 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | | | PRACTICAL WISDOM FOR LEADING CONGREGATIONS |
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My first pastoral planning process went completely off the rails. I was 27, working with the teenage children of immigrant industrial farm workers, mostly of Mexican descent and members of our church. The "jóvenes"were happy to talk about issues they cared about and have a safe space to hang out. After more than a year of home visits and Tuesday night meetings in the kitchen of the church, I began to notice some talent emerging -- song leading, recruiting, welcoming others. At the same time, I was studying Hispanic/Latino theology and ministry, impelled by the formative grassroots pastoral planning experiences of the II Encuentro Nacional Hispano de Pastoral. I longed to replicate even a taste of this empowering exercise of voice and group discernment with these young people. It was ambitious to think I could pull off a day of planning with the emerging youth leaders, along with an interested parent couple and our generally supportive associate pastor, but I was willing to try. When one of the crew-leader parents offered to host and cook for the nine of us, the day seemed to fall into place. About halfway into the planning day, not long after the young people, who had been divided into smaller groups, presented their ideas, the associate pastor suddenly lifted his 6-foot frame out of his chair and declared: "That's it. This isn't going to work. This has been a waste of time. I think we should all go home." My jaw dropped. The parents and teens exchanged glances with me and with each other, then began to pack up. |
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It's easy to see how teaching, scholarship, preaching, counseling and other activities are the work of ministry. But it may be harder to understand how being an administrator in a Christian institution is also the work of the gospel, says Donald Senior, president emeritus of Catholic Theological Union and the author of a book on the subject.
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| | HELP US KNOW MORE ABOUT HOW COVID-19 IS IMPACTING YOUR CONGREGATION |
Since 2002, Lake Institute on Faith & Giving has sought to foster a deeper understanding of the dynamic relationship between faith and giving, through research, education, and public conversation. In 2018, through funding from the Lilly Endowment, Inc., Lake Institute conducted the National Study of Congregations' Economic Practices (NSCEP), the most comprehensive, nationally representative study of congregational finances in several decades. We have shared these findings alongside clergy, laity, and denominational leaders in order to continue to understand the trends and best practices for congregations on questions of generosity, budgeting, and finances.
Now, we seek to better understand the unique ways that the COVID-19 crisis is impacting congregations. As congregational leaders, we know how much you care for these topics. We also know how much you have on your plates as leaders during these current difficult days. With those twin concerns, we invite you to participate in a short survey linked below that should take approximately 15 minutes to complete, asking for information about your congregation, its finances, and responses to the COVID-19 crisis.
Your participation is critical in order to help other congregations address these pressing financial questions. Of course, your congregation's information will be protected, and to ensure privacy, nothing will be shared that identifies specific characteristics of your congregation. This focus on faith and giving serves at the heart of our work in our teaching and training as a part of the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. |
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| | FROM THE ARCHIVE: PROBLEM-SOLVING |
| When we stop trying to solve our congregation's problems for them and employ a variety of other tools, the congregation may find a new vitality. |
Defining a problem inevitably changes how we respond to it. A former Alban senior consultant offers strategies for developing a helpful problem statement.
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The changing dynamics of contemporary church life are well-known, but what's less well-known is how leaders can work most effectively in this new context. In Quietly Courageous, esteemed minister and congregational consultant Gil Rendle offers practical guidance to leaders --both lay and ordained -- on leading churches today. Rendle encourages leaders to stop focusing on the past and instead focus relentlessly on their mission and purpose --what is ultimately motivating their work. He also urges a shift in perspectives on resources, discusses models of change, and offers suggestions for avoiding common pitfalls and working creatively today.
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