Volunteers from Cullowhee United Methodist Church collect and chop firewood and deliver it to homes across the community.
Photos courtesy of Cullowhee UMC
In declining rural communities, churches are some of the few viable institutions. They can use this position to help strengthen the wider community, writes the rural church fellow at the Institute for Emerging Issues.
The Rev. Richard Joyner ties up onions with some of the young people who are learning about growing and selling food as well as healthy eating.
Photo courtesy of Encore.org; videos by Alex Maness
A pastor in rural North Carolina has developed a farming and beekeeping operation that improves the health of local residents while training a new generation.
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As she hovers over her toddling 15-month-old daughter, a seminary professor learns that leading and following are frequently intertwined. Watching, listening, paying close attention, this hybrid form of leadership follows life.
Photo courtesy of The Riverside Church
As the church becomes pushed to the margins of society, it gains remarkable freedom, the senior minister of The Riverside Church says in this interview. If we have the courage to live into the gospel, who knows what could happen?
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The highway has its lessons, especially for pastors just starting out, writes a young Lutheran pastor. Drawing from her cross-country move, she offers five road-trip lessons for new pastors.
The pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church, one of the nation’s most historic churches, offers leadership advice for pastors who want to make a difference in their communities.
The pastor of a church plant in Seattle explains the nuts and bolts of how his congregation merged with an established church in a way that honored both organizations. The key, he says, was a friendship between the two pastors and a shared belief that the assets of the church belong to the kingdom.
The responsibility has shifted from denominations to the individual -- and now it is time to experiment with new ways to support young clergy, particularly financially.
Sometimes our defaults are inadequate, and it’s up to a leader to nudge a community toward a new set of choices.
How is Christian leadership unique? What are the new challenges for Christian leaders in a complex and busy world? From the Faith & Leadership archives, here are resources to help.