January 21, 2026
Leading Ideas from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC
*** Trends 2026: Trends 2026: Team-Based Leadership ***
In a recent Leading Ideas, Lewis Center Director Jonathan Page shared Church Leadership Trends for 2026 that fell into three categories: community-focused, team-based, and transformation-driven. Last week we explored community-based leadership. In this issue we reflect on team-based leadership opportunities, and next week we consider transformation-driven leadership. We hope you enjoy the following articles on team-based leadership opportunities.
Trends 2026: Team-Based Leadership
5 Ministry Game-Changers for Building a Team-Based Leadership Approach
Even the strongest pastor can’t do it alone. Moses had Aaron and Hur, Jesus sent disciples in pairs, and Paul never went solo. Yet too many churches still rely on a single leader. Kim Jenne gives us five practical ways to build a culture of shared, team-based ministry—and empower your congregation to step into their God-given calling. Read more now.
Trends 2026: Team-Based Leadership
Give the Mic Away: The Team-Based Shift That Grows Faithful Youths
What is the key to a vibrant, growing youth ministry? Many churches assume it’s finding the right youth director and offering programming so entertaining it can compete with every other option in a teenager’s life. But Laura Heikes shares how youth ministry in her congregation has grown in a different way—not by doing more for young people, but by choosing to do ministry with them. Read more now.
The Right Question
Leaders do not need answers. Leaders must have the right questions.
A simple idea can get complicated quickly once a group starts making plans for its implementation. Soon the complexity can lead to frustration. At such times, this question may help: What would happen if we threw everything away and started over?
> Want more Right Questions? Read The Right Questions for Church Leaders.
Online cohort-based course from Wesley Pathways for Ministry
Pastoral Care
This course introduces participants to basic functions of congregational care. It teaches learners how to offer caring support and to provide referrals to appropriate services. By taking the course, participants will be more able to engage appropriate congregational care issues. This course is $100 and begins February 1, 2026. Completion of this course merits 1 CEU credit and will count toward the Wesley Pathways for Ministry Certificate Program if requested. Learn more and enroll now.
> Wesley Pathways for Ministry is administered by the Lewis Center for Church Leadership and Wesley Theological Seminary DC. Explore more courses plus certificate programs.
Support the Lewis Center. Leading Ideas is made possible by contributions to the Lewis Center for Church Leadership from readers like you. Thank you. Donate now.
50 Ways tip sheet
50 Ways to Strengthen Ministry with Youth
How can your church help youth claim a vital faith? No question is more critical to the future of the church. Learn effective tips your congregation can use to improve ministry with teens and their families in 50 Ways to Strengthen Ministry with Youth. Read now, download free, and share.
> Discover tips and strategies on more 50 Ways topics.
Watch. Learn. Lead. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for video podcast episodes, leadership strategies and tips, free video resources, and much more.
Lewis Center video tool kit resource
More Church Leaders | Stronger Church Leaders
More Church Leaders | Stronger Church Leaders helps clergy and lay leaders discover a more fruitful way of being in ministry together. This video tool kit provides practical strategies to identify and support new leaders and build and maintain effective ministry teams. Learn more and watch sample videos now.
> Discover more video tool kit resources plus adult Christian studies.
“Quotable” Leadership
“Every act of truth telling, every refusal of silence, every step toward justice makes history—and moves us closer to a more moral future. — Kelly Brown Douglas
The Doctor of Ministry
Apply Now for the Premier Doctor of Ministry in Church Leadership
Wesley Theological Seminary and the Lewis Center together offer the Doctor of Ministry in Church Leadership Excellence. With this track, clergy will receive the enhanced knowledge, skills, and motivation to increase congregational and denominational service, vitality, and growth. Learn more and apply today for spring 2026.
Editors: Jonathan Page and Anna Taflan
Copyright © 2004-2025 Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC.
January 14, 2026
Leading Ideas from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC
*** Trends 2026: Community-Focused Leadership ***
Last week in Leading Ideas, Lewis Center Director Jonathan Page shared Church Leadership Trends for 2026 that fell into three categories: community-focused, team-based, and transformation-driven. Over the next three weeks, we will take a deeper dive into each of these categories. Enjoy this week’s edition reflecting community-focused leadership opportunities.
Trends 2026: Community-Focused Leadership
Creating Digital Communities
Growing a large online audience doesn’t always create a healthy community. Brandon Robbins outlines a framework for discipleship that helps people see where they are on their journey, take the next steps, and support one another in following Jesus. Learn more now.
Trends 2026: Community-Focused Leadership
Listening When You’re New in Town
Luke Edwards highlights a community-driven approach to leadership that centers spiritual discernment—listening to God, the congregation, and the surrounding community—to discover how the Spirit is already at work and inviting shared direction for ministry. Learn more now.
The Right Question
Leaders do not need answers. Leaders must have the right questions.
Kevin G. Ford and Jim Singleton say there are two important questions church leaders need to ask. They then need to begin by focusing on the answers to the second question, not the first. What needs to be preserved? What needs to change?
> Want more Right Questions? Read The Right Questions for Church Leaders.
Support the Lewis Center. Leading Ideas is made possible by contributions to the Lewis Center for Church Leadership from readers like you. Thank you. Donate now.
