A learning resource for Christian leaders and theirA 5-minute video by Houston filmmaker Marlon F. Hall offers a glimpse into this innovative ministry, which is based in deep listening, prayer and openness to the Holy Spirit.
Ben Smith, a volunteer with the Fondren Apartment Ministry. Photo by Mark Mulligan
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The church is located in one of the most multicultural cities in America, yet the congregation was not as engaged with its diverse neighbors as it could have been. That changed when they hired an associate pastor to live in intentional community in apartments three miles and a whole world away.
Leadership Education at Duke Divinity is now the Forum for Congregational Life. The organization’s executive director explains that there are important reasons for the name change, including a revised focus.
Link to author David L. Odom
In this excerpt from her new book, a former None who is now a denominational leader writes about the future of the church.
Link to author Stephanie Spellers
The pastoral housing crisis reveals the cost of a sacrifice that the church has stopped naming, writes the founder of a Christian housing nonprofit. Her essay is a call to old faithfulness.
Link to author Nicole Marie Bergeron
A painting must be created on canvas sturdy enough to support it. Likewise, congregations and organizations need a solid foundation if their ministries are to flourish, writes a director of programs and grants for Leadership Education at Duke Divinity
Link to author Mycal X. Brickhouse
While the Bible encourages us to be hospitable to strangers, the possibilities can be frightening. Some churches provide models for bringing people together beyond weekly services or liturgical ties.
Link to author Sarah E. Forsyth
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.
Link to author Edie Gross
This tool from the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) assists church and community leaders in accessing free online information about their communities. The initial map shows the location of other churches in your area and the Community Profile Builder provides you with social, economic and religious information on the community or neighborhoods you select.
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