Tag «leadership»

Who will be God’s Agents of Pastoral Calling?

Many pastors recall that it was another pastor who first invited them to consider their call to ministry. Yet it seems fewer and fewer pastors today feel comfortable initiating these conversations. This paradox has promoted the Lewis Center’s Religious Workforce Project Research Team to wonder who will be God’s agents of pastoral calling? In interviews […]

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Effective Pastoral Transition: An In-Depth Interview with Lee Kricher

How can a seamless pastoral transition lead to a more effective leadership transition? Jessica Anschutz of the Lewis Center staff speaks with Lee Kricher, author of Seamless Pastoral Transition: 3 Imperatives — 6 Pitfalls, about shared leadership, nurturing future leaders, leading with humility, and more. Listen to this interview, watch the interview video on YouTube, or […]

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The Importance of Holy Friendships

Victoria Atkinson White says that pastors and Christian institutional leaders cannot do their holy work without the support of holy friendships. Mutual, sacred relationships deeply formed in God’s love combat loneliness and isolation, promote spiritual health and emotional wellbeing, and enable God’s servants to remain fruitful in ministry. An institution cannot thrive if its leaders […]

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How to Keep Preaching Fresh: An In-Depth Interview with Teresa Fry Brown

How can preachers keep their preaching fresh? Doug Powe of the Lewis Center staff interviews Professor of Preaching, Teresa Fry Brown about preaching familiar texts for different generations, preaching for in person and digital audiences, as well as sermon preparation for bivocational pastors. Listen to this interview, watch the interview video on YouTube, or continue reading. […]

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5 Characteristics of Effective Ministry Teams

To celebrate the Lewis Center’s anniversary, we are highlighting Leading Articles — some of our most popular posts of the past 20 years. We are pleased to share again this article by Ann Michel of the Lewis Center staff, originally published on July 29, 2015. If your congregation relies on leadership teams to make ministry […]

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Is Spiritual Maturity a Prerequisite for New Church Leaders?

Ann Michel of the Lewis Center questions the common advice that churches should only invite those who are already spiritually mature into leadership roles. She says new leaders can grow in faith and discipleship through their service, especially when existing leaders are committed to supporting their faith development and leadership growth. I’ve read a lot […]

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Humility is Critical to Successful Pastoral Transition

Lee Kricher says that one of the key variables in a successful pastoral transition is humility. It is difficult but essential that both outgoing and incoming pastors adopt an attitude of humility and respect for each other. The outgoing pastor who genuinely cares about the people and ministry of the church will do everything possible […]

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4 Keys to More Effective Church Communication

Joel Snider explains that a healthy church culture requires constant attention to good communication. Effective communication requires a consistent process that begins with a healthy approach to decision making and requires accuracy and repetition when sharing messages. To celebrate the Lewis Center’s anniversary, we are highlighting Leading Articles — some of our most popular posts […]

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Covid Taught Us How to Shift and Pivot to Sustain Our Mission

James Kim describes how new expressions of ministry initiated in the years of Covid helped his two-campus church in Lakewood, Washington, thrive and grow. He explains that the two most important leadership skills were keeping the mission clear and having a willingness to pivot and experiment in the face of a constantly changing context. Good […]

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When the Pastor Is Your Plumber

Lovett H. Weems Jr. writes about the long and rich history of bivocational ministry in the Bible, throughout the generations of American history and around the world today. He says bivocational ministry is one lane in the pathway to the future that needs careful and sustained attention as more churches face declining memberships and other […]

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