Are the Volunteers Returning?
Do your congregation’s leaders talk about getting boomer retirees more involved? If not, you are just standing by while millions of our neighbors retire.
John Wimberly
Is Our Staff a Team?
Almost every congregational staff calls itself a team. But are they really teams? In many, perhaps most cases, staffs have hierarchical leadership with staff members working in “silos.” When this is the case, they are not teams. What are some key characteristics that reveal whether or not a staff is a team?
The Purple Church
Why do so many congregations brand themselves as “progressive” or “conservative”? Isn’t a more diverse, heterogenous congregational identity preferable?
Staff Designs in the 21st Century
Don’t automatically replace departing staff with another person doing exactly the same work. Use staff turnover as an opportunity to examine how those dollars might be better used in a different staff configuration.
The Death of Denominations?
At last week’s General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA), conversations often turned to the question: “Is the end near for our denomination?” Each year the number of affirmative answers seems to increase. I don’t agree. I don’t think mainline denominations are in danger of dying any time soon.
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.
Asking Millennials to Give
“Boomers at our church don’t understand how we give.” I hear this from young people around the country. In a striking example of how generations can see things in opposite ways, boomers say, “Millennials don’t know how to give the way we do.” Let’s unpack these conflicting perceptions of millennial financial support for the congregations where they worship.