When songs become sermons — a different way of preaching
No longer able to sustain a choral program and facing clergy overload, members of a Maryland congregation now tell the old, old story by leaning into music, their pastor writes.
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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.
Link to author Victoria Atkinson White
By
Victoria Atkinson White
Director of Grants, Leadership Education at Duke Divinity
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.
Link to author Shannon Hopkins
By
Shannon Hopkins
Co-founder & lead cultivator, RootedGood
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.
Link to author Alison Bowen
By
Alison Bowen
Journalist
A food ministry in a tiny, rural town has helped hold a United Methodist church together across denominational divides
Volunteers from a small North Carolina church feed their neighbors each week with a hot meal and companionship in an outsize effort to the community.
Link to author Yonat Shimron
By
Yonat Shimron
Journalist
Like nature, congregations may change slowly
While we admire speed and efficiency, successful change can require time and patience, writes an associate director for Leadership at Duke Divinity’s Thriving Congregations Coordination Program.
Link to author Sarah E. Forsyth
By
Sarah E. Forsyth
Associate Director, Thriving Congregations Coordination Program
Could ‘hybrid shared ministry’ help struggling congregations survive?
A pastor shares his experience with a new model in which a larger congregation helps a smaller one by digitally sharing resources, sermons and other assets.
Link to author A. Trevor Sutton
By
A. Trevor Sutton
Pastor and writer
A place where interfaith families can be wholly together
In Maryland, families have gathered for almost three decades to create a faith community where they can fully explore their religious identities without sacrificing their heritage.
Link to author Edie Gross
By
Edie Gross
Journalist
‘When God’s Call Is Bigger Than a Building’
The Rev. Ashley Goff reflects on her congregation’s long — and sometimes contentious — process of building 173 apartments for low-income families, seniors and people with disabilities in this excerpt from “Gone for Good?”
Link to author Ashley Goff
By
Ashley Goff
Pastor, Arlington Presbyterian Church
Age does not limit Christian leadership
Encountering a unique ministry in San Francisco prompted a confrontation with her own ageism, writes a director of educational programs at Leadership Education at Duke Divinity.
Link to author Angie Kay Hong
By
Angie Kay Hong
Director of Educational Programs, Leadership Education at Duke Divinity
The church needs innovation instigators
As we’ve learned through COVID-19, faith communities can adapt. Church leaders must be willing to continue sparking change by asking new questions and challenging old answers.
Link to author Gabby Cudjoe-Wilkes
By
Gabby Cudjoe-Wilkes
Pastor, author and educator
