Redevelopment for the Rest of Us!

Redevelopment for the Rest of Us!

It wasn’t that long ago when the word “redevelopment” was associated with churches in need… maybe even in peril.  Some of these faith communities sought grants to repurpose buildings left vacuous by membership migration and/or declining interest in church...
Church Attendance in Decline: Announcing NMIR 1.3

Church Attendance in Decline: Announcing NMIR 1.3

by Mary Frances, Senior Consultant Recently, Gallup announced that church membership had declined below 50% for the first time in recorded history.  In 2000, 70% of Americans said they belonged to a church, synagogue, or mosque.  And in the brief period of...
Liberating Structures for Ministry

Liberating Structures for Ministry

by Mary Frances A few months ago, I stumbled on a Facebook invitation for something called Liberating Structures for meetings.  It turns out this is a collaborative of folks who think that meetings shouldn’t be boring, they shouldn’t be predictable, and most of...