| | | | | | | | | | | | PRACTICAL WISDOM FOR LEADING CONGREGATIONS |
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| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | On a humid Thursday evening in September, the Rev. Cynthia Kepler-Karrer, the pastor of Memorial United Methodist Church in Austin, Texas, looked at the lump of beige dough in her hand and laughed. What was supposed to become a delicious babka -- flavored with her special ingredient, almond paste -- was now useless.
Kepler-Karrer had become so engaged in a conversation that she accidentally poured several tablespoons of salt -- instead of sugar -- into her mixing bowl.
"You can't use it?" asked a visitor to Bread Church, Memorial's monthly gathering where participants bake bread and discuss the spiritual metaphors that arise naturally from the process -- topics like leaven, new life and transformation.
The 45-year-old pastor shook her head and explained that she'd killed the bread's ability to rise.
"The Gospel says, 'Have salt in you,'" she joked later. "I think Jesus forgot to say, 'And not too much.'"
The failed babka didn't faze Kepler-Karrer, who wore a silver cross and practically bounced with enthusiasm when she talked.
That night felt victorious. She watched connections form around the stainless steel tables in the church's industrial-size kitchen. Longtime church members mixed ingredients and kneaded dough alongside unaffiliated millennials searching for community, a pair of elderly women who came just to socialize and an associate pastor from Austin's downtown United Methodist church seeking inspiration.
Bread Church is one of many outreach programs Kepler-Karrer has launched since arriving at Memorial five years ago, one of many small victories for a congregation with an all-too-familiar story. After years of decline, Memorial has the hallmarks of many mainline Protestant churches today -- low attendance, financial struggles, an aging congregation and worries about long-term survival.
But Kepler-Karrer and church members are too busy to plan their funeral. They are baking bread with neighbors, coordinating ESL classes for immigrant parents and inviting an assortment of community groups -- from the Austin Ukulele Society to Meals on Wheels -- into their space.
Read more about Memorial United Methodist Church »
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| IDEAS THAT IMPACT: GROWTH & RENEWAL
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In order for churches to be provocative and compelling spaces for young people to encounter God, it is not enough to repackage traditional programs, writes a PCUSA pastor. But how do churches come up with ideas?
Read more from Mihee Kim-Kort » |
After visiting multiple churches, a potential congregant found the secret of how to choose her new church home: a congregation made her feel welcome.
Read more from Cherry Crayton »
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A church learns that when it stops asking about a community's needs and begins asking about its gifts, people learn that what we need is already here.
Read more from Gretchen Ziegenhals »
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| | UPCOMING ONLINE COURSE: SOURCING INNOVATION |
Chances are good that your institution needs to change in some way if it's to thrive (or even survive). You know it. You embrace the idea. But you don't know what to do, or even where to begin.
Join visual anthropologist and filmmaker Marlon Hall and a community of other Christian leaders for this five-week online course as we move step-by-step through the process of learning from a community, which is the foundational step to engage in innovative ministry.
Sourcing Innovation will provide you with the skills to lead innovation to improve the common life. You will learn to examine your community to determine:Where you want to engage;With whom you want to engage;How to develop meaningful partnerships with those people; andWhat to do with what you learn. Learn more and register »
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Communication in the Church: A Handbook for Healthier Relationships by Thomas G. Kirkpatrick
Communication is integral to the mission of the church, but it can go awry in myriad ways, both obvious and subtle. Communication in the Church helps congregations create healthier ways for their members to relate to one another for greater personal and congregational success. The book offers practical guidelines to help readers become more effective in how they build relationships, lead meetings, experience trust, practice forgiveness, use power, and bridge cultures.
Communication in the Church distills the latest social science research for readers including clergy, lay leaders, continuing education planners, students, scholars, and others. Each chapter includes real-life scenarios, sensible guidelines, practical applications, and suggestions for further learning. This book aims to help readers communicate more effectively-from leading more engaging and productive meetings to preventing or addressing communication breakdowns.
Learn more and order the book » |
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