There are ways we talk in and around church that have existed for years largely unchallenged. They are so common—among congregants and church leaders—that they are part of the “background wallpaper” of churches. However, as our context for ministry changes so rapidly, it’s time to...
Guest Writer: Rev. Dr. Katie Hays Lead Evangelist, Galileo Church & MM Cohort Member, Ft. Worth, TX Rev. Dr. Katie Hays is the Lead Evangelist of Galileo Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the suburbs south of Fort Worth, Texas and a member of the Macedonian Ministry Ft....
In a recent webinar, one of the stories Willie Jennings urged us to become better story tellers of is the story of whiteness. Whiteness is not a natural state. It is a cultural marker characterized by a deep desire for control and mastery, a desire...
“I’ll give you all the weapons in the world, but if you give me story, I’ll win every time” – Willie James Jennings “Who gets to narrate the world?” – Robert Webber Every congregation is telling a story about God, themselves, and about the world. Oftentimes these...
Guest Writer: Dr. Charles Luke Executive Director, Coalition for Education Funding, Associate Director, Pastors For Texas Children, & MM Alumni, Dallas-Ft. Worth Cohort There is no question that our children represent the future of our churches, our neighborhoods, our country and our world. In the past, there were...
Guest Writer: Rev. Jennifer Watley Maxell The Breakthrough Fellowship, Pastor and Co-Founder, and MM Cohort Member, Atlanta 3 As clergy we spend so much time focused on membership. Whether it’s the size of our church membership, the organizational culture of a non-profit we run, or fulfilling the needs of...
“We are an Easter people and Alleluia is our song.” These words by Pope John Paul II not only testify to the joy of the risen and living Christ, they also have a good deal to do with leadership, too. As it turns out, the...
Guest Writer: Rev. Matt Seadore Executive Director of Ministry & Mission North Avenue Presbyterian Church Six years ago, my family moved to Atlanta from a small city in California. If there was one thing we were not prepared for upon our arrival it was the traffic. We live in...
Tod Bolsinger, in his recent Leadership Conversation, summed up leadership for adaptive change as “leading where there is no expert or answer into an unknown and unknowable future.” No wonder “adaptive leadership” daunts so many leaders! But, the suggestions he set forth were disarmingly ordinary. •...