Lewis Center video tool kit resource
The Right Start: Beginning Ministry in a New Setting
If you’re a pastor preparing to begin ministry in a new setting, The Right Start Video Tool Kit leads you in ending your current ministry well, developing a personal transition plan, and making the most of your first days, weeks, and months in your new congregation. Available in Pastor’s and Group Training Versions. Learn more and watch a video preview.
> Discover more video tool kit resources plus adult Christian studies.
50 Ways tip sheet
Strategies and Tips to Motivate and Connect with Volunteers
Strong and growing congregations typically have a very high percentage of people who are actively involved in learning, serving, and leading. 50 Ways to Increase Active Engagement offers tips to help you lift up the ministry of volunteering in your congregation. Read now, download free, and share.
> Discover tips and strategies on more 50 Ways topics.
Watch. Learn. Lead. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for video podcast episodes, leadership strategies and tips, free video resources, and much more.
Book by Lovett H. Weems Jr. and Tom Berlin
Overflow: Increase Worship Attendance & Bear More Fruit
Worship attendance matters. In Overflow, Lovett Weems and Tom Berlin share research-based insights, tactical ideas, and practices that lead to increased attendance. They instruct church leaders on the importance of paying attention to factors critical to worship growth and demonstrate new approaches to worship planning. Learn more now.
> Discover more books from Lewis Center authors.
“Quotable” Leadership
“By its very nature, faith, just like love, requires a leap. For me, belief moved from indefensible to intriguing to possible to plausible, and eventually I reached the point where belief in the Christian God became simply irresistible.” — Francis S. Collins
The Doctor of Ministry
Apply Now for the Premier Doctor of Ministry in Church Leadership
Wesley Theological Seminary and the Lewis Center together offer the Doctor of Ministry in Church Leadership Excellence. With this track, clergy will receive the enhanced knowledge, skills, and motivation to increase congregational and denominational service, vitality, and growth. Learn more and apply today for spring 2026.
Editors: Jonathan Page and Anna Taflan
Copyright © 2004-2025 Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC.
January 7, 2026
Leading Ideas from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC
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 Director Jonathan Page highlights key shifts shaping the year ahead and offers practical guidance for how church leaders can respond with clarity, collaboration, and purpose. Learn more now.
The Right Question
Leaders do not need answers. Leaders must have the right questions.
Andrew Sobel and Jerold Panas offer two questions leaders can use with those with whom they work to gain insights about the past and future: What made us successful in the past? What additional capabilities will we need to be successful in the future?
> Want more Right Questions? Read The Right Questions for Church Leaders.
The Doctor of Ministry
Apply Now for the Premier Doctor of Ministry in Church Leadership
Wesley Theological Seminary and the Lewis Center together offer the Doctor of Ministry in Church Leadership Excellence. With this track, clergy will receive the enhanced knowledge, skills, and motivation to increase congregational and denominational service, vitality, and growth. Learn more and apply today for spring 2026.
Support the Lewis Center. Leading Ideas is made possible by contributions to the Lewis Center for Church Leadership from readers like you. Thank you. Donate now.
50 Ways tip sheet
50 Ways to Welcome New People
Learn how your congregation can make a good first impression with first-time visitors with strategies and tips to ensure they feel truly welcome and at home in worship, plus guidance on visitor follow-ups and ways to be more inviting in your church. Read now, download free, and share.
> Discover tips and strategies on more 50 Ways topics.
Watch. Learn. Lead. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for video podcast episodes, leadership strategies and tips, free video resources, and much more.
Online cohort-based course from Wesley Pathways for Ministry
Pastoral Care
This course introduces participants to basic functions of congregational care. It teaches learners how to offer caring support and to provide referrals to appropriate services. By taking the course, participants will be more able to engage appropriate congregational care issues. This course is $100 and begins February 1, 2026. Completion of this course merits 1 CEU credit and will count toward the Wesley Pathways for Ministry Certificate Program if requested. Learn more and enroll now.
> Wesley Pathways for Ministry is administered by the Lewis Center for Church Leadership and Wesley Theological Seminary DC. Explore more courses plus certificate programs.
“Quotable” Leadership
“Grace, for American Christians and for all of us, is a difficult thing. It means starting from a place where all of us have been wrong and knowing that we all have something to learn from each other.” — Angela Denker
Reimagine Worship for All Generations
Children of Faith Virtual Cohort
Free from the Hub for (Re)imagining Ministry of Wesley Theological Seminary DC
Is your congregation seeking to create worship experiences that truly engage children, youth, and adults together? The Children of Faith Virtual Cohort equips church teams with expert coaching, proven frameworks, and $1,000 in funding to design intergenerational worship that nurtures lifelong faith. This free 11-month program (Feb.–Dec. 2026) includes virtual sessions, personalized coaching sessions, and a nationwide community of faith leaders (re)imagining ministry with young people. Your team of 6-8 will learn intergenerational worship design, change theory, and values-based practices—all tailored to your congregation’s unique context.
Registration is limited to 35 church teams and closes Jan. 15, 2026. Learn more and register your team today.
Editors: Jonathan Page and Anna Taflan
Copyright © 2004-2025 Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC.
Looking for more? Read the text versions of Leading Ideas articles from 2025.