It will happen to so many of us. If it doesn’t happen to us, it will happen to someone we know and care about. And if it doesn’t happen to someone we know and care about, it will happen to a stranger we meet. At some time in life the body will not work as it should. Or, put another way, the body will be, medically speaking, disabled. There are employment laws about how corporations relate to disabled persons. Public schools are governed by legislated rules...
Many congregations produce dramas for worship. Other congregations sponsor full length plays as part of a drama ministry. Sometimes it is hard for congregations to find dramas that fit their congregational culture. Or, it is a challenge for congregations to find theatre pieces that are of high quality - "we'd use this but it seems kind of superficial."If your congregation makes use of drama as part of your ministry, you are going to want to know about Lillenas Drama....
Why are we so worried about building? Shouldn't we be more focused on faith? Our building has become an idol around here! Sometimes these concerns get expressed when a congregation begins a building project. It doesn't matter whether the project is big or small, expensive or modest in price, congregants want to know that their building is serving their religious claims and commitments. They don't want their faith to become the servant of the construction process. It takes a...
Some of the best resources take a lot of research to find. You have to dig deep. It takes time. You have to ask lots of questions and look under many figurative stacks of paper. Other resources arrive full of grace and something like ease. The latter is what I found when acquainting myself with the website of the American Bible Society. It is a well-designed site with clear navigation and an excellent search function. What is the American Bible Society? Well, its been...
The Center has noticed a slight increase in calls about building issues. Certainly, the difficult economy has made it challenging for many Indiana congregations to pursue any number of building projects. However, recently congregations have been calling about resources related to process. How might a congregation discern if a project is right for them? How does a congregation decide what approach to take or what sources of funding to seek? What will the actual construction or renovation entail...
Red, yellow, blue... Let's go with orange - at least if the subject is family ministries. Many congregations work really hard at finding ways to teach faith practices to children. And of course, children grow to be teens and then young adults. As children mature, it often becomes even more difficult to find ways to connect them to the work of the rest of the congregation. Perhaps even more of a challenge is connecting children and youth to the religious values of their parents. ...
Ugh! Congregational management!Budgets, performance reviews, the nursery that has a leak in the ceiling, financial audits, use of building guidelines, acquiring and maintaining the copy machine; all these things and more are often placed together in a category called the business side of managing a congregation. Some clergy, indeed, some congregational boards are particularly skilled at congregational management. Other clergy and boards are challenged by management tasks....
We work with many congregations that have significant challenges. It is not unusual to receive a call from a congregational leader who says, "We have 20% less in worship than we did two years ago, and we can't meet our budget. We need to try something new."Jim Collins' book How the Mighty Fall hints at what that "something new" might involve. This book is not about congregations. It is not about religious claims and commitments. However, it does address why companies decline (mostly...
Every congregation participates in certain activities that are common to any number of human communities. Congregations make decisions. They help others. They sing. They tell stories. Congregations offer hospitality. They make choices about money. Human groups from families to clubs to corporations do these things too. Such common, shared, human activities are called - by those who study and name such things - practices.A practice becomes a meaningful, religious endeavor...
A new resource about to be released provides an opportunity to further explore a way of thinking that has been helpful to many congregational leaders for (amazingly enough!) about two generations now. Bowen Family Systems Theory began when Murray Bowen, a psychiatrist, began to test new ways of treating schizophrenia. Eventually this theory found its way to the wonderfully sharp mind of Rabbi Edwin Friedman. After publication of Friedman's acclaimed book,Generation to Generation, this theory...
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