Congregations

Congregations

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The Rev. Emily Hull McGee, pastor of First Baptist Church on Fifth, stands with her son Liam in the breezeway between two of the church buildings. The building on the left is slated for removal; it's part of an ambitious plan to tear down, rebuild and renovate the church's buildings in downtown Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Photos by Alex Maness

Congregations, Buildings, Money, Sustainability

A downtown church forges a new path when it decides to tear down two decaying buildings

The 146-year-old Baptist congregation hopes a smaller footprint will allow the church to redefine its mission and identity while saving its historic sanctuary.

Bigstock / Mypokcik

Money, New economic models, Congregations, Innovation, Congregational innovation

Matt Overton: How social enterprise has changed my congregation and me

A youth pastor finds that running a social enterprise has influenced everything from his preaching to his role in the community. It has also helped congregants reach across the political divide.

Congregations, New forms of church, Innovation, Congregational innovation

Excerpt from 'Divergent Church: The Bright Promise of Alternative Faith Communities'

In this excerpt from the introduction to their new book, Tim Shapiro and Kara Faris say that congregations aren’t going away, and neither is congregating. Creative, alternative faith communities are finding new ways to connect to the Divine.

Detail of book cover

Congregations, New forms of church, Innovation, Congregational innovation

Kara Faris: 'Divergent churches' are exploring innovative ways of congregational life

Across the country, creative, alternative congregations are doing church in unconventional ways, the co-author of ‘Divergent Church’ says in this interview. They may look different, but they are deeply rooted in tried-and-true practices of the faith.

Bigstock / Starfotograf

Management, Team management, Congregations

Jason Butler: Constrained by expectations

Christian leaders must have clear expectations for their ministries -- but not rigid expectations that prevent us from being surprised by God, writes a church planter.

Kuhnekt Initiative participants, Octavia Ramsey left, and Carolyn Cooper have a conversation at a community meal held at The Grove Presbyterian Church Thursday, October 12, 2017 in Charlotte, NC.

Kuhnekt Initiative participants Octavia Ramsey, standing, and Carolyn Cooper, right, have a conversation at a community meal held at The Grove Presbyterian Church. Photos by Jason E. Miczek

Innovation, Congregational innovation, Congregations, Growth & renewal

The Kuhnekt Initiative builds relationships among church members

Church members at The Grove Presbyterian Church are randomly paired and commit to monthly meetings as a way to deepen connections between them.

The Pres House Apartments provide student housing and generate funds to support Presbyterian campus ministry at UW-Madison. Photos by Kim Isely

Money, New economic models, Congregations, New forms of church

Student apartments bring new life to innovative campus ministry

A combination church, campus ministry and seven-story apartment building, Pres House is a bustling hub of activity, a “home away from home” for students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Juana sits on her bed in the bedroom the church made for her.

Guatemalan native Juana Luz Tobar Ortega, who was facing deportation, came to live at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Greensboro in May 2017. Photos by Alex Maness

Congregations, Christian Leadership

Church on a mission to extend sanctuary learns to live with uncertainty

The first church in North Carolina to extend sanctuary to an undocumented immigrant facing deportation finds that the decision to open their doors is just the beginning of the journey.

Volunteers evacuate people in a boat from a flooded neighborhood in Houston.

Volunteers help evacuate people from a flooded neighborhood near Buffalo Bayou in Houston.
Michael Stravato/Polaris/Newscom

Congregations, Reconciliation, Community

Marlon F. Hall: In Houston, a people who love their neighbors

The most culturally diverse city in the nation has responded to the floodwaters of Hurricane Harvey by serving and sacrificing for others, writes a Houston church leader.

The chancel of Richfield UMC, where the remaining members have decided to close after years of faithful ministry. Photos courtesy of Zina Risley

Congregations, Innovation, Congregational innovation, Money, Sustainability

Legacy ministries to dying churches give congregations a way to end well

A creative new ministry is underway in various UMC conferences to help declining congregations chart their end and leave behind a lasting gift.

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As Christian leaders, how can we recognize and honor both the new and innovative and the old that grounds and roots the new? A managing director at Leadership Education at Duke Divinity ponders this when she sells an antique spinning wheel.

A learning resource for Christian leaders and their institutions from Leadership Education at Duke Divinity