the Alban Roundtable

Resources and Comments in Response to “Friend, Foe, or Fiasco”

Claudia Greer — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 04:15:48 +0000

The July 27, 2010 Alban Weekly (“Friend, Foe, or Fiasco,” excerpted from Bruce Epperly and Daryl Hollinger’s From a Mustard Seed: Enlivening Worship and Music in the Small Church) stresses the importance of strong partnerships between pastors and music leaders, particularly in small churches. Such partnerships are fostered, say Epperly and Hollinger, by good communication; understanding strengths, weaknesses, and personality types; respecting each other’s roles in ministry; and a commitment to spiritual formation on the part of both pastors and church musicians.

Epperly and Hollinger conclude that “Creative worship calls us to be bold in creating healthy relationships between the pastor and church musician that are loving, supportive, full of open communication, and grounded in spirituality.”

If you have not yet read the article, please do so now.

What resources can support creative worship and the relationships that nurture it? In addition to the many items listed at the end of the article, we hope you’ll also take a look at the “Music” section of the Congregational Resource Guide. You might find Don Saliers’s Music and Theology especially helpful.

What are your stories and thoughts on this topic? And what resources do you suggest? We look forward to hearing from you!

Resources and Comments in Response to “Evangelism and the Under-Thirty Crowd”

Claudia Greer — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 04:15:43 +0000

The July 19, 2010 issue of Alban Weekly (“Evangelism and the Under-Thirty Crowd“) is adapted from the article, “Resurrected Lives,” published in the Spring 2010 issue of Congregations magazine.

The article discusses the role of Christian evangelism with young adults and the ways that congregations might respond more fully to both the spiritual questions of young adults and the gifts that young adults can offer. The author specifically addresses “relational evangelism,” which aims at “pointing out the ways that God is already active, transforming lives, and connecting us to each other.” If you have not already read “Evangelism and the Under-Thirty Crowd,” please do so now.

What resources can support relational evangelism? In addition to the items listed at the end of the article, you might also check out Unbinding the Gospel by Martha Grace Reese, as well as Reclaiming the Great Commission by Claude Payne and Hamilton Beazley.

What are your stories and ideas on this topic? And what resources do you suggest? After you read the article, we look forward to hearing from you!

Resources and Comments in Response to “Why Do We Worship the Way We Have Always Worshiped When People Keep Changing?”

Claudia Greer — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 04:15:50 +0000

In the July 12 issue of Alban Weekly (“Why Do We Worship the Way We Have Always Worshiped When People Keep Changing?“), Graham Standish asserts that forms of worship need to be adapted to the trends that emerge with each new generation. Forms that were vital thirty or forty years ago fail as time passes because congregations forget to “keep the focus of worship on the encounter with the Holy.” Maintaining the status quo begins to take precedence over enabling people to “gain a sense of the Creator’s purpose in their lives, Christ’s presence in worship, and the Spirit’s power working through them.”

What is the alternative? Becoming intentional about adapting worship to the spiritual realities of people’s lives. The core question, says Standish, is this: “Do people encounter the Holy in our worship services?”

What resources might help you and your congregation move toward an adaptive, spiritual approach to worship? In addition to the items listed at the bottom of the article (particularly Standish’s books, In God’s Presence and Becoming a Blessed Church), the items featured in the “Worship” and “Spirituality” sections of the Congregational Resource Guide may prove helpful. You might especially consider Beyond the Worship Wars, and Making Liturgy.

What are your stories and ideas concerning this topic? And what resources do you suggest? We look forward to hearing from you!

Resources and Comments in Response to “Funding for Today and Tomorrow”

Claudia Greer — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 04:15:51 +0000

In the July 7, 2010 issue of Alban Weekly (“Funding for Today and Tomorrow“) Dan Hotchkiss points out that many congregations want to believe they serve those beyond their walls, but expect budget outlays to focus on the desires and needs of their members. He compares the congregation with other nonprofits as he explains that both kinds of institutions require plans for “primary customers” (people whose lives will change through interacting with the organization) and “secondary customers” (people whose contributions and support are needed for success).

The article discusses several ways to approach these plans. (If you have not read the full article yet, please do so now.) One approach is to “teach stewardship to members, who eventually understand that the congregation does not exist for them alone but has a precious gift to give to others through their gifts of time and treasure.”

What resources can support teaching stewardship in your congregation? In addition to the resources listed at the end of the article, we suggest you check out the “Stewardship” sections in both the “Administration” and “Spirituality” categories of the Congregational Resource Guide. You might especially find Generous Saints: Congregations Rethinking Ethics and Money helpful.

What are your stories and thoughts on this topic? And what resources have you found helpful? We look forward to hearing from you!

Resources and Comments in Response to “Why Blog?”

Claudia Greer — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 04:15:58 +0000

Lynne Baab, author of Reaching Out in a Networked World (from which “Why Blog” was excerpted for the June 28, 2010 Alban Weekly), argues that blogs can be wonderful communication vehicles for congregations. They can function as newsletters, as stories and testimonies, and as building blocks for communicating “a piece of what the congregation considers to be valuable and essential for faith.”

In addition to pastoral blogs, there can be congregational blogs which are produced by a team. However they are produced, and whoever produces them, they should be conversational and personal in tone.

What resources would help congregations considering blogging? In addition to the items listed at the end of the article, we suggest you take a look at “The Networked Congregation,” a web resource developed by Andrea Useem for the Congregational Resource Guide.

What are your thoughts and stories about blogging? And what resources do you suggest? We look forward to hearing from you!

