Carol Howard Merritt: From challenge to opportunity
To become more diverse, younger, sustainable and innovative, denominations need to nurture the creative communities that spring up within the larger church.
Congregational innovation
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Elizabeth Drescher: Digital ministry, made for the mainline
Networked, relational and incarnational, digital ministry is a good fit for the mainline, a chance to make the privatized practice of faith public and visible in the world again, says the author and scholar.
Louis B. Weeks: An inclusive paradigm for family
Congregations seeking to remain or become vital must change to reflect the changing paradigm of the American family, says the author of a new book on the future of the church.
Carol Howard Merritt: Nurturing creative church cultures
How can we nurture innovative cultures in our congregations and denominational structures?
Focus on excellence
By restructuring its organization around “excellence,” the Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church has increased its effectiveness and transformed its culture.
Photos courtesy of Trinity Grace Church
A church grows in Brooklyn
A parish-based evangelical approach to church planting in New York City has created a network of congregations for young urbanites.
Katie Sandquist paints a door as part of the ceremonial announcement of the Block by Block program in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Sandquist and her husband Andrew are among the homeowners who received help from the program. Liz Martin/The (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) Gazette
After the deluge
Rebuilding a community, block by block. An innovative partnership created by two United Methodist pastors revitalizes flood-ravaged neighborhoods in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Jason Byassee: A “UCC bishop” shows traditioned innovation
Vibrant institutions, thriving community, and traditioned innovation all come together at a church in the increasingly stony ground of New England.
Should your church start a nonprofit?
A successful church program can become a “caged bird” -- constrained by the structure of a single congregation. By starting a separate nonprofit, a congregation can let its programs fly, writes Joy Skjegstad.
Photo by Eric Gray | Courtesy of Trinity Baptist Church
Walk into the Bible
A church tells the oldest stories in a new way. A bold, one-of-a-kind mural project enriches children’s ministry and helps heal wounds at Trinity Baptist Church in San Antonio, Texas.