What do pastors of growing churches have in common? Cynthia Woolever finds three commonalities: Age. While pastors of all ages shepherd growing churches, those in their 50s are most likely to do so. Career Path. Statistically first career pastors are more likely to lead a growing church than are second career pastors. Tenure. Pastors with longer tenures are more likely to lead growing churches. So What? Reviewing the profile of pastors of growing churches the most Read More …
Clergy
Future Church – More Egalitarian (#0706)
Church v.2020 - Ten Changes: #2 More Egalitarian – Less Hierarchical When compared with the American church of 2012, the future church (v.2020) will be more egalitarian and less hierarchical. This shift will be fueled by a greater emphasis on the priesthood of all believers, including efforts to help all within the faith community identify and use their gifts in areas of personal interest and passion; use of technology, especially to help those in Read More …
Future Church – More Scalable (#0699)
Church v.2020 - Ten Changes: #9 More Scalable– Less Fixed Costs When compared with the American church of 2012, the future church (v.2020) will be intentionally and strategically more scalable as it progresses toward fewer and fewer fixed costs. This change in philosophy will be evidenced in many ways, including: A willingness to evaluate the annual operating budget, especially human resources, in light of mission and vision. In 2012, many congregations spend in Read More …
Overweight Clergy (#0678)
Recent research shows that most clergy in the United States are overweight. In blog posts on Beyond the Ordinary, Cynthia Woolever (2010) and Joelle Kopacz (2012) share how pastors fare when compared to the population as a whole. Woolever relates how senior or solo pastors fare compared to the population: 77% of American male senior or solo pastors compared to 72% of all American males BMI (Body Mass Index) is high enough to be considered overweight 76% of American female senior Read More …
The Happiest Job (#0569)
Steve Denning's article on Forbes is one of many that report on the ten happiest jobs, based on the recent General Social Survey by the National Organization for Research at the University of Chicago. The top five are #5 - special education teachers #4 - authors #3 - physical therapists #2 - firefighters #1 - clergy So What? The original article in the Christian Science Monitor notes that psychologist, firefighter, and clergy all make the top ten: Since experts say that social Read More …
Review of The Church and New Media (#0481)
Meet the Authors Brandon Vogt is a Catholic layperson who blogs about theology, technology, social justice and books at ThinVeil.net. Vogt contributes the text's introduction and conclusion while relying on authors with varied backgrounds and expertise to contribute the chapters: Father Robert Barron, Jennifer Fulwiler, Marcel LeJeune, Mark P. Shea, Taylor Marshall, Father Dwight Longenecker, Scot Landry, Matt Warner, Lisa M. Hendey, Thomas Peters, Shawn Carney. Additionally, Read More …
The Introverted Ministry Leader (#0441)
Adam S. McHugh, Presbyterian pastor and author of Introverts in the Church: Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture (2009), wrote an article in the Summer 2011 edition of Leadership Journal about introverted leaders that included these words: . . . in more than a decade of Christian leadership I have come to see the significant contributions introverts make to others and have learned effective introverted models of leadership. So we must distinguish between our energy level Read More …
Review of I Knew Jesus Before He Was a Christian . . . (#0439)
Meet the Author Rubel Shelly is the President of Rochester College (Rochester, MI), a school affiliated with a student body of approximately 900. Previously, he served as the Senior Minister of Woodmont Hills (Nashville, TN) from 1978 to 2005. Shelly is the author or co-author of over 30 books including The Jesus Proposal: A Theological Framework for Maintaining the Unity of the Body of Christ (2006 with John O. York), What Would Jesus Do Today (2008 with Read More …
Viral Misattribution (#0352)
On Sunday night, an unusual name appeared on my Twitter stream: Osama bin Laden. Through a number of tweets I learned that the United States military had killed this terrorist and of President Obama's televised address. On Monday morning I found myself paying less attention to social media than I normally do after experiencing several friends who were using uncharacteristically strong language of patriotism and of faith. Later that day, I noticed that a number of friends had posted the Read More …
Should Clergy-Scholars Lead the Church? (#0339)
Donald Miller is the author of several books including A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing my Life (2009) and Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality (2003). To connect with him, read his blog, like him on Facebook, or follow him on Twitter. Earlier this month he posted, "Should the Church be Led by Teachers and Scholars?" In the article he questions the centuries old norm of the church being led by Read More …