Resources and Comments in Response to “The Vision to Embrace Change”

Claudia Greer — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 04:15:27 +0000

“The Vision to Embrace Change” (the June 21, 2010 Alban Weekly article adapted from Kenneth McFayden’s Strategic Leadership for a Change: Facing Our Losses, Finding Our Future) highlights several components of effective visioning processes. Each component, believes McFayden, needs to be utilized as congregations embrace change and move into a transformational future.

The first of these components is honoring the past and discovering vision “in existing values and stories.” This component aims to identify core values that reside in the congregation’s history and form its current identity. The second of these components is focusing on the future and discovering vision in emerging values and stories. And a third component is discerning, through studying Scripture and in other ways, how God is calling the congregation to faithful service.

What resources might support you and your congregation as you engage in each of these components in your visioning process. Some valuable resources are listed at the end of the article. In addition, we invite you to consider the “Change” and “Mission and Vision” sections of the Congregational Resource Guide. You might especially enjoy the latest edition of Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change as well as The Dance of Change.

What are your stories and thoughts on this topic? And what resources do you suggest? We look forward to hearing from you!

Resources and Comments in Response to “The POWR of Planning Worship”

Claudia Greer — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 04:15:11 +0000

In the June 14, 2010 issue of Alban Weekly (“The POWR of Planning Worship“), Barbara Day Miller examines the processes that can lead to truly life-giving worship. These processes, which Miller explores more fully in Encounters with the Holy: A Conversational Model for Worship Planning, involve holding in tension two divergent but important movements in worship preparation: the imaginative, free-form, and circular movement by which ideas are generated; and the structured, orderly, and linear movement by which ideas are arranged.

She calls the first movement “planning” and the second “ordering.” The first letters of these two words form the beginning of the acronym, “POWR.” After Planning and Ordering comes Worship itself, in which all of the liturgical elements are played out. What follows Worship is Reflection, when the worship planning team gathers to “pray and to reflect on what happened in the community’s gathering before God.”

Resources for helping you and your congregation’s worship planning team to become more POWR-ful are listed at the end of the article. We also invite you to consider the resources in the Worship and Liturgy sections of the Congregational Resource Guide. You might especially enjoy Gail Ramshaw’s Reviving Sacred Speech and Cheryl Kirk-Duggan’s The Undivided Soul.

What are your thoughts and stories on this topic? And what resources do you suggest? We look forward to hearing from you!

Resources and Comments in Response to “Rev. Mackay’s Dilemmas”

Claudia Greer — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 04:15:47 +0000

The June 7, 2010 issue of Alban Weekly (“Rev. Mackay’s Dilemmas“) demonstrates what can go wrong when sensitive information is not handled in a responsible way. Using the example of a small-town pastor, the authors explain why key questions need to be asked when determining what to do about potentially harmful secrets.

Kibbie Simmons Ruth and Karen McClintock, authors of Healthy Disclosure: Solving Communication Quandaries in Congregations, outline a four-step process for leaders who may find themselves facing dilemmas such as Rev. Mackay’s: (1) assess the specific situation; (2) consider the options and determine a plan; (3) take action; and (4) evaluate the results. Taking these steps consciously and intentionally can help to ward off the anxiety that would otherwise drive hasty or irresponsible decisions.

For more insights on responsible and authentic communication in congregations, we suggest you check out an earlier Alban Weekly article by the same authors, “Speaking the Truth in Love.” We also suggest that you consider the excellent resources listed at the end of today’s article, as well as When a Congregation is Betrayed and How Your Church Family Works: Understanding Congregations as Emotional Systems.

What are your experiences with, and thoughts about, this topic? And what resources do you suggest? We look forward to hearing from you!

Resources and Comments in Response to “Visions of the Sacred Community”

Claudia Greer — Mon, 31 May 2010 04:15:29 +0000

In the May 31, 2010 issue of Alban Weekly (“Visions of the Sacred Community“), the authors clearly delineate the differences between a consumer-driven functional congregational community and a truly visionary community. While purely functional communities are marked by consumerism, segmentation, passivity, meaninglessness, resistance to change, and nonreflective leadership (which are explained in the article), truly visionary communities are characterized by sacred purpose, a holistic ethos, participatory culture, meaningful engagement, innovation disposition, and reflective leadership.

The authors discuss each characteristic in detail. At the same time, however, they emphasize that “no congregation performs perfectly as a visionary congregation in all aspects.” Rather, a visionary congregation will favor sacredness over consumerism, holism over segmentation, participation over passivity, meaningful engagement over rote interactions, and reflective over nonreflective leadership.

What resources might help your congregation to move into a more visionary ethos? In addition to the items listed at the end of the article, we invite you to consider the items in the “Mission and Vision” and “Congregational Renewal” sections of the Congregational Resource Guide. You might find From Nomads to Pilgrims, Be Not Afraid!, and The Answer to How Is Yes especially helpful.

What are your stories and thoughts on this topic? And what resources do you suggest? We look forward to hearing from you!

Resources and Comments in Response to “Congregational Management: A Holy Calling”

Claudia Greer — Mon, 24 May 2010 04:15:56 +0000

In the May 24, 2010 Alban Weekly (“Congregational Management: A Holy Calling“), John Wimberly makes some significant points about the value and importance of sound management in congregations. Managers need to think systemically, valuing each part of the system and keeping all parts properly aligned as well as running smoothly. They need to limit risks as they focus on implementing strategic plans, coordinating people, and offering short-term steps to attaining long-term objectives. Most of all, says Wimberly, managers need to remember that they are following a “holy calling. Good managers help God and God’s people do God’s work.”

What resources might empower managers to realize and act upon their holy callings? Some excellent items are listed at the end of the article. But you might also check out the resources in the “Administration” section of the Congregational Resource Guide. You might find Faith-Based Management and Getting Things Done especially helpful.

What are your experiences and thoughts regarding this topic? And what resources do you suggest? We look forward to hearing from you!