James Howell
Senior pastor, Myers Park UMC
James Howell is senior pastor of Myers Park United Methodist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, and author, most recently, of "Introducing Christianity" (Westminster).

James Howell: Lessons in disappointment

Disappointment can be debilitating. But it can also teach us about Christian witness.

James Howell: The family business

The decision to go into the ministry after growing up with dad or mom as a pastor must be freighted with complex weirdness.

James Howell: ‘Now You See It’

What does it mean for the community of faith if the brain now functions differently than it has in the past?

James Howell: Assembling without Robert's Rules

What majority vote would Jesus ever have won?

James Howell: An uncreative process

How can the church be more creative if its ordination process does not value those who are?

James Howell: A pastor of kin

At some point most clergy wind up playing chaplain for non-churchgoing family.

James Howell: Unsettling prayer

Prayer alters perceptions about the world and the signs of God’s life in it.

James Howell: Decoding the non-church church

How should church leaders respond to the criticism that their church is not a "safe place"?

James Howell: Holy marketing

We want to reach people, but we should be holy, too.

James Howell: Mad leadership

Could it be that emotional or psychological struggles are not burdens merely to overcome, but actual gifts of the Spirit to the church?

James Howell: Evaluation anxiety

How can we do clergy evaluations without sweating our way through the process?

James Howell: Counting in church

What are the right numbers?

James Howell: Fail the way Jesus did

How to think about failure in a culture at odds with it.

Applications Open for the 2023 Reflective Leadership Grant
This grant program is for leaders who are ready to design the next chapter in their ministry. We welcome applicants who serve in a range of leadership roles, from project director to senior administrator, and who are working in a variety of organizations, including denominations, seminaries, church-related colleges, consultancies, congregations, Christian nonprofits, Christian social enterprises and others.
The application deadline is May 15, 2023.