Five pitfalls to avoid when evaluating the senior minister
There is no one right way to evaluate the performance of a senior minister. However, there are many ways to do it that can harm the relationship between minister and the congregation.
Church Volunteer / Ministry Leader
I’m here to learn how to step into Christian leadership in my congregation and/or community.
Cultivating & Letting Go This Lent
There are many ways to minster. This week, we hear from the Reverend Lisle Gwynn Garrity, who uses art as a tool for spiritual formation. In the piece below, she reflects on stewardship and the story of the prodigal son. Plus, as a bonus for church leaders planning for Lent, Lisle links these themes to…
Bridging Life with Vocation and Identity
After many years of questioning, I finally understood. I am a child of God.
Illuminating Stewardship in Today’s Culture
Stewardship is an act of practical theology. Accordingly, context matters deeply. In today’s post, pastor Larissa Kwong Abazia engages the contextual challenges of contemporary culture and the call to stewardship. Additionally, I invite you to check out the “Invitation for Groundbreaking Research Project Participation with Fundraisers of Color” announcement at the bottom of this post….
All Together in One Place
The end of the month is always a good time to reflect on the past. This time we are looking way back, to the culture of the second century Christian Church, as described in the Book of Acts. Fellowship can be spontaneous, but stewardship of community requires dedication. I trust we all seek to improve…
Let Us End With Prayer
Churches struggle. Sometimes they are able to move beyond their brokenness. Sometimes reconciliation is not found. It is a process that is often complicated. Yet, in the beginning, middle, and end it is about God. It is about God and it is about the understanding that God is present right here and right now. Transformation…
Stewardship at Heart: Children
In today’s post, my friend and colleague Justin Lind-Ayers shares a story connecting stewardship and parenthood. He expands on the episode, as well as other parenting adventures, in his new book, Is That Poop on My Arm?: Parenting While Christian. Justin would be bashful for me to say it, but his book would sure make…
From Objectification to Embodied Stewardship
Not many have a personal stewardship journey quite as juxtaposed as our writer this week, Sarah Renfro. In today’s column she describes her journey from professional model to pastor, and where stewardship played a role. In the end, Sarah argues for an embodied stewardship that we all would do well to embrace. Yours truly, Adam…
Stewarding Calls
The newsletter kicks off the new year with a series of articles contemplating the leadership required for today’s church and world. Today, my friend and colleague at Luther Seminary, Terri Elton, introduces the series. From its very beginning, the church has struggled with what posture of leadership most faithfully serves God and also helps organize…
The Index Card: Personal Finance for Generous Living
I’m not sure what they teach in other countries, but I managed to get through more than twenty years of school without developing any substantive understanding of personal finance. Given my work in financial stewardship, I’m also certain that my experience is far from unusual. I’m not so sure churches should necessarily become hubs of…
Anxious Stewardship
As fall stewardship season gets close, many church leaders approach the conversation about money, budgets, and mission with anxiety. This emotion is a reality we must face, certainly, but an unfortunate one. In today’s post, Heather Wood Davis connects this anxiety with broader cultural realities. How can our congregations shift our stewardship ministry so the…
Stewardship of the Body
I recently attended a large worship conference hosted by a mainline denomination. The liturgy and music was creative, though also on the “traditional” side of the worship spectrum. On the final night of the conference, we sang the hymn, “How Great Thou Art” with 800+ other worshippers. My seat was in the back, so I…
The Gift of Mind
Our series exploring the new book, Beyond the Offering Plate: A Holistic Approach to Stewardship continues this week with the stewardship of mind. I don’t know about you, but I don’t usually think of my mind as something to steward. But our writer, Neal Presa, makes a compelling case that for Christians, stewarding our mind…
Can the Church Steward Work?
Just like the word “stewardship,” “vocation” is one of those words we often throw around the church without stopping to consider its implications. Sure, our work can be holy, but what does that mean for those in positions the church mostly ignores? Plus, what if my work doesn’t seem Christian at all? This week, as…
Stewardship of Time
Our newsletter series on my new book, Beyond the Offering Plate: A Holistic Approach to Stewardship, launches today. First up is writer and pastor, MaryAnn McKibben Dana on the topic, “Stewardship of Time.” In our culture of busyness and endless to-do lists, what does a Christian approach to stewarding time look like? MaryAnn suggests a…
