Pastoral leadership

Responding to AI concerns is a matter of pastoral care

As with any significant community change, clergy need to support their congregants through the personal, ethical and social implications of AI, writes a pastor who also directs the Technology, Innovation & Digital Engagement Lab at Union Theological Seminary.

By Gabby Cudjoe Wilkes Pastor, author and educator

Image link to article: Responding to AI concerns is a matter of pastoral care

A recipe for thriving rural congregations despite shifting demographics

Faced with declining attendance and aging membership, rural pastors can invite reflection on congregational history and community needs to adapt for new opportunities.

By Trisha Wheelock Program director, The Moses Project

Image link to article: A recipe for thriving rural congregations despite shifting demographics

‘Embodied Reconciliation: Congregational Healing as Pastoral Care’

In this excerpt, a scholar asks, What are the tasks of pastoral care and leadership in the wake of conflict or tension within a community of faith?

By Leanna K. Fuller Associate professor, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

Image link to article: ‘Embodied Reconciliation: Congregational Healing as Pastoral Care’

Faithful people are called to deep politics, not cheap politics

The teachings of Jesus require us to engage in the work of justice. That is different from partisan politics, writes a peace activist.

By David LaMotte Songwriter, speaker, author and peace activist

Image link to article: Faithful people are called to deep politics, not cheap politics

Our traditions are a sacred inheritance to be used, not a secret to be buried

A young pastor reflects on how to lead a historic church.

By Marc Antoine Lavarin Pastor

Image link to article: Our traditions are a sacred inheritance to be used, not a secret to be buried

We can’t just place Black women in leadership, we need to support them

It is not enough to appoint Black women to leadership and call it progress. Without deep, sustained support, the very systems that claim to celebrate us can also harm us, says a preacher and communications specialist.

By Brittini L. Palmer Writer and preacher

Image link to article: We can’t just place Black women in leadership, we need to support them

Jerusha Neal: Walter Brueggemann understood the task of preaching

The giant of biblical studies left a long legacy impacting the way many preachers interpret the biblical text for their own contexts every week.

‘Becoming the Pastor’s Wife: How Marriage Replaced Ordination as a Woman’s Path to Ministry’

In this excerpt, Beth Allison Barr follows a mother and daughter who both participated in ministry, but only one worked formally as a pastor.

By Beth Allison Barr Professor and author

Image link to article: ‘Becoming the Pastor’s Wife: How Marriage Replaced Ordination as a Woman’s Path to Ministry’

How do you care for federal workers losing their livelihoods and vocations?

Soup, a reserve fund and protests — these are some ways that a church in Atlanta is responding to families reliant on jobs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

By David Lewicki Co-pastor, North Decatur Presbyterian Church

Image link to article: How do you care for federal workers losing their livelihoods and vocations?

The hard and surprisingly hopeful lessons for churches five years after COVID

Pastors share what they’ve learned about their congregations, about the work of the church and about themselves five years after the pandemic forced most to close their doors.