Our Latest Perspectives
To Grow or Not to Grow: Not Always an Easy Question
Most congregations say they want to grow in membership and mission—a goal that feels more urgent as the members age. In worship, a person aged 65 is likely to see mostly older people. It’s a good way to feel young at age 65! However, it is not a great sign for the congregation’s future. If they fail to attract new and younger members, many congregations will soon cease to exist.
Remembering the Future: Lingering Echoes of Loren Mead
Some voices linger like echoes in the chambers of the church. We hear them again and again, sometimes with greater clarity than we heard at first. The voice of Loren Mead should continue to echo among us who care about the mission of congregations and seek to be people of faith in the world.
Why SMART Goals Are Sometimes Dumb
Planning only matters if it makes a difference to your congregation’s work. If, after a weekend of planning, staff and volunteers wake up Monday morning and do just what they did before, then all your planning was for naught. Grand statements of mission and vision have no value unless someone turns them into action steps.
Five Ways Female Leaders Undermine Themselves
In our culture, power accrues more easily to men than women, so women need to be especially savvy about how to use their power. But instead, women leaders often undermine themselves.
How Do We Best Serve Our Neighbors?
As a strategic planner, I encourage congregations to look for places where their gifts and skills can meet the particular needs of their neighbors. As a human service provider, I watch my clients trudge all over town, piecing together services they need. I worry that despite our good intentions, sometimes congregations make life harder for our neighbors than we should.
Taking Time to Get from Here to There
In a time when polarized opinions are rampant and vigorously defended on social and other media, we need to intentionally invite each other to show up at congregational meetings with more than our opinions.
How to Delegate So Things Get Done
If you are an exceptionally bright, talented, attractive person, you can energize a congregation quite a bit by doing everything yourself. But if you want to make more happen than you personally can lead, you need to learn to delegate.