Congregants chat during a worship service at Arlington Presbyterian Church in Arlington, Virginia. Photos by Mike Morones
After a period of discernment and community engagement, a congregation takes a risk and finds its way back home.
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.
"Christ Healing Lepers" by Andrea Schiavone (c. 1540). Wikimedia Commons
An analysis of Jesus’ social network helps us better understand and imitate his relationships with the marginalized, says a professor of religion and sociology.
Image by Jad Limcaco
When churches struggle to change their habits, stopping everything can open a way forward, says a church planter and pastor.
The Rev. Thomas Daniel introduces newly baptized Hallie Manuel to a packed congregation at Covenant Presbyterian Church. Photos by Brian Diggs
In an era of dying congregations, a counternarrative is playing out in Austin, where churches are being squeezed by the region’s population explosion.
Students and faculty from City Seminary of New York gather at Grand Central Station for a "Pray and Break Bread" event. Photo courtesy of Mark Gornik
How will Christians live out their faith in a world that is more urban than ever before? The director and the dean of City Seminary of New York share what they’re learning as God brings Christians from across the globe to New York and other urban areas.
Members of the Zionist Church gather at St. James Beach in Cape Town, South Africa, for the baptism of new members. istock/jono0001
As Christianity shifts to the global south, Christians in the U.S. must ‘de-Americanize the gospel’ and be open to movements of the faith in other cultures, says the author and denominational leader.
Bigstock/nndanko
After his church merged with a smaller, older congregation, a pastor discovered that -- like the yeast that leavens the loaf -- the addition of new members changed his work in wonderful ways.
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
Church members at The Grove Presbyterian Church are randomly paired and commit to monthly meetings as a way to deepen connections between them.
Mount Vernon Place UMC was in decline when the Rev. Donna Claycomb Sokol was called as its pastor in 2005; today it is a thriving urban congregation. Photo courtesy of Mount Vernon Place UMC
How do you reverse decline in once-grand urban churches? In their new book, Donna Claycomb Sokol and L. Roger Owens share their experience and suggest a framework for seven crucial conversations that Christian leaders can initiate with their congregations.