By Mary C. Frances, Executive Director I recently met a pastor in my new community. In the course of our conversation, we found out that we had some...
Why My Call Led Me to Help the Church Change
read more
Authors
“What are you willing to do anyway?”
By Steve Matthews, FaithX Senior Missional Consultant A few years ago, I was sitting with a group of area clergy after a long day of conference...
Risking It All: A Tale of Two Congregations
By Ken Howard Founder and President In our early days of consulting with congregations and dioceses on issues of congregational vitality and...
Holy Disruption: Why Your Church Needs to Take Risks to Thrive
For decades, the Church has prioritized preservation over mission. We have maintained buildings, protected budgets, and clung to familiar programs. But preservation is not the Gospel call. The Gospel is a call to resurrection—and resurrection requires, to put it bluntly, death. In today’s rapidly shifting cultural landscape, churches that are unwilling to take risks are not playing it safe; they are slowly dying. Conversely, churches that embrace holy disruption are discovering vitality they never imagined possible.
The Risk of Being Who You Really Are
Ugh. Words like “vulnerability” and “risk” make me squeamish. I don’t like heights. I get nervous if I drive too fast or if my bike picks up too much speed on the downhill. I feel green if I over-share, and I’ve never enjoyed therapy. I tend to avoid conflict. (Am I over-sharing?). Even taking into consideration the realities of these resistances, I do indeed know the thrill of going fast, I benefit from therapy, and conflict is sometimes a natural path to something more and better. I may resist vulnerability, but I know the benefits of showing up “real” and sometimes trying on new and perhaps more vulnerable behaviors.
Finding the lost, the broken, the hungry, the prisoner
By Ken Howard, founder and president When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are home,...
When Christmas Work Meets Minneapolis Streets: Thurman’s Call and Our Collective Task
By Mary C. Frances, Executive Director and Senior Consultant The tinsel is packed away, the holiday music has faded, and for many, the rhythmic...
Not-so-Ordinary-Time
By Steve Matthews Senior Missional Consultant In Christian liturgical traditions this is the first week of “Ordinary Time.” Ordinary...
