Detail from the cover of "Planning Sabbaticals: A Guide for Congregations and Their Pastors."
In this excerpt from his recent book, author Robert C. Saler writes about pastoral sabbaticals as a time of reinvigoration and reflection for both church leaders and their congregations. Saler directs the Lilly Endowment Clergy Renewal Programs and the Center for Pastoral Excellence at Christian Theological Seminary.
The author leads a worship workshop at the Duke Youth Academy. Photo courtesy of Duke Youth Academy / Casey Brewer
Worship leaders of color are often brought in to encourage diversity in congregations, but real diversity requires shifts in the entire culture of a church, says the worship leader and writer.
Representatives of Park Street UMC consider options for the church property in Belmont, North Carolina, at a design charrette, which is a process in which stakeholders gather to map solutions to complex problems. Photo courtesy of Wesley CDC
Leaders of a community development corporation believe that even struggling congregations can survive and thrive if members take stock of their assets and put them to use as resources for their communities.
iStock / Ratana21
Having a strategy to guide decisions about where and how to spend time and money creates transparency, builds trust and provides a framework for the desired result, writes the executive director of Leadership Education at Duke Divinity.
Jason DeParle and Tita Comodas in 1987. Photo courtesy of Jason DeParle
The journalist’s 30 years of following a family from the Philippines shows generations of people pushing their way out of poverty, often sustained by their faith.
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Beyond average Sunday attendance, there are other ways to measure the role of churches in the community. Things like footprint, partners, impact and calling also tell a story.
Mayra Zelaya plays with her son Eliel Zelaya during a church service at San Antonio Mennonite Church. Zelaya, a Honduran immigrant, has been in the United States with her family for 14 months. The church is helping her and other migrants and asylum seekers by providing shelter and resources. Photo by Wendi Poole
For the past three years, members of a Mennonite church in San Antonio have welcomed people crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. The experience has changed them and their understanding of the gospel.
Cover detail from "How to Lead When You Don't Know Where You're Going" by Susan Beaumont
The usual tools of leadership aren’t effective during times like the one the church finds itself in now -- those liminal seasons when the path forward isn’t clear, says the author of “How to Lead When You Don’t Know Where You’re Going.”
Photo illustration by Jessamyn Rubio
We published more than 120 original stories in 2019, from articles by journalists to essays by pastors and scholars to interviews with thinkers and activists. Here are 10 standouts we hope you’ll find inspiring and thought provoking.
Book cover detail
Instead of trying to get everyone to agree in debates over human origins, the Christian biologist aims to have an open, informed dialogue in his new book.