I believe that resilient congregations, pursuing God’s purposes in the world, will find healthy and constructive ways to prepare, support, nurture and partner with ministers in the days to come.
All in Carson Reed
It’s Complex!
The reality for most of us in congregational or ministerial contexts is that things are not just complicated – they are complex.
Leadership in Complex Times
What sort of leadership is needed in this time of complexity and uncertainty? I want to explore some implications of Complexity Leadership Theory (CLT) for congregational life.
Getting Our Questions in the Right Order
Until folk see and experience the countercultural power of true Christian community and begin to ask, “What does this mean?,” they will not be asking the next question, “What shall we do?”
On Levi’s Jeans and Wine
In many established churches, we continue to assume that our jeans and our wineskins that we have received from a previous generation are still capable of holding the dynamic, electrifying power of the gospel.
Praying Without Ceasing
Where does prayer fit in? Is it simply the customary thing we do at the beginning or end of a meeting? Or is prayer something more?
Developing Resilience
Of all the challenges and crises that exist in congregations today, the one that I want to name here resides with leaders themselves.
Praying for People as a Leadership Practice
How much of our leadership practice is prayer – prayer for people who live in our neighborhoods and cities? What of our decision-making?
Congregational Mission: A Report From the Field
I commend these three core beliefs to all leader teams. Hope in God’s preferred future, practice non-anxious courage, and exercise prayerful imagination.
On Reading the Bible
What I am about to say will sound so elementary that I risk losing you, my reader, before I even get to the end of this paragraph. But here goes. I want you to read your Bible.
Turning Toward Resiliency
Sometimes being faithful is the order of the day. And for those of us who practice leadership in congregations, we may need some different practices.
Monday to Saturday Faith
This conviction – that God is already in our homes, our Zoom calls, our neighborhoods and parks – offers us a vibrant and hopeful invitation.
Three Thoughts on Leadership
I want to take a shot at offering three basic frames, or moves, comprising good leadership practice for congregational leaders.
Exiled: Four Principles to Embrace
Jeremiah says to settle in. Adapt, adjust, and find ways to make a meaningful life in a new environment.
Four Fears and a Christian Response
These four fears stifle creativity and appear so commonly in congregations that I want to share them with you and offer a theological response.
New Books for Church Leaders
As the year comes to a close, I’d like to recommend six brand new books that you might find particularly helpful as you pursue God’s preferred future in 2021.
Anxiety and Its Antidote
Far more contagious than the coronavirus, anxiety is actively infecting our congregations and those who lead and serve them.
Where Did They Go?
Where are our sheep? They are scattered. It is time to invite them back into the care and life of the Christian story!
“Our Political Allegiance Is to Heaven”
Tragically, many Christians in the U.S. are falling into the trap of identifying with an array of issues on the right or on the left, resulting in a blurring and distorting of the Christian faith.
Live Into Hope!
Let’s use this interruption as a time to re-imagine how we pursue God’s preferred future!