50 Ways to Increase Active Engagement
Strong and growing congregations typically have a very high percentage of people who are actively involved in learning, serving, and leading. These 50 tips will…
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Lewis Center
The Lewis Center staff has assembled and edited this material.
Ten Ways Congregations Can Promote the Financial Wellbeing of Clergy
Financial wellbeing is essential to the overall health and well being of those in pastoral ministry. Accordingly, the United Methodist Board of Pension and Health…
Games People Play During Budget Season
Is budget season in your church plagued with political maneuvering and game playing? Watch out for some of these common ploys that Richard J. Vargo…
To the Point: Should Pastors Know What Members Give?
Every time I teach on stewardship, this question invariably comes up: “Should pastors have access to contribution records?” In some congregations, pastors are prohibited from…
To the Point: Suggestions for Churches with a Clergywoman
Celebrate your new pastor. Know that your new pastor continues a tradition of women in ministry going back to biblical times. Do all that you…
To the Point: Connecting Generosity to Faith
Several of my family members have worked as restaurant servers. They give me a hard time about church people being terrible tippers. It seems that…
To the Point: Crafting Better Financial Commitment Messages
Many churches have a one-size-fits-all approach to their annual stewardship appeal. Everyone in the congregation receives the same “Dear Friend” letter inviting them to prayerfully…
To the Point: Giving Up to Our Potential
It’s often said that Christians are the most generous people. Unfortunately, it turns out this claim is not entirely true. Even though Christians are more…
To the Point: What about Tithing and the Prosperity Gospel
Many Christians tend to oversimplify the essence of scripture’s teaching with regard to money in such statements as “Christians must tithe” or “the faithful will…
To the Point: Teaching Children to Tithe
Teaching children to tithe is an important part of their faith education that we often overlook. Giving to God is a core value of our…
To the Point: Why Women Are Clergy
The many Christian denominations that ordain women as clergy do so for sound biblical, historical, and theological reasons — even though there are traditions that…
To the Point: 8 Reasons People Aren’t Listening to Announcements
This weekend, all across the country, leaders are going to get up in front of their churches and talk about upcoming events and opportunities to…
50 Ways to Take Church to the Community
Churches can no longer open their doors and expect that people will come in. Effective congregations go into the world to encounter those in need…
To the Point: Suggestions for Churches with a Single Pastor
All clergy face many challenges. But single persons in ministry can face a unique set of challenges around maintaining boundaries, privacy, and social connections, particularly…
To the Point: Unclutter Your Church
What needs to die in your church? We begin the journey of restarting your church by allowing for, even encouraging, places of death. We choose…
To the Point: Suggestions for Churches with a Young Pastor
Churches that receive a young pastor need to remember how lucky they are. Many congregations say they want a younger pastor, but few have the…
To the Point: Ways Established Church Leaders Can Work with Young Clergy
It is incumbent upon those who are older to reach out to their younger colleagues. Those who are younger are not nearly as likely to…
To the Point: Why Young Clergy Matter
“Younger clergy aren’t necessarily better. They’re just younger. And that matters.” — Lovett H. Weems, Jr. In recent decades, many North American churches have suffered…
50 Ways to Encourage Faithful Giving
Helping people experience the joy of giving is more than a way of funding the church’s ministry. These 50 Ways of encouraging faithful giving will…
To the Point: Metrics: A Tool for Learning, Not Judging
The current focus on setting numerical goals for ministry and reporting results is not new, though now greatly expanded. In the past, virtually all goals…
To the Point: How Do New People See Your Church?
The Lewis Center asked church members in several states to attend nearby churches as visitors and report on their findings. Many reflect the difficultly churches…
BOGO Summer Special
Our Buy One, Get One Free summer special is here! When you purchase any Adult Christian Study through August 31, 2021, you may choose A Life…
Digital and Hybrid Worship Consultation with Dr. Tim Snyder
The pandemic seemed to change everything. Churches that had never before offered digital worship had to pivot on a dime to put programs in place.…
Eight Strategies for Managing Conflict
In her book Getting to Amen: Eight Strategies for Managing Conflict in the African American Church, Lora-Ellen McKinney summarizes key strategies for managing conflict in…
An Interview with Bishop Robert Schnase
Leading Ideas had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Bishop Robert Schnase, author of Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations (Abingdon Press, 2007). Here are some highlights…
A Pastor Describes Her First Day in a New Community
Having attended a workshop on transitioning into a new appointment, I kept remembering the stress put on the importance of your “first official day.” “You…
Ten Commandments for Pastors New to a Congregation
Lawrence W. Farris has written Ten Commandments for Pastors New to a Congregation, a guide for clergy in their early months and years in a…
Multicultural Church Offers a Distinctive Gift for Children
A small membership church finds a distinctive gift in offering a multicultural environment for children and learning. I have found an important starting point for…
Ducking Spears, Dancing Madly: A Biblical Model of Church Leadership
Lovett Weems reviews Ducking Spears, Dancing Madly: A Biblical Model of Church Leadership by Lewis A. Parks and Bruce C. Birch. The authors look at Saul,…
New Life for a 100-year-old Church
A pastor who went to a 100-year-old church in serious decline tells a story of renewal that came about by focusing on strengths not what’s…