Category: Spiritual Formation

Posted in Church Decline, Church Growth & Vitality, Leadership Development, Spiritual Formation, Volunteers Tagged with

12 min 10 s

Rev. Jeff MacDonald

  • Characteristics of churches that thrive after moving to a part-time pastor;
  • Highlights of how lay ministries benefit the congregation;
  • Creating platforms for laypeople to share experiences of meaningful engagement;
  • Barriers hindering lay people from using their gifts; Suggestions for how the pastor can help lay people to overcome barriers to using their gifts in ministry;
Listen or Read Now!
Posted in Church Decline, Church Growth & Vitality, Leadership Development, Spiritual Formation, Volunteers Tagged with

14 min 10 s

Rev. Jeff MacDonald

  • Being intentional rather than reactionary in the move to a part-time pastorate;
  • Questions to help the laity get clear about their roles in the move to a part-time  pastorate;
  • Key questions to ask yourself to understand how your pastorate is structured now;
  • Formal vs. unspoken expectations and their consequences;
  • Allowing the laity to do what they’ve long been authorized to do but don’t realize it;
  • Helping the laity to see that there’s actually very little that is doable only by the pastor;
  • Seeing the pastor as a strategic resource to advance the mission of the congregation;
  • Why being clear about the congregation’s mission is so essential to a successful part-time pastorate;
Listen or Read Now!
Posted in Church Decline, Church Growth & Vitality, Governance, Leadership Development, Managing Expectations, Mission and Vision, Spiritual Formation, Volunteers Tagged with

14 min 30 s

Rev. Jeff MacDonald

  • How the pastor can overcome resistance by the laity;
  • How can a pastor help a congregation move beyond the resistance that just comes up when, when change is in the air;
  • Being intentional rather than reactionary in the move to a part-time pastorate;
  • Questions to help the laity get clear about their roles in the move to a part-time  pastorate;
  • Key questions to ask yourself to understand how your pastorate is structured now;
  • Formal vs. unspoken expectations and their consequences;
  • Allowing the laity to do what they’ve long been authorized to do but don’t realize it;
  • Helping the laity to see that there’s actually very little that is doable only by the pastor;
  • Seeing the pastor as a strategic resource to advance the mission of the congregation;
  • Why being clear about the congregation’s mission is so essential to a successful part-time

Listen or Read Now!
Posted in Church Growth & Vitality, Entering and Engaging the Congregation, Faith Formation, Is Interim Ministry for Me?, Mission and Vision, Preaching, Spiritual Formation, Worship Tagged with

11 min 26 s

Rev. Holly MillerShank

  • Prayerful and playful!
  • What to do if a playful style doesn’t come naturally to you?
  • How a posture of giving permission can unlock new possibilities for a congregation;
  • Tips for getting out of our heads and into our hearts in our role as interim minister;
Listen or Read Now!
Posted in Boundaries, Church Decline, