Lewis Center Director Lovett H. Weems, Jr. highlights findings from "American Congregations in 2015: Thriving and Surviving" from "Faith Communities Today."| Lewis Center for Church Leadership - Advancing the knowledge and practice of ...
David Brubaker points to significant lessons in Acts 6 -- the first recorded church conflict -- noting that conflict can bring both crisis and opportunity.| Lewis Center for Church Leadership - Advancing the knowledge and practice of ...
Patricia Farris says confronting leadership challenges and crises requires not just a nonanxious presence but proactive response and a constructive way forward.| Lewis Center for Church Leadership - Advancing the knowledge and practice of ...
Pastor Carey Nieuwhof believes the church is uniquely positioned to respond to the political tension and division that characterize our age. He discusses four ways Christians can bring hope to the increasingly fragile culture around us. You don’t need to be anything more than a casual observer of American (and Western) culture to know that| Lewis Center for Church Leadership - Advancing the knowledge and practice of ...
David Brubaker says leaders need different skills in this age when deep political divisions affect our families, congregations, and communities. It requires clarity, compassion, courage, and connection. Leading in a polarized environment requires a very different set of skills. While thoughtful leaders normally want to plan a process, form a team, and work for consensus,| Lewis Center for Church Leadership - Advancing the knowledge and practice of ...
Effective church leadership involves navigating the politics of ministry beyond practical skills. Doug Powe and Jessica Anschutz emphasize that leaders must learn to read between the lines, listen carefully to what is said and unsaid, observe body language and emotions, understand relationships, and identify power players. Mastering these skills helps leaders handle complex church dynamics| Lewis Center for Church Leadership - Advancing the knowledge and practice of ...
Leaders need to understand the emotional dimensions of conflict and minimize the inevitable anxiety and systematic stress. In a book published the year before his death in 2020, Peter L. Steinke, a respected leadership consultant, outlined nine beneficial ways to respond constructively to conflict. In times of crisis, a system functions best when its key| Lewis Center for Church Leadership - Advancing the knowledge and practice of ...
Doug Tzan, a faculty member at Wesley Theological Seminary, explains how critical it is for pastoral leaders to understand their own role in church conflict and be intentional in choosing how to respond. He outlines five strategies to help a leader maintain a helpful presence in the midst of conflict. Early in my tenure in| Lewis Center for Church Leadership - Advancing the knowledge and practice of ...
Dan Reiland says investing in relationships is the make-or-break factor that determines the success of your leadership. He provides ten helpful tips for interacting with others that will help nurture positive relationships that will keep things running smoothly. The quality and enduring nature of your relationships will make or break your leadership. That axiom is| Lewis Center for Church Leadership - Advancing the knowledge and practice of ...
