10 Ways to Turn Off Your Donors
Stewardship expert Ken Sloane says the relationship between a church, or any charitable organization, and its donors is delicate. He names ten common mistakes churches…
Browsing: Mission
Articles
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…
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…
Your Community is Your Congregation
Pastor Joe Daniels says vital churches focus outward, engaging their communities, not only to serve but to build relationships and make disciples. This article was…
5 Ways to Overcome Barriers to Affordable Housing Development on Church Property
Richard Reinhard says pairing the surplus of faith properties with the deficit of affordable housing appears to be a match made in heaven. Yet common…
The Mutual Benefits of Church-School Partnerships
Jake McGlothin, author of The Mission-Minded Guide to Church and School Partnerships, says it’s only logical that the two most important social institutions in our…
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…
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…
Leading Voices: “Leaders Motivate the Contributions of Resources”
“Leaders Motivate the Contributions of Resources” is presented by Bishop Tom Berlin of the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church. In celebration of the…
Moving Beyond a Congregational Identity Crisis
Asking “Who are we?” helps congregations gain clarity in the midst of an identity crisis. Lewis Center Director F. Douglas Powe Jr. offers three priorities…
Doing Planning Differently
What if you focused on making already-planned ministry events better rather than creating new events? Olu Brown offers three planning strategies for Doing Church Differently™…
How to Get People to Follow You When the Way Is Uncertain
How do we lead in a time of chaos, confusion, division, and uncertainty? Carey Nieuwhof suggests five practices that can help leaders maintain focus and…
Keeping Church Staff Accountable to the Overall Mission
Evaluating church staff by measures related to their own individual performance can lead to ministry silos, says John Wimberly. When every staff person’s ultimate goal…
5 Steps to Resume Ministries beyond Worship in Fruitful Ways
Lovett Weems says that churches should be deliberate and careful in making plans to resume ministries disrupted by the pandemic. The restart of youth ministry,…
How a Food Pantry Became So Much More
Kevin Harney describes how his church transformed their successful food pantry ministry to attend to spiritual as well as physical needs. Volunteers are offering conversation,…
Leveraging Church Property Can Sustain Your Mission
Lovett H. Weems Jr. and Ann A. Michel say exploring additional uses of church buildings and property is an exercise in prudent stewardship. Many churches…
10 Paradigm Shifts for Mission Renewal
Tim Snyder and Paul Erickson say that congregational renewal involves a new way of being church and new approaches to our foundational callings. They outline…
Why the Church’s Mission Really Matters in this Time of Crisis
Anthony Hunt says crisis reveals the strength of the church’s ministries of connection and message of hope. Even with changing patterns of interaction, we need…
Leading the Church in the Face of Coronavirus
How can the church provide timely and proactive leadership when there is no tried and true template? Bill Owen, a consultant and coach with the…
How Can Your Church Building Reignite Your Mission?
Krin Van Tatenhove and Rob Mueller remind us that a congregation’s physical assets are resources to be stewarded to advance the kingdom. They recommend examining…
Episode 39: “Pastor as Community Activist” featuring Heber Brown, III
How can pastors be on the frontlines of community activism while also being faithful to their call? In this episode we speak with Heber Brown, III, pastor of Pleasant Hope Baptist Church and founder of the Black Church Food Security Network, about his work for racial justice in Baltimore and beyond.
To the Point: Doing Community Ministry in the Small Church
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…
Do Your Church Programs Obscure Your True Mission?
Sometimes churches get so preoccupied with their own programs and a get-it-done approach to mission that they lose sight of their ultimate purpose. Lee Roorda…
4 Key Practices of Community Engagement
Sam Marullo and Doug Powe, both Wesley Theological Seminary faculty members, have developed a simple model to help congregations engage their communities in meaningful ways.…
Episode 28: “Faith and Public Life” featuring Mike McCurry
How can people of faith bring their values to work in government and the public square? Listen as Ann Michel speaks with Mike McCurry, former White House Press Secretary and Director of Wesley Theological Seminary’s Center for Public Theology.
Worship Under the Bridge
Bishop Robert Schnase tells the story of a Texas congregation sharing worship with its homeless neighbors in relational and empowering ways. This powerful example of…
5 Things to Consider Before Engaging a Public Issue
When so many causes, crises, and critical needs demand our attention, how can a congregation decide where to engage? Pastor and author Ginger Gaines-Cirelli outlines…
Episode 17: “The Transformative Power of Church-School Partnerships” featuring Jake McGlothin
Thinking of launching a church-school partnership? Or looking to strengthen an existing partnership? In this episode Jake McGlothin, author of The Mission-Minded Guide to Church and School Partnerships, speaks with Lewis Center Associate Director Ann A. Michel about how churches can build effective, transformative relationships with children and teachers in their community.
How to do Short-Term Missions the Right Way
Dan Wunderlich says that mission trips can be life-changing mission endeavors, but they also raise serious issues and questions. He names a series of considerations…
Building Congregational Engagement in a Church-School Partnership
Jake McGlothin, author of The Mission-Minded Guide to Church and School Partnerships, explains how compelling messages that align your congregation’s vision to the task of…
