7 Questions to Determine if Your Advent Traditions are Still Meaningful
Meghan Hatcher says planning for Advent is the perfect time to assess whether a ministry tradition is still serving its intended purpose. She suggests seven…
Browsing: Congregational Revitalization
Articles
What’s Wrong with Thinking of Church as Family?
Lee Ann M. Pomrenke says the beloved metaphor of church as family can stand in the way of a congregation being truly open and inclusive.…
Innovating Faithfully through Action Learning Experiments
The authors of a new book, Leading Faithful Innovation, explain how engaging in simple, repeatable, and affordable learning experiments can create an environment where people…
Funding Forward: Developing New Revenue Sources for Your Congregation — An In-Depth Interview with Grace Pomroy
Grace Pomroy from Luther Seminary shares research findings on how congregations are developing new and creative funding sources. In this in-depth interview with Ann Michel…
“Funding Forward: How Congregations Can Develop New Revenue Sources” featuring Grace Pomroy
Podcast Episode 133 Is your congregation too dependent on Sunday morning offerings? Grace Pomroy from Luther Seminary shares research findings on congregations that are developing…
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…
The Stone Soup Recipe for Vital Small Church Worship
Teresa Stewart says that small congregations have a powerful worship planning option that expands participation, emphasizes lay leadership, ends the burnout of meetings, invites local…
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…
The 5 P’s of Sustainability for Small Churches
Rebekah Simon-Peter says small churches cannot succeed by emulating the megachurch model of programming for every stage of life. She believes that five P’s —…
Does Your Church Really Need All Those Committees?
Are your church members kept busy doing committee work they are neither gifted for nor excited about? Andy Lunt and Ted Brown say congregations can…
Leading Faithful Innovation: An In-depth Interview with Dwight Zscheile
What if congregational change didn’t focus on setting goals or planning new programs? Ann Michel of the Lewis Center Staff interviews Dwight Zscheile, coauthor of…
“Leading Faithful Innovation” featuring Dwight Zscheile
Podcast Episode 130 What if congregational change didn’t focus on setting goals or planning new programs? Dwight Zscheile believes finding a faithful way forward involves…
5 Practices for Fruitful Congregations in a Post-Attractional Era
Robert Schnase’s five key practices — radical hospitality, passionate worship, intentional faith development, risk-taking mission and service, and extravagant generosity — have helped thousands of…
The Hidden Impact of Rural Churches: An In-Depth Interview with Bob Jaeger and Rachel Hildebrand
What is the economic impact of small congregations on their communities? Jessica Anschutz of the Lewis Center staff speaks with Bob Jaeger and Rachel Hildebrandt…
“The Hidden Impact of Rural Churches” featuring Bob Jaeger and Rachel Hildebrandt
Podcast Episode 126 What is the economic impact of small congregations on their communities? We speak with Bob Jaeger and Rachel Hildebrandt of Partners for…
Small Church Big Impact
Blake Bradford shares how smaller congregations can use their unique giftedness to fulfill their mission. He says smaller churches can enhance their vitality by clarifying…
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…
Covid Taught Us How to Shift and Pivot to Sustain Our Mission
James Kim describes how new expressions of ministry initiated in the years of Covid helped his two-campus church in Lakewood, Washington, thrive and grow. He…
Rebuilding Communities with Hope: An In-depth Interview with Glorymar Rivera Báez
How can churches partner with other organizations to effectively and comprehensively meet the needs of their community? Jessica Anschutz of the Lewis Center staff speaks…
“Rebuilding Communities with Hope” featuring Glorymar Rivera Báez
Podcast Episode 120 How can churches partner with other organizations to effectively and comprehensively meet the needs of their community? We speak with Glorymar Rivera…
Pre-Pandemic Worship Attendance: Not a Helpful Measure
Many churches today lament worship attendance numbers that have not returned to pre-pandemic levels. Lovett H. Weems Jr. says this is an unhelpful comparison. He…
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…
A New Model for Leading Change
What is God calling your church to do in the near future given your church’s mission and context? Doug Powe and Lovett Weems outline key…
The Coming Revolution in Church Economics: An In-Depth Interview with Mark DeYmaz
What if tithes and offerings no longer support your church’s operations? How can you create multiple streams of income by leveraging the value of your…
Is Your Congregation Making an Impact?
What metrics are most helpful in assessing your church’s health and vitality? Susan Nienaber says that, in this new chapter of the church’s history, congregations…
7 Key Questions to Focus Your Change Agenda
Successful change requires setting priorities. But how can a leader discern which goals are most important? Doug Powe and Lovett Weems suggest a series of…
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…
Genuine Change Involves Continuity
Doug Powe and Lovett Weems of the Lewis Center staff say that successful and lasting change is likely to come through evolution rather than revolution.…
