Doug Ruffle, who once served as a missionary in Argentina, shares the heartwarming story of a Christmas pageant that went off script, yet captured the true meaning of Christmas. It invites us to make room for the Christ Child in our lives. As a missionary in Argentina, I served Peace Community Church in Rosaria. It| Lewis Center for Church Leadership - Advancing the knowledge and practice of ...
Bishop Kenneth Carder considers how churches can be in ministry with those with dementia and their families. His practical advice to congregations is informed by his poignant personal journey and his profound reflection on the spiritual aspects of coping with dementia. One of the last words to leave my wife Linda’s vocabulary was church. Each| Lewis Center for Church Leadership - Advancing the knowledge and practice of ...
The average congregation is getting smaller with a median size of around 60 attenders, reports Scott Thumma, director of the Hartford Institute for Religious Research. At the same time, a small percentage of large congregations accounts for around half of weekly worship attendance and increasingly dominates the religious landscape. Much like the phenomenon of climate| Lewis Center for Church Leadership - Advancing the knowledge and practice of ...
Editor’s note: This information adapted from an article by Dr. Lewis A. Parks which appeared in Leading Ideas on October 14, 2015. This To the Point version has been edited for brevity and is accompanied by a PDF flier that you may download and share with others. I spend my working days as a pastor trying to| Lewis Center for Church Leadership - Advancing the knowledge and practice of ...
Allen Stanton says rural churches are uniquely positioned to be agents of change within their communities. Most are trusted long-term community stakeholders, and on any given Sunday people from a wide range of occupations and life circumstances are sitting in their pews. Rural churches often have several strengths that are relatively unique to their own| Lewis Center for Church Leadership - Advancing the knowledge and practice of ...
Alan Roxburgh describes how established habits and values operating in the background of every church block renewal and participation in God’s future.| Lewis Center for Church Leadership - Advancing the knowledge and practice of ...
Lewis Center Director Doug Powe says it’s common for many individuals within a congregation to be responsible for discipleship. But often, no one person is accountable for it. He suggests having a discipleship coordinator who can help define clearly the meaning of discipleship and integrate it into all areas of church life. Who is accountable| Lewis Center for Church Leadership - Advancing the knowledge and practice of ...
Jessica L. Anschutz of the Lewis Center staff shares ideas for pastoral care and spiritual support for persons with dementia and their caregivers. As the number of dementia diagnoses grows, congregations have an opportunity to serve their community in meaningful ways. “You don’t need to visit Ed; he has dementia.” I have heard a variation| Lewis Center for Church Leadership - Advancing the knowledge and practice of ...
Child security is crucial in church ministries to ensure a safe environment for children to grow spiritually. Sam Rainer identifies ten key measures help protect children from potential harm including: avoiding one-on-one adult-child situations, conducting annual background checks, establishing check-in procedures, supervising bathrooms, and providing ongoing volunteer training. Child security is one of the most| Lewis Center for Church Leadership - Advancing the knowledge and practice of ...
F. Douglas Powe Jr. and Ann A. Michel of the Lewis Center staff name some of the changes church leaders should keep top of mind as we embark on 2022. They include still evolving patterns of worship and congregational life, worrying attendance trends, churches reevaluating their building needs, and underlying demographic changes that challenge assumptions| Lewis Center for Church Leadership - Advancing the knowledge and practice of ...
Dementia caregiving is an arduous, emotionally taxing journey filled with constant challenges and a profound sense of responsibility. A support group can provide a sanctuary where caregivers can share their experiences and emotions, finding solace and companionship in a community that comprehends their struggles. Mary McDaniel Cail outlines eight essential steps to help your church| Lewis Center for Church Leadership - Advancing the knowledge and practice of ...
Amy Kubichek of the Lewis Center staff shares Pew Research Center findings on how COVID-19 has impacted religious participation. As of March 2022, 90% of congregations had resumed in-person worship services, but only two-thirds of those who typically worship at least once a month have attended in person. Twenty-one percent are worshiping only online or| Lewis Center for Church Leadership - Advancing the knowledge and practice of ...
