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Brief, practical discussion starters for church leaders. That’s “To the Point.”
Editor’s note: This is adapted from an article by Keith Anderson which appeared in Leading Ideas on January 30, 2013. This To the Point version has…
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…
My husband and I moved to the city a few years ago and have been “between churches.” We’ve been to visit quite a few of…
Editor’s note: This information adapted from an article by Dr. Lewis A. Parks which appeared in Leading Ideas on October 14, 2015. This To the Point version…
Working with hundreds of families address the issues of philanthropy, I have seen what works. Pastors who understand the process can help families achieve their…
Editor’s note: This is adapted from an article by David McAllister-Wilson which appeared in Leading Ideas on October 21, 2015. This To the Point version has…
Editor’s note: This is adapted from an article by Dr. Lovett H. Weems, Jr., which appeared in Leading Ideas on October 7, 2015. This To the…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
The many Christian denominations that ordain women as clergy do so for sound biblical, historical, and theological reasons — even though there are traditions that…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
“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…
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…
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…
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.
