The Right Question | Quotable Leadership | Be the Welcoming Church | Engaging Local Schools | Welcome New People | Nature study | Pastors Can Help the Wealthy Achieve Goals
How can church leaders approach innovation in ways that are consistent with their faith? Lewis Center Director F. Douglas Powe interviews Kenda Creasy Dean, author of Innovating for Love. She says Christian social innovation focuses on people not problems and seeks to participate in God’s new thing rather than trying to get God to participate in ours.
Tiredness and burnout in church leadership occurs primarily because leaders over-function, micromanage, or are placed in roles that do not use their God-given spiritual gifts. Jaye Johnson says the antidote is to reclaim the passion that comes when one leads out of one’s own unique giftedness.
Leaders do not need answers. Leaders must have the right questions.
Church leaders frequently encourage spiritual discernment for themselves and other individuals when faced with important decisions. Such discernment is also needed for congregations as they examine their circumstances and context through the eyes of their mission. One question suggested for such congregational discernment is:
In these changing times, it’s more important than ever to consider a school-focused initiative. Schoolchildren, parents, and teachers across the country are in need of supplies, meals, tutoring, and support. The Engaging Local Schools Video Tool Kit guides your congregation in discerning a vision for a school partnership that responds to the needs present in your neighborhood and utilizes the unique gifts your church has to offer.
Learn how your congregation can make a good first impression with first-time visitors. 50 Ways to Welcome New People provides strategies and tips to ensure your visitors feel truly welcome and at home in worship, plus guidance on visitor follow-ups and ways to be more inviting in your church.
Ideal for autumn, this popular seven-session video-based adult Christian study awakens our visceral knowing of the Creator through the creation, reconnects us with the sacred landscapes we call home, encourages us to provide space and time for spiritual reflection in nature, and helps us live in greater harmony with God’s earth.
“Once they have earned the right to begin a major change process, effective leaders will build a supporting coalition and organize a careful and open process to plan and implement that change.” —David R. Brubaker
Christopher F. Poch, author of Managing Your Wealth: A Must-Read for Affluent Families, shares tips that pastors can use to help the wealthy achieve their charitable goals.
