Fall is the time of beginning, with its backpacks still unsmudged, its pages still unwritten, its eraser-heads still pristine. A favorite time of the year, even before the leaves fall so we can scuff through them down the sidewalk. Soon there will be marks of all kinds, on the pages and notebooks … [Read more...] about A Beginning: A Church Transforming
Systems Theory Goes to Church
Today six of the leaders at my church, and I, attended an all-day "Transformation Training" event (sponsored by National Capital Presbytery). I am so impressed with each of the six of them (100% participation!) for their dedication and their gifts for ministry. I'm also impressed with … [Read more...] about Systems Theory Goes to Church
Transformation Messages; Intended & Otherwise
I'm in St. Petersburg, FL attending a "Transforming Congregations" conference. The material is familiar to me since this is the second time I'm leading a church through transformation. Certain learnings are reinforced: Churches need to continually transform so they don't calcify into institutions. … [Read more...] about Transformation Messages; Intended & Otherwise
An Ordinary Sunday
A full house, with folks in the balcony. A visiting family, there in the middle of things. Up front, two children aren't used to worship yet. The organ, played with great energy. The congregation, singing with gusto. One child cries, the other joins in, compassion in action. Savior Like a Shepherd … [Read more...] about An Ordinary Sunday
Being a “Transforming Congregation”
In the late 1990s Poolesville Presbyterian Church was struggling. That was not unusual for the congregation. Begun in 1847, they had struggled for most of their existence. The doors of the church actually closed for the decade of the 1950s, and reopened with only a handful of members served by a … [Read more...] about Being a “Transforming Congregation”