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As we enter a new chapter in the life of the church, an author and professor works to answer the question: "How do we help those who no longer need a God encounter the living God in their lives?"
The Rev. Gina M. Stewart speaks to her congregation in Memphis. Photo courtesy of Christ Missionary Baptist Church
Moving the needle for women means amplifying their voices, highlighting their gifts and advocating for them, says a pastor and nationally known preacher.
Participants in the RISE Together Mentorship Network 2018 Launch and Leadership Conference, “The Power of Our Voices,” participate in the closing program. Photo by Katilau Mbindyo
When women of color gather in cohorts, their experiences and stories are centered and affirmed, says the executive director of the RISE Together Mentorship Network.
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Pastors operate in highly complex social systems, and even with formal authority may not feel empowered to lead change. The key to building their sense of agency is to build trust among stakeholders and cultivate habits of care.
Like runners, ministers benefit when they learn healthy habits that allow them to pause and experience restoration from concerns and fatigue and be refilled by the spirit of God. Bigstock/Dean Drobot
Theological training doesn’t offer ministers everything they need to flourish. Pastoral peer groups that develop additional competencies can fill the gap, writes a minister who is director of ministry outreach at Pepperdine University.
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To acquire the resilience necessary to thrive in a rapidly changing world, pastors need people, practices and purpose, says the director of the Resilient Leaders Project.
Composite illustration by Catherine A. Caimano / SmartMockups
An Episcopal “clergypreneur” innovates a new model of pastoral care in which congregations run their own churches and contract with her for services such as worship, Christian education and leadership formation.
The Rev. Justin Mathews works the serving line at Thelma's Kitchen, a cafe operated by Reconciliation Services.
Photos by Susan Pfannmuller
In a neighborhood long marked by the trauma of racism and poverty, Reconciliation Services is building community with an entrepreneurial but distinctly Orthodox Christian approach to mission.
Worship can be a powerful way to engage conflict, as participants discovered at this 2018 Colossian Forum event on political division.
Photo courtesy of The Colossian Forum
In a time of intense polarization, both inside and outside the church, Christians are called not to run from conflict but to engage it, drawing upon ancient practices of the faith, says the president of The Colossian Forum.
Photo by Malerapaso
Leading a congregation into the future requires understanding its story -- and helping it envision what new chapters might come next.