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Leading Ideas
Delivered every Wednesday, our free e-newsletter Leading Ideas offers articles by thoughtful, cutting-edge leaders on subjects you care about — navigating change, reaching younger people, financing your ministry, communicating effectively — to help you be the leader God is calling you to be.

The Lewis Center is committed to helping congregations and denominations thrive and grow by providing ideas, research, resources, and training for vital and fruitful leadership. Through Leading Ideas, we share vignettes of leaders and congregations, book reviews, leadership quotes, and helpful “right questions” built around the premise that leaders don’t need answers — they need to know the right questions.

Leading Ideas
0 How Do Your Church’s Post-Pandemic Finances Compare with Other Churches?

Lovett H. Weems, Jr. shares information on how the pandemic affected congregations financially, drawing on data from a recent Hartford Institute report. Overall, the report found that the fiscal health of faith communities was not dramatically altered by the pandemic, with the majority of congregations reporting that they are in excellent or good financial health.  The pandemic skewed all church…

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Leading Ideas
0 Making the Most of Your Greeting Times

Phil Maynard says that the typical greeting time during a worship service encourages people to shake a lot of hands rather than really engaging someone new. He offers simple strategies and conversation starters to encourage deeper connections.  In a typical greeting time during worship, people are encouraged to turn to their neighbors and welcome them to church or even to…

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Leading Ideas
0 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 people to grow in generosity as part of their discipleship. He shares nine questions to help your church assess whether your giving strategy meets the mark. An increasing number of church leaders report a slow…

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Leading Ideas
0 10 Tips for Hosting A Live Nativity

A live Nativity can be an engaging, heart-warming event not only for church members but for the entire community as well. One Houston-area church has decades of experience bringing the Christmas story to life in this way. Lindsay Peyton shares their organizational and planning tips. This article was originally published on November 16, 2021. The Christmas story literally comes to…

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Leading Ideas
0 Why Congregations Sometimes Change

Systems resist change because their core function is to ensure people repeat established behaviors. However, systems can change when they believe it’s essential for survival or maintaining core values. Dan Hotchkiss writes that church leaders can facilitate this by understanding the system’s resistance, valuing consistent efforts, and introducing change at the right moment. I have come to trust a simple,…

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Leading Ideas
0 Part-time Pastors and Gift-filled Congregations

Lovett H. Weems Jr. describes the growth of part-time pastoral leadership, particularly in older and established traditions where part-time ministry has not been considered the norm. He outlines five ways that churches with part-time pastors can flourish by embracing a shared ministry model that focuses on the congregation’s unique gifts and callings.   The Religious Workforce Project of the Lewis Center is a…

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Leading Ideas
0 Engage Polarization with Kindness: An In-depth Interview with Cathy Bien

How can church leaders address polarization? Jessica Anschutz of the Lewis Center staff interviews Cathy Bien about the Campaign for Kindness and how church leaders can lead out of their faith to engage polarization in their communities with kindness.   Jessica Anschutz: Cathy, share about your role with the Campaign for Kindness and a little bit about the inspiration for this…

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Leading Ideas
0 Church Finances Don’t Have to be So Hard

Many churches struggle with finances due to a lack of financial understanding rather than insufficient funds. Effective financial tools and knowledge are crucial. Thomas James shares how to learn about your church’s financial culture using the Lewis Center’s updated Congregational Giving Profile (CGP) that tracks income, expenses, and trends, aiding churches in making informed decisions and improving financial management.  Are…

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Leading Ideas
0 Is It Time to Right-Size Your Staff?

This might be the time to have a conversation about right-sizing your staff, says Jim Kitchens. He outlines different ways to approach the task depending on the urgency of the situation. This article was originally published on September 15, 2020. Many churches have been struggling for years to raise the financial resources needed to maintain the staffing model they’ve “always…

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Leading Ideas
0 Can Your Approach to Church Finances be both Spiritual and Practical?

Some in the church operate on the assumption that a spiritual perspective on money requires the abandonment of practical thinking. But stewardship expert Ann Michel says a sound theology of stewardship reveals that a spiritual perspective regarding money and finances is practical, and a practical perspective can also be spiritual.   When it comes to money matters or budgeting, does your…

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Leading Ideas
0 Prophetic Preaching and Leadership

C. Anthony Hunt says a preacher’s call to speak on issues of social and political concern is rooted in biblical tradition. He shares specific strategies Jesus used to highlight injustice, empower change, and transform people and communities. Should it ever be the preacher’s role to speak to issues of social and political concern, or are preachers only to speak of…

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Leading Ideas
0 Moving from a Mindset of Scarcity to Abundance in Community Partnerships: An In-depth Interview with Mahogany Thomas

How can congregations cultivate fruitful partnerships with nonprofits that promote human flourishing and abundance? Mahogany Thomas, chief program officer of Bread for the City, shares how to build partnerships to meet the needs in your community.   Watch the interview video, listen to the interview, or continue reading. Jessica Anschutz: Mahogany, share a little bit about Bread for the City and…

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Leading Ideas
0 Is There an Ideal Age for Clergy?

