October 19, 2022
Ann A. Michel and Lovett H. Weems, Jr., authors of Generosity, Stewardship, and Abundance, say creating a culture of generosity requires creativity and consistency. They outline seven strategies that any church can deploy to deepen the link between faith and giving.


What is required to bring about meaningful change in your church? F. Douglas Powe Jr. and Lovett H. Weems Jr. maintain that genuine change also involves continuity. They outline strategies for sustaining key traditions and systems while simultaneously pursuing new initiatives and innovations. Listen now, read transcript, or watch on YouTube.

Lovett H. Weems Jr. shares inspiring leadership lessons from the life of Jackie Robinson. Robinson faced challenges and adversity with courage and faith, while striving to make life better for others.


The Right Question
Leaders do not need answers. Leaders must have the right questions.
The Boston Red Sox baseball team in 1959 was the last to sign a Black player, 12 years after Jackie Robinson began for the Dodgers and three years after he retired. Through those years, Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey was told by his scouts that Black players were not ready for big league play despite ample evidence otherwise. Yawkey should have asked two questions good leaders use:

What may be missing in these reports? How do we verify the evaluations?

Designed to nurture the spiritual discipline of giving, Theology of Stewardship and Biblical Generosity may be used in conjunction with an annual stewardship campaign or in a variety of Christian education settings. This video tool kit is ecumenical and may be used for self study or with groups. Featured topics: Stewardship 101; What the Bible Teaches about Giving; A Christian Understanding of Money, Possessions, and Generosity; Biblical Generosity; and Faith and Generosity.

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In this new book, F. Douglas Powe Jr. and Lovett H. Weems Jr. offer theological insights and practical skills to guide church leaders in stewarding traditions while also seeking innovative opportunities for faith communities.

Leading Ideas is made possible by contributions to the Lewis Center for Church Leadership from readers like you. Thank you.
Helping people experience the joy of giving is more than a way of funding the church's ministry. These 50 ways of encouraging faithful giving will help your church members grow in discipleship through faithful stewardship and extravagant generosity.

“Quotable” Leadership
No grave can hold this body down. It belongs to the ages, and all of us are better off because the temple of God, the man with convictions, the man with a mission, passed this way. Jessie Jackson, eulogy for Jackie Robinson, 1972
Learn best practices your church can use to increase in-person and online worship attendance.

Tuesday, October 25, Noon-1:30 p.m. Eastern

For most congregations, attracting new people was a challenge even before the pandemic. Now, churches must focus not only on the continuing need to reach new people but also on reconnecting with the sizable percentage of those who attended regularly before COVID-19 but have not yet returned to the pews. Join Rev. Dr. F. Douglas Powe Jr., Rev. Dr. Lovett H. Weems Jr., and Rev. Dr. Jessica Anschutz for this timely and important webinar to learn ways to improve your congregation’s in-person and online worship attendance.

NEW Doctor of Ministry in Church Leadership Focus
Apply now for Leading the Church in a Post-Pandemic Culture, a new Doctor of Ministry in Church Leadership focus from Wesley Theological Seminary and the Lewis Center for Church Leadership. With this track, clergy will receive the enhanced knowledge, skills, and motivation to increase congregational and denominational service, vitality, and growth in the post-pandemic world.

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