Greeting our return when the old is gone and the new is here
As we resume in-person ways, churches are uniquely equipped to welcome people back, writes a managing director of Leadership Education at Duke Divinity.
Recently published
James Heynen: 'The truth is our friend'
Leading change in organizations requires discovering the truth and avoiding blame, says a longtime consultant.
How to host online meetings with Christian hospitality
Virtual gatherings are here to stay, so let’s host them well, writes a managing director of Leadership Education at Duke Divinity.
Link to author Gretchen E. Ziegenhals
By Gretchen E. Ziegenhals
Spiritual director and retreat leader
Kenneth Young: There's a better way to manage pastoral transitions
What if we imagined pastoral transitions as a relay race, in which each leader passes the baton to the next? asks a Baptist pastor.
Link to author Kenneth Young
By Kenneth Young
Pastor and director of external relationships, Massachusetts Council of Churches
Disruption is often the key to renewal
When churches struggle to change their habits, stopping everything can open a way forward, says a church planter and pastor.
Link to author Jason Butler
By Jason Butler
Pastor, Open Table United Methodist Church
Gregory C. Ellison II: 'It's good to see you. Welcome to Fearless Dialogues. Are you ready for change?'
Seeing and hearing those who have been overlooked is a primary task of leadership and a prerequisite for sustainable change, says a Candler School of Theology professor. His nonprofit, Fearless Dialogues, helps unlikely partners engage in hard conversations.
Matt Johnson: A church isn't a blank slate, and neither is a pastor
Leading change requires understanding a community’s system for relating and behaving -- and understanding your own family system, too.
Link to author Matt Johnson
By Matt Johnson
Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, McMinnville, Oregon
Dave Odom: How do you decide when to pivot?
Shifting direction can be exhausting. The key to a wise pivot is keeping one foot firmly planted on the ground -- remembering your mission and values -- writes the executive director of Leadership Education at Duke Divinity.
Link to author David L. Odom
By David L. Odom
Executive director, Leadership Education at Duke Divinity
Ken Evers-Hood: The church needs a poetic imagination
Poet David Whyte teaches “conversational leadership” as a framework that helps organizations bring soul back into the workplace and more effectively navigate change, writes a Presbyterian pastor.
Link to author Ken Evers-Hood
By Ken Evers-Hood
Pastor, Tualatin Presbyterian Church
ZOE offers empowerment model to help orphans in Africa and beyond
A U.S. Christian relief organization changed its approach from charity to a sustainable effort to lift poor children out of poverty.
Link to author Yonat Shimron
By Yonat Shimron
Journalist
Stephanie M. Crumpton: Sometimes it's not enough to say you're sorry
When Christian leaders learn to hold grace and accountability in creative tension, the foundation is laid for responses that are truly transformative, writes a seminary professor.
Link to author Stephanie M. Crumpton
By Stephanie M. Crumpton
Professor of practical theology, McCormick Theological Seminary
Apply to Foundations of Christian Leadership
Join us for Foundations of Christian Leadership in San Antonio, where we will draw on the rich resources of the surrounding community as we imagine and listen together to how God is stirring in our world, in our church and in our lives. Applications are due Friday, August 13, 2021. Session 1 will take place October 25-28, 2021. Session 2 will take place January 18-21, 2022.