Tag «Leading Ideas»

Engaging Children Through Active Wondering

Tanya Campen describes how engaging children through active wondering creates space for them to share freely and nurtures honest conversation. She equips teachers and guides to shepherd children in the holy work of active wondering. Active wondering creates space for authentic and honest conversation. “I wonder” questions present an invitation into holy conversation. They create […]

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5 Essential Qualities of Effective Evangelism

Priscilla Pope-Levison’s book, Models of Evangelism, studies eight influential approaches to evangelism, everything from visitation and revivalism to social media. She finds that regardless of the method deployed, five qualities are essential to effective evangelism — hospitality, relationships, integrity, sharing the Christian message, and rootedness in the church. To celebrate the Lewis Center’s anniversary, we […]

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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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5 Guideposts for Reshaping Your Staff Team

Susan Beaumont says many churches see a need to reconfigure their staffing in this new era. She outlines five guidelines to frame a better conversation about the design of your church’s staffing structure. The pandemic unraveled staff team structures. Resignations and retirements were at an all-time high. Downsizing was necessary for some congregations. Others hired […]

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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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4 Characteristics of Biblical Evangelism

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 Doug Powe, originally published on December 5, 2018. Lewis Center Director Doug Powe says biblical evangelism is characterized by four key practices — […]

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Why Small Congregation Worship Matters

Teresa Stewart has faith in the future of small congregations because she has faith in a God who shows up even in small and forgotten places. She believes that small churches are critical learning laboratories as the church navigates a future far too complex for one-size-fits-all patterns of ministry. Let’s start with this fundamental agreement […]

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Two Approaches to Digital Playlists for Faith Formation

How can a digital playlist enhance hybrid and online faith formation? John Roberto shares two approaches for creating digital playlists to strengthen faith formation. The digital playlist has become an essential resource for designing hybrid and online faith formation. What the textbook was to the print era, the playlist is to the digital world. It […]

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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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