The Right Question | Quotable Leadership | Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations | Leadership D.Min. | Free Webinar — Giving Strategies for the 21st Century | Synergy
Dan Pezet believes churches can forge meaningful connections with their neighbors through impactful community ministries. But only if the church’s motives are perceived as genuine, not self-serving. He outlines four mindset shifts required of church leaders who seek to engage their community more authentically.
What does it take to turn a congregation around? Ed Brandt, a long-serving pastor who recently retired as chief of chaplains for the U.S. National Guard, believes success in ministry is grounded in the hard but essential work of reaching out to the community, forging new connections, getting to know people, listening, earning trust, taking risks, and learning from mistakes.
Rick Reinhard says more and more congregations are looking to rent, sell, or redevelop unused buildings and property. But before launching into the real estate market, churches should take time to understand the value of their property, the key players in their community, and where decision-making authority lies in their congregation or denomination.
Leaders do not need answers. Leaders must have the right questions.
Leaders face times when they need to decide to stay with what they are doing or to move to some other place or role. Ursula M. Burns, former CEO of Xerox, when facing such a decision was helped by a question she was asked by a colleague.
Are you running away from something or running toward something?
The Lewis Center is proud to be a collaborating partner on the Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations study led by Hartford Institute for Religion Research at Hartford International University for Religion and Peace (formerly Hartford Seminary). Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations is a research project that seeks to thoroughly investigate the current changes and eventual outcomes of the pandemic for congregational life in the United States.
Wesley Theological Seminary and the Lewis Center together offer the Doctor of Ministry in Church Leadership Excellence. With this track, clergy will receive the enhanced knowledge, skills, and motivation to increase congregational and denominational service, vitality, and growth.
Learn new perspectives and practices for funding ministry in an increasing challenging environment. Join Dr. Lovett H. Weems Jr. and Dr. Ann A. Michel, authors of Generosity, Stewardship, and Abundance: A Transformational Guide to Church Finance, for this 90-minute interactive presentation exploring key changes in the landscape of congregational giving and new possibilities for enhancing generosity in the 21st century.
“Future leaders will need cross-cultural grace to constructively depolarize a situation: an ability to listen and learn from people who are very different from them, and perhaps different in a disturbing way.”
By Dr. Ann A. Michel, Lewis Center Associate Director
The landscape of ministry is rapidly evolving as more and more lay persons take on significant ministry roles. Yet our mindset about ministry hasn’t been as quick to change. Lay ministry practitioners are often ill-prepared and underappreciated, confused about their call, and unsure of their theological identity. Dr. Michel’s book Synergy is a leadership guide that speaks directly to their needs.
