Congregations

You’ve decided to build affordable housing on your church property. What’s next?

The “predevelopment” phase is crucial in faith-based efforts to develop church property. An expert in urban planning helps demystify the process.

By Nadia A. Mian Senior program director, Ralph W. Voorhees Center for Civic Engagement

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Allen T. Stanton: What do small churches do well?

Small churches aren’t just waiting to grow or to die but are vibrant and healthy places with particular gifts, writes the author of “The Gift of Small.”

Disrupting spiritual abuse requires modeling Jesus and pursuing accountability

The teachings of Jesus combined with some underlying principles of the legal system provide guidance in addressing church trauma that spiritually hurts the marginalized, writes an attorney and author.

By Robert G. Callahan II Attorney and author

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Five tips for churches considering property development

Churches are learning how to get started well with adaptive reuse and property development, writes the co-founder of a nonprofit that has worked with hundreds of churches.

By Mark Elsdon Social entrepreneur, strategic executive and author

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How do you manage frustration?

With frustration rising, there are possibilities for containing the contagion and harnessing the energy generated for hope, writes the executive director of Leadership Education at Duke Divinity.

By David L. Odom Executive director, Leadership Education at Duke Divinity

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Is your church ready when things go right?

Congregations and their leaders are often conditioned for problems. A North Carolina pastor suggests that they also prepare for success.

By Bankole Akinbinu Senior Pastor, Baptist Grove Church

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Going beyond just keeping the peace to becoming ambassadors of peace

In the months before the 2024 presidential election, the Purple Church Initiative helped members of hundreds of UMC churches in North Carolina talk with fellow congregants with whom they disagreed.

Beth Crissman Kenneth H. Carter Jr.

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Don’t miss the significance of congregational toads in your church’s ecosystem

If we pay attention, the presence or absence of certain indicators can help us assess the vitality of our faith communities, writes a director of grants for Leadership Education at Duke Divinity.

By Victoria Atkinson White Director of Grants, Leadership Education at Duke Divinity

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What happens when the church is turned upside down?

Encountering a sculpture in a public square prompts a church innovator to reflect on the changes in our institutions — and how to react to them.

By Shannon Hopkins Co-founder & lead cultivator, RootedGood

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A Chicago church where discipleship begins with one person and emanates throughout the community

Lawndale Christian Community Church invests in its neighborhood with an “ecosystem” of programs, services and discipleship opportunities intended to help everyone who lives there thrive.