Sarai Rice Congregational Consulting Group

Healing Is Never a Solo Performance

Woman leaning in a window — Marcos Paulo Prado on Unsplash

“Healing is never a solo performance.” This is the conclusion of Gavin Francis, citing psychotherapist Jerome Frank. It is also my most recent experience of the God in whom I do not fully believe.

About a year ago, I posted a Perspectives article about my struggles with belief. In the article, I admitted that, for the last ten years, I had been a Christian minister who mostly did not believe in God, though I had heard God’s voice or felt God’s presence at multiple times in my life, an experience that had hinted at healing.

Notes on Preaching

by Sarai Rice

A Bible and notepad sitting on a person's lap — Matt Botsford on Unsplash

In a culture addicted to scrolling and soundbites, preaching is a way of managing people’s attention. Usually in these articles, I reflect on the management of other aspects of a congregation—governance, planning, staffing, program evaluation, and budgeting. Today, I’ll talk about attention management and share some “hacks” I use to help me manage people’s attention while I’m preaching.

What I Love About Interim Ministry

by Sarai Rice

round-icons-qGaXbpw-2VU-unsplash — Round Icons on Unsplash

People have lots of questions about interim ministry—is it really necessary, how long should it last, what should the focus be? As an unintentional practitioner at both the judicatory and congregational levels (which means that I got coopted to do the work rather than seeking it out), I want to approach the subject differently: What do I love about an interim’s life?

Expanding SWOT for the Church

by Sarai Rice

mockupbee-UEQedPdLXVU-unsplash — mockupbee on Unsplash

SWOT analysis is ubiquitous. This planning and decision-making tool is used in so many different professional environments, it is widely understood by church members. However, from my point of view as both a consultant and a working minister, SWOT needs to be expanded to direct attention to not only what is known, but what is only dimly seen through eyes of faith.

Is It Time to Be Honest About Belief?

by Sarai Rice

The more I talk to members of my own congregation, the more I discover that they struggle with belief, and it’s the message itself, not just its institutional forms, that they struggle with. The language Christians have used about life with God for centuries—the Trinity, sin, atonement, the Resurrection—doesn’t make sense anymore, even to some of my oldest and most dedicated members. Even a basic belief in God is no longer shared. So maybe it’s time for those of us who are ordained to be more honest about our own struggles to believe.

Imagining a New Model for the Church

by Sarai Rice

stefan-cosma-HjnRcUzkhGg-unsplash — Stefan Cosma on Unsplash

When we church people talk about “what it means to be “the church,” we use lots of grand Scriptural and theological language. But our actual model for the church—both our image of what church is supposed to be and the way we organize to make it happen—tends to be based on more commonplace ideas. Perhaps it’s time to imagine a new model for the church.

Is the Former Mainline Finally Seeing Its Hook Echo?

by Sarai Rice

NEXRAD_radar_of_an_EF2_tornado_in_Kansas_on_March_13_2024 — NEXRAD Rradar of an EF2 Tornado

If you’re from the Midwest as I am, you can probably recognize a “hook echo” on the TV weather—a hook shape visible on radar in the lower portion of a storm. A hook echo is a classic sign that a tornado is imminent. It is often confirmed by spotters on the ground. Or by you, standing on your front porch—it’s a Midwest thing!

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