PRACTICAL WISDOM FOR LEADING CONGREGATIONS

Room for all of us

AN ARMY CHAPLAIN REFLECTS ON THE WAYS MILITARY CHAPLAINCY HOLDS THEOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

Nothing about seminary had prepared me for this. For three years, I had been one of many women studying for a divinity degree at Duke Divinity School. In fact, more than half of my classmates were women, and regardless of gender, almost all the students shared a similar understanding of theology and Scripture, pretty squarely within the bounds of mainline Protestantism.

Imagine my shock when, a few days after graduation, I arrived at Fort Jackson, S.C., for my basic training as an Army chaplain. Of the more than 150 students in my class, most came from religious traditions very different from -- and far more conservative than -- mine. Only four were women.

Any anxiety I felt on my arrival was confirmed hours later when we all boarded a bus to go to an event off the base.

"What are you doing here?" one of the aspiring shepherds asked me. "Women aren't supposed to be chaplains."

Read more from Russ Ferguson Â»

Apply now for a Reflective Leadership Grant

Lay and ordained Christian leaders can receive up to $15,000 to step away from their current work to reflect on accomplishments, broaden perspectives and discern next steps.

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Apply now to join the Reimagining Health Collaborative

The Reimagining Health Collaborative at Duke Divinity School invites churches and Christian communities to explore the deep interconnections of food, health, and Christian faith.

Food connects us to our bodies, to each other, and to the earth. A whole-person, whole-community approach to food is central to Christian faith. At its best, food is a source of connection, health, and celebration. But too often, food is a source of disconnection, inequality, and shame.

What is God's vision for the health of our individual bodies? For the health of the body of the church? For how we eat together? How might we come to understand food - how it's grown, prepared, consumed - differently? How might we reimagine health by reimagining food?

Join us to spend time in thoughtful prayer, discussion, and discernment about how God is calling us to live and eat together in this world and to build new models for engaging food faithfully.

Applications for the 2019 RHC Cohort: Food, Health and the Body are available now!

Learn more and apply by July 15, 2019 Â»

FROM THE ALBAN LIBRARY

The Power of Listening: Building Skills for Mission and Ministry

by Lynne M. Baab

Listening skills, and the perspective gained through careful listening, are more important in congregations than ever.

Many factors make attentive listening a significant contributor to healthy congregations. As we enter into a post-Christendom culture, the people coming into congregations, as well as the people in the wider community, are less likely to be operating from a shared set of assumptions. With world-wide migration reshaping our communities and congregations, diverse perspectives coming from varied cultural backgrounds are also more common. The breakdown of many support structures in society has created profound pastoral care needs, making listening increasingly significant for both ministers and lay leaders. Polarization over so many issues and the increasing emphasis on story-telling in the journey of faith are two additional reasons why listening matters today. Careful and loving listening nurtures care, connection and depth, which contribute to congregational life and health.

Listening to God is another aspect of listening which is gaining increased attention today. Many congregational leaders have become weary of church as a business and are looking for authentic experiences of God's guidance. Congregations are increasingly engaging in communal discernment. Many listening skills used in human interactions are also building blocks for listening to God.

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