Congregational innovation

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.

By Edie Gross Journalist

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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.

By McKenna Wallen Pastor, Maryland Presbyterian Church

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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.

By Alison Bowen Journalist

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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.

By Yonat Shimron Journalist

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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.

By Sarah E. Forsyth Associate Director, Thriving Congregations Coordination Program

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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.

By A. Trevor Sutton Pastor and writer

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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.

By Edie Gross Journalist

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‘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?”

By Ashley Goff Pastor, Arlington Presbyterian Church

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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.

By Angie Kay Hong Director of Educational Programs, Leadership Education at Duke Divinity

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