In the history of church board work, two persistent obstacles to moving forward are (1) “I think” and (2) “what they are saying.” There is nothing wrong with an individual board member thinking (glad we could affirm that). However, no one person can see the whole...
It is easy. And understandable. And dangerous. It is easy, understandable, and dangerous for you as a church board to narrow the aperture of your vision, so that you only see: Budgets Buildings Complaints Staff problems Staff vacancies Of course, congregations consist of so much...
The answer to that may not necessarily be, “Faith formation begins with church boards!” Still, spiritually mature church boards understand that they need to think through how faith formation happens, as they do their work leading a congregation. Among the many definitions of faith formation, we will...
“Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable.” – Mary Oliver, Evidence (2009) Published in 2022, Shawn Ginwright ‘s The Four Pivots describes four shifts toward “Reimagining Justice, Reimagining Ourselves.” From Lens to Mirror From Transactional to Transformative From Problem to Possibility From Hustle to Flow Each of these pivots deserves...
Periodically, we need a reminder of why we write this blog and what our hopes are for church boards. A recent report from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) serves as just such a reminder. The PRRI report announced its findings last week with the headline:...
The musical Wicked, which is both a prequel and sequel to The Wizard of Oz, tells the story of two unlikely friends, Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) and Glinda (the Good Witch), and their relationship struggles through opposing personalities and viewpoints. In one...
It’s a trap, especially for church boards. When people come back to worship post-pandemic, then we will be able to feel a vitality again. When we get the right pastor, then things can begin to fire on all cylinders. When these troublesome members leave, then we can finally...
Church boards know this. In your faith community… Not everyone speaks with the same history. Not everyone speaks at the same volume. Not everyone speaks with the same frequency. Certainly, not everyone speaks with the same agenda(!). And, if we are honest, not everyone speaks with the same commitment, spiritual...
Reeling from the impact of the Highland Clearances, early nineteenth-century Highland Scots were desperate to find a way to connect their region’s numerous Lochs (lakes) to provide seamless water transportation for commercial goods—both to stem the tide of emigration and to nurture a new economy....