, March 7, Noon-1 p.m. Eastern Many churches today find…
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…
Leading Topics: Leadership and Vision
Discerning a New Vision to Guide Your Church Forward In this first Special 20th Anniversary Edition of Leading Ideas we re-present some of the most…
Sustaining While Disrupting: An In-Depth Interview with Doug Powe and Lovett Weems
How can you bring about meaningful change in your church? F. Douglas Powe Jr. and Lovett H. Weems Jr. maintain that genuine change also involves…
“Sustaining While Disrupting” featuring Doug Powe and Lovett Weems
Podcast Episode 112 What is required to bring about meaningful change in your church? F. Douglas Powe Jr. and Lovett H. Weems Jr. maintain that…