Tag «Leading Ideas»

Innovating Faithfully through Action Learning Experiments

The authors of a new book, Leading Faithful Innovation, explain how engaging in simple, repeatable, and affordable learning experiments can create an environment where people feel safe trying new things. They provide seven simple steps to help your church employ simple practices to get outside your comfort zone and connect with neighbors in new ways. […]

The post Innovating Faithfully through Action Learning Experiments first appeared on Lewis Center for Church Leadership.

The post Innovating Faithfully through Action Learning Experiments appeared first on Lewis Center for Church Leadership.

Expanding the Ministry of Laity in Worship

Andy Lunt and Ted Brown say a commitment to lay empowerment must include allowing gifted laity central roles in worship, including preaching and offering prayers. Congregations that regard worship as the exclusive domain of clergy silence the powerful witness of laity that could do so much to transform the church and the world. Worship is […]

The post Expanding the Ministry of Laity in Worship first appeared on Lewis Center for Church Leadership.

The post Expanding the Ministry of Laity in Worship appeared first on Lewis Center for Church Leadership.

Funding Forward: Developing New Revenue Sources for Your Congregation — An In-depth Interview with Grace Pomroy

Grace Pomroy from Luther Seminary shares research findings on how congregations are developing new and creative funding sources. In this in-depth interview with Ann Michel of the Lewis Center Staff, she explains how congregations can lessen their dependence on Sunday morning offerings in ways that can bolster the bottom line while also building connections with […]

The post Funding Forward: Developing New Revenue Sources for Your Congregation — An In-depth Interview with Grace Pomroy first appeared on Lewis Center for Church Leadership.

The post Funding Forward: Developing New Revenue Sources for Your Congregation — An In-depth Interview with Grace Pomroy appeared first on Lewis Center for Church Leadership.

Number of Young Elders in the United Methodist Church Reaches a Record Low Number in 2023

Lovett H. Weems Jr. highlights the decline in numbers of young clergy in the Lewis Center’s annual Clergy Age Trends Report. A dramatic decline in young elders, deacons, and licensed local pastors continues in the United Methodist Church. Download the complete 2023 Clergy Age Trends Report. For eighteen years, the Lewis Center for Church Leadership […]

The post Number of Young Elders in the United Methodist Church Reaches a Record Low Number in 2023 first appeared on Lewis Center for Church Leadership.

The post Number of Young Elders in the United Methodist Church Reaches a Record Low Number in 2023 appeared first on Lewis Center for Church Leadership.

There Is No Such Thing as Church Revitalization

William Chaney says revitalization is the wrong goal for churches in decline, since it implies a return to the past. Churches need to instead rewrite their DNA by rediscovering their mission, reengaging their neighborhood, and refocusing their resources. To celebrate the Lewis Center’s anniversary, we are highlighting Leading Articles — some of our most popular […]

The post There Is No Such Thing as Church Revitalization first appeared on Lewis Center for Church Leadership.

The post There Is No Such Thing as Church Revitalization appeared first on Lewis Center for Church Leadership.

The Stone Soup Recipe for Vital Small Church Worship

Teresa Stewart says that small congregations have a powerful worship planning option that expands participation, emphasizes lay leadership, ends the burnout of meetings, invites local gifts, and heightens anticipation. It’s called Stone Soup worship planning. Maybe you’ve heard it said that for lavish worship, congregations must have a “Worship Design Team” — experts gathered to […]

The post The Stone Soup Recipe for Vital Small Church Worship first appeared on Lewis Center for Church Leadership.

The post The Stone Soup Recipe for Vital Small Church Worship appeared first on Lewis Center for Church Leadership.

6 Tools for Holy Work With Children

Tanya Campen offers six tools to help children process their experiences and discoveries about God. Through story, liturgy and ritual, relational awareness, memory markers, wonder, and work, children experience and respond to God’s presence and love. Recognizing that children learn about God in varying contexts and traditions, and acknowledging all children learn and process at […]

The post 6 Tools for Holy Work With Children first appeared on Lewis Center for Church Leadership.

The post 6 Tools for Holy Work With Children appeared first on Lewis Center for Church Leadership.

Building Inclusive Communities: An In-Depth Interview with Brandan Robertson

How can church leaders build an inclusive community of faith? Jessica Anschutz of the Lewis Center staff interviews Brandan Robertson, the “TikTok Pastor,” about social media ministry, intersectional inclusivity, and the challenges of building inclusive community. Listen to this interview, watch the interview video on YouTube, or continue reading. Jessica Anschutz: Before we talk about your […]

The post Building Inclusive Communities: An In-Depth Interview with Brandan Robertson first appeared on Lewis Center for Church Leadership.

The post Building Inclusive Communities: An In-Depth Interview with Brandan Robertson appeared first on Lewis Center for Church Leadership.

4 Key Characteristics of Missional Congregations

Congregations that want to move forward and live more missionally need to understand and embody four key characteristics, says F. Douglas Powe, director of the Lewis Center and the James C. Logan Chair in Evangelism (an E. Stanley Jones Professorship) at Wesley Theological Seminary. Missional congregations must be connected to their context, bound as a […]

The post 4 Key Characteristics of Missional Congregations first appeared on Lewis Center for Church Leadership.

The post 4 Key Characteristics of Missional Congregations appeared first on Lewis Center for Church Leadership.

The 5 P’s of Sustainability for Small Churches

Rebekah Simon-Peter says small churches cannot succeed by emulating the megachurch model of programming for every stage of life. She believes that five P’s — people, prayer, provision, partnership, and presence — are key to the sustainability of smaller churches. To celebrate the Lewis Center’s anniversary, we are highlighting Leading Articles — some of our […]

The post The 5 P’s of Sustainability for Small Churches first appeared on Lewis Center for Church Leadership.

The post The 5 P’s of Sustainability for Small Churches appeared first on Lewis Center for Church Leadership.