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Article Archive
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| Planning for Growth in Your Congregation |
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More important than theological orientation is the religious character of the congregation and the clarity of its mission and purpose. Growing churches are clear about why they exist and about what they are to be doing.
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| DIY Tools for Spiritual Gifts Discernment and Ministry Deployment |
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| United Methodist Leaders Go Back to School |
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As schoolchildren around the country prepared to go back to school, United Methodist Church leaders from across the globe gathered in San Diego, California, for the School of Congregational Development, August 3-8.
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| United Methodist Leaders Learn Strategies for New Church Development |
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(San Diego, Calif., August 7, 2006) -- The primary role of pastoral leadership is to cast the vision, a generational studies expert told church leaders at the School of Congregational Development meeting in San Diego.
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| Does Ministry Fuel Addictive Behavior? (from ChristianityToday.com) |
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Alhough this article consistently refers to pastors with male pronouns, the content of its message can and should be understood to apply to all who exercise pastoral leadership in the church.
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| Strategy 101: Ten Simple Planning Mistakes to Avoid |
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Most strategic planning efforts in local congregations fail, not due to poor work or lack of knowledge or commitment, but due to simple mistakes. Here is a list of the top "don'ts" when planning for your congregation.
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| Your Church's Nine Greatest Legal Risks (From ChristianityToday.com) |
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Churches face an increasingly litigious and regulated environment. Informing yourself about these nine legal risks and implementing risk-management strategies will help safeguard your congregation.
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| Disaster Preparedness and Response for Clergy and Congregations (Alban Weekly, October 3, 2005) |
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| United Methodist Church Lay Employee Retirement Benefits |
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For complete and definitive information on lay employee retirement benefits, contact the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits of The United Methodist Church (GBOPHB). What follows are brief summary statements and responses to frequently asked questions I have received mostly from local church musicians.
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| Record of Faith Journey: Venture In Discovery |
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This resource is designed as a guide for exploring the "Record of Faith Journey form required by the Book of Discipline. This is a new form for the 2005-2008 quadrennium.
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| Racial Ethnic Local Church Concerns Funding Request (2005-2008) Information Booklet and Application Form (pdf) |
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| NEW HIPAA Information: Privacy Laws and Their Application to Publishing Lists of Prayer Requests (pdf) |
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| The Church Is on Fire! |
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What are the marks of a church "on fire"?
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| Church Giving by Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) |
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| FAQs on Membership and Records for the 2005-2008 Quadrennium |
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This document (presented in pdf and Microsoft Word formats) will help pastors and church membership secretaries to find answers to their questions as they navigate the new membership provisions of the 2004 Book of Discipline.
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| The Pastor as Educator |
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Pastors, I encourage you to consider your role as "parson" and to build up the system of discipleship in your congregation by taking seriously the gifts and abilities you bring to the ministry of Christian education and formation.
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| What to Include in a Policy Manual for Congregational Staff |
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A good employee policy manual can be a great aid over time for dealing with employees fairly, and it can protect a church in court if a former employee decides to file a legal complaint.
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| Sample Table of Contents for an Employee Policy Handbook |
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| How to Create a Good Employee Handbook |
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A handbook makes clear what management expects of employees and what employees can expect from management.
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| Equal Access Guide (pdf) for Meetings, Conferences, Large Assemblies, and Worship (from the Committee On Disabilities, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA) |
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| Fifty Characteristics of Disciple-Making Congregations |
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"What are the characteristics or activities of a local United Methodist congregation that is actively and successfully engaged in making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world?"
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| An Act of Farewell to a Pastor |
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| Welcoming the Other |
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Think about life in your congregation at present. What are you doing (or can you do) to welcome "the other"?
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| Making the Most of the Time: Finding and Maintaining Balance |
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Time is a gift, filled with potential. Balancing our work and relationships, our activities and our rest, is an act of Christian stewardship.
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| Listening to Teach, Speaking to Learn |
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A critically important work for leaders in local congregations is to learn to listen. There is healing in listening. There is connection and community in listening. And there is learning in listening.
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| The Power of Questions |
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When asked to name the most critical need in any organization — including the church — one answer regularly given is "good communication," which includes the ability to ask good questions. Insightful, incisive questions can help focus people's thinking and draw them together in transformative dialogue.
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| Leading by Not Doing: A Reflection on Wesley's Instruction to "Do No Harm" |
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Good leadership is commonly defined by the things we do — by our skills and abilities and accomplishments. Rarely do we reflect on what not to do as leaders. Although it is important to engage in good activities, it may be even more important to refrain from bad actions.
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| What to Include in a Policy Manual for Congregational Staff |
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| Where and How Do I Find The United Methodist Cross and Flame Symbol? |
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Article Archive
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