Christian faithfulness can inspire various political approaches, but they must reflect our primary identity as citizens of the Kingdom of God. Miranda Zapor Cruz finds Kingdom citizens are most faithful when they are salty, prophetic, separationist, and pluralist. She maintains that faithful Christians engage the political realm with a distinctively Christian perspective that prioritizes God's| Lewis Center for Church Leadership - Advancing the knowledge and practice of ...
As we navigate our opinions on public policy and electoral choices, it's tempting to delegate our critical thinking to others. Miranda Zapor Cruz writes that Kingdom citizens must resist this ease and strive to stay engaged, informed, and even conflicted. By doing so, we uphold our responsibilities as faithful citizens, ensuring our actions reflect thoughtful| Lewis Center for Church Leadership - Advancing the knowledge and practice of ...
What does intergenerational preaching look like? David Csinos shares that it is an emergent, experimental, and highly contextual endeavor that disrupts traditional homiletical norms. He offers three guiding principles to help cultivate the practice of intergenerational preaching: simplify the language, encourage conversation, and share the pulpit. Intergenerational preaching is not for the faint of heart.| Lewis Center for Church Leadership - Advancing the knowledge and practice of ...
The percentage of U.S. churches with attendance of 100 or fewer increased from 45 percent in 2000 to 70 percent in 2020. Lovett H. Weems Jr. shares relevant data while also considering the distinctive calling of very small congregations and ways they can embrace a more positive future. The Religious Workforce Project of the| Lewis Center for Church Leadership - Advancing the knowledge and practice of ...
A congregation can start becoming more intergenerational by simply inviting one more generation to take part in any congregational event or activity. The authors of Intergenerational Christian Formation offer these simple possibilities for bringing different generations together. 1. Host a one-day intergenerational Sunday school. Announce to the congregation, ‘We are so delighted to have| Lewis Center for Church Leadership - Advancing the knowledge and practice of ...
Are there folks in your church who got out of the habit of attending during the pandemic and haven’t returned yet? Rebekah Simon-Peter says that one sincere, guilt-free invitation might be all that is needed to get them back. The common wisdom is that a church only has three weeks to connect with people who| Lewis Center for Church Leadership - Advancing the knowledge and practice of ...
How has the pandemic shaped the vitality and resiliency of congregations? Did it really prompt large numbers of pastors to leave ministry? Doug Powe, director of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership, interviews Scott Thumma, principal investigator for the Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations research project. Listen to this interview, watch the interview video on| Lewis Center for Church Leadership - Advancing the knowledge and practice of ...
A family of faith more fully reflects the body of Christ when generations come together, and each individual brings their unique, God-given gifts. The authors of Intergenerational Christian Formation outline five benefits of intergenerational ministry for the church and members in different stage of life. Intergenerational faith experiences uniquely nurture spiritual growth and development in| Lewis Center for Church Leadership - Advancing the knowledge and practice of ...
Jamie D. Aten and David M. Boan, who head the Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Wheaton College, say that you may never have thought about your church’s role in disaster response. But if your doors are open after a disaster strikes, people will come to you for help. The time to plan is now. It can| Lewis Center for Church Leadership - Advancing the knowledge and practice of ...
Baltimore Pastor C. Anthony Hunt lifts up Martin Luther King, Jr.’s powerful vision of the Beloved Community, calling on individuals and churches to continue to promote peace with justice. He provides ten suggestions for heightening our commitment to community building and social engagement. A universal human striving is for authentic community. Dr. Martin Luther King,| Lewis Center for Church Leadership - Advancing the knowledge and practice of ...
Sustainability is increasingly difficult for the ever increasing number of churches worshipping small numbers each week. Lovett Weems captures the dilemma for church leaders and draws from Carey Nieuwhof some reasons why a church may need to close. In the last few years, we at the Lewis Center for Church Leadership have observed an increasing| Lewis Center for Church Leadership - Advancing the knowledge and practice of ...
How are the trends in majority Latino congregations different from those in non-Latino congregations? Jessica Anschutz speaks with Kristina Lizardy-Hajbi about her report Latino Congregations: Trends from the Faith Communities Today (FACT) and Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations (EPIC) Studies. It reveals that while Latino congregations face financial difficulties, a majority have experienced growth| Lewis Center for Church Leadership - Advancing the knowledge and practice of ...
