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.
PERSPECTIVES articles
Are You Shrink-Smart?
“Shrink-Smart” communities have something to teach congregations about how to thrive where population is declining.
Return Again and Lead from a Different Place
The end of summer vacation can be the beginning of a downward spiral, or it can be an opportunity to begin to lead from a new, more health-giving place.
Reaching the Next Generation
Call me overly optimistic or even naïve—but I think it is still possible for congregations to reach the next generation successfully. One key skill will be to listen to our mission field—the people and communities around us—better and more deeply than we’ve listened in the past.
How to Write a Vision Statement
Every year about this time, I get calls from lay and clergy leaders who want help writing a mission statement. They hope that with a clearer sense of mission, their congregations will stop reliving yesterday and start building tomorrow. I think they’re on the right track, and once upon a time I would have joined them in the mission-writing process. But today I usually suggest starting instead with a vision statement.
Eight Tips for Managing Part-Time Staff
Part-time employment relationships are on the rise. Many congregations are converting full-time positions into part-time roles due to declining budgets and the rising cost of benefits. Part-timers offer many advantages to a staff team, but they also pose unique supervisory challenges.
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.