Lovett H. Weems Jr. looks at shifting age patterns among United Methodist clergy through the lens of history and newly available clergy age data for 2024. Recognizing that clergy of different ages bring different gifts and perspectives, he maintains that congregations and the denomination benefit from having a pool of clergy broad in its age distribution and representative of the…

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Leading Ideas
0 Does an Aging Population Explain High Clergy Ages?

For most traditions, the disproportionate aging of clergy is a crucial challenge. Lovett H. Weems Jr. highlights some of the findings in the National Congregations Study and names some of the challenges facing denominations today. The Religious Workforce Project of the Lewis Center is a multiyear effort to understand the changing religious landscape in the 21st century. Funded by the Lilly Endowment, Inc.,…

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Leading Ideas
0 Clergy Age Trends in the United Methodist Church: 1985-2024

Download the 2024 Clergy Age Trends Report. Highlights of the 2024 Report Impact of Disaffiliation on Numbers and Ages of United Methodist Clergy Any report on changes in clergy numbers and ages must acknowledge clergy leaving as a result of the disaffiliation process between 2019 and 2024. While this is a factor in declining clergy numbers, it is difficult…

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Leading Ideas
0 Reading Between the Lines: Navigating Church Politics with Insight and Wisdom

Effective church leadership involves navigating the politics of ministry beyond practical skills. Doug Powe and Jessica Anschutz emphasize that leaders must learn to read between the lines, listen carefully to what is said and unsaid, observe body language and emotions, understand relationships, and identify power players. Mastering these skills helps leaders handle complex church dynamics successfully.  Many of us spend…

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Leading Ideas
0 4 Characteristics of Citizens of the Kingdom of God Who Inhabit the Political World

Christian faithfulness can inspire various political approaches, but they must reflect our primary identity as citizens of the Kingdom of God. Miranda Zapor Cruz finds Kingdom citizens are most faithful when they are salty, prophetic, separationist, and pluralist. She maintains that faithful Christians engage the political realm with a distinctively Christian perspective that prioritizes God’s values over partisan allegiance.  While…

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Leading Ideas
0 Is a Simplified Leadership Structure Right for Your Church?

Many churches are adopting a unified board structure to minimize layers of committee work and free time for hands on ministry. Ann Michel of the Lewis Center staff outlines factors a church should consider in evaluating whether this approach fits their needs and circumstances.  Many church leaders are intrigued by the idea of streamlining congregational decision-making structures to get rid…

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Leading Ideas
0 A Plentiful Harvest

Tom Berlin explains why fruitfulness in terms of membership, discipleship, and growth are key measures of leadership effectiveness. This article was originally published on November 11, 2005. I grew up in a town surrounded by apple orchards. Orchard workers tended the trees throughout the year. They put spacers in the branches, fertilized, trimmed and sprayed the trees so that every…

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Leading Ideas
0 5 Ways to Communicate More Effectively with your Congregation

Ensuring that everyone in a busy church is informed about upcoming events can be a daunting task. Doug Powe, Director of the Lewis Center, shares strategies that can significantly improve your communication efforts and help make sure your messages are effectively conveyed and received by your congregation. Have you experienced some version of this scenario? You are planning a big…

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Leading Ideas
0 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 lower the barriers to this type of development.  Religious institutions face a great mismatch between small, aging congregations and large, deteriorating properties. Thousands are struggling to find new uses for their surplus space in ways…

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Leading Ideas
0 Coop’s Soups, an Innovative Business and Ministry: An In-depth Interview with Cristin Cooper

A call to ministry along with a desire to make friends and fight off loneliness led Cristin Cooper to launch Coop’s Soups, an innovative business and ministry. In this interview, she shares with Lewis Center Director Doug Powe about how loving God and loving neighbor led her to reach people in new and creative ways.  Watch the interview video, listen to…

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Leading Ideas
0 Christians and Public Policy: Be Engaged, Informed, and Conflicted

As we navigate our opinions on public policy and electoral choices, it’s tempting to delegate our critical thinking to others. Miranda Zapor Cruz writes that Kingdom citizens must resist this ease and strive to stay engaged, informed, and even conflicted. By doing so, we uphold our responsibilities as faithful citizens, ensuring our actions reflect thoughtful and conscientious participation.  As we…

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Leading Ideas
0 Church Renewal Requires Property Renewal

Revitalizing a parish often begins with addressing its physical condition. While spiritual renewal is crucial, the state of the buildings can either foster or hinder that renewal. Neglected facilities become a source of anxiety, shame, and distraction, making it difficult for the congregation to focus on their mission. Gerald Keucher explains how a well-kept building can bolster a congregation’s self…

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This article is reprinted by permission from Leading Ideas, a free e-newsletter from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary available at churchleadership.com.