Six Months of Dwelling in Acts 16: One congregation’s experience
Read Pastor Phil Ruge-Jones’s insights from guiding a congregation through an in-depth study of Acts 16.
Church Volunteer / Ministry Leader
I’m here to learn how to step into Christian leadership in my congregation and/or community.
What’s Really Causing Church Decline … and What We Can Do About It
How can we renew the church’s identity and help in join God’s work in the 21st century?
Being Good Stewards of Time
Adam Walker Cleaveland on the stewardship of summertime.
The Range of Changes
Stewardship guru Keith Mundy reflects on some shifts he’s seen in recent years and what they mean for our ministry leadership.
Why Jesus?
Share stories of faith and listen deeply to others.
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.
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…
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…