By Elaine May, CRCNA Women’s Leadership Developer Deuteronomy 34: 1-12 “Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the Lord showed him the whole land… Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I … Read More
We Need a Team
Photo: Unsplash In this series of 4 devotions, Liz shares lessons from her journey as a visionary leader called to create a Spirit-led movement that encourages, equips, and empowers women of all backgrounds to live into their God-given gifts and callings, and helps faith communities create healthy ministry environments where sisters and brothers can serve together, freely and fully. When … Read More
Rescuing the Gospel from The Cowboys 2
John Fowler, “Navajo Code Talker Memorial.” Copyright 2014, John Fowler. Licensed under Creative Commons. No changes made. Navajo Code Talkers were essential to the allied victory in the Pacific. They created an unbreakable code making communications possible while keeping operational plans secret. The Japanese were never able to penetrate the code. The Marine Corps leadership selected 29 Navajo men, the … Read More
A Sabbatical for your Church
Photo: Unsplash A few years ago, Evergreen Ministries, the congregation I was pastoring, gave me a sabbatical. Over the summer, I enjoyed rest, reflection, and study. The reflection and study led to an in-depth study called “Kingdom Dreams: Building an Alternative Kingdom Community.” The sabbatical of that summer continues to shape and mold my work more than three years later. … Read More
Sign Me Up To Lose More
Congregations long to get back to February 2020, but a recent Gallup poll (U.S. Congregations) shows that 2020 is the end of a significant 20-year decline in church membership. To go back is to go back to the ways of decrease. Gallup’s latest study on membership in the U.S. reveals that for the first time in 80 years, less than … Read More
Envisioning Life Together: A Simple Tool Part 2
What does life together look like in your congregation? Can members describe it? In Part 2 of Creating a Life Together picture, we discover a pathway to a deeper understanding of the picture. If you ask a member of the congregation for a picture of living life together, could they describe the picture? Would they envision that life together in … Read More
Envisioning Life Together: A Simple Tool for your Congregation
If you ask a member of the congregation for a picture of living life together, could they describe the picture? Would they envision that life together in a way that is compelling and appealing? There is so much information bombarding people that it’s hard for them to grasp what our congregations are about and what it looks like to do … Read More
Three Podcasts to Make you Into a Masterpiece
Paul writes stunning words in Ephesians, For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2.10 NLT) Being a masterpiece created by God is amazing. What is even more impressive is that we are not, first of all, individual masterpieces, but together … Read More
A Step of Discernment – Defining Reality Part Five
We’ve been spending time looking at defining reality in our boards (consistory/council). We’ve looked at the culture that shapes our board and at the kind of people who are typically nominated and elected to our council. Many of us will see a need at this point to take some steps forward—especially if we are to fully live into both the … Read More
A Step of Discernment – Defining Reality Part Four
Charles Olson’s book Transforming Church Boards into Communities of Spiritual Leaders has formed the foundation for this series of blogs. Before we go to the next part of defining reality, it is helpful to get an overview of his book. Charles Olson points out that the two most common complaints by those serving on church councils are: Our board (council/consistory) … Read More
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