(Following last week’s post, this is the second of three pieces on church boards and evaluation.) Ask a church board how it knows whether its ministry is succeeding, and you will likely hear two or three of the following data points. Total pledges Number of pledges Total members Number...
Ministry Collaborative program staff (Jennifer Watley Maxell, Beth Daniel, and Amy Valdez Barker) round out their discussion of Elise Loehnen's book On Our Best Behavior as they talk about the double-standards of confidence, the importance of reconnecting with the Biblical models of confident women of...
"Lost In Translation" Using Paul’s engagement with the Athenians in Acts 17 as a backdrop, we are reflecting on the many gaps, disconnections, and misalignments we see across the landscape of ministry, along with some hopeful and constructive suggestions for how to respond faithfully. Divergent Boundaries and...
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...
Ministry Collaborative program staff (Amy Valdez Barker, Jennifer Watley Maxell, and Beth Daniel) continue their discussion of Elise Loehnen's book On Our Best Behavior as they talk about the difference between envy and desire; Jesus' unapologetic ministry; and how the myth of scarcity has particular...
Blog Series: "Lost In Translation" Using Paul’s engagement with the Athenians in Acts 17 as a backdrop, we are reflecting on the many gaps, disconnections, and misalignments we see across the landscape of ministry, along with some hopeful and constructive suggestions for how to respond faithfully. The...
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...
Ministry Collaborative program staff (Beth Daniel, Amy Valdez Barker, and Jennifer Watley Maxell) discuss Elise Loehnen's book On Our Best Behavior as they talk about the pressures on women - especially Christian women - to be "good"; what it means to live into our God-given...
Blog Series: "Lost In Translation" Using Paul’s engagement with the Athenians in Acts 17 as a backdrop, we are reflecting on the many gaps, disconnections, and misalignments we see across the landscape of ministry, along with some hopeful and constructive suggestions for how to respond faithfully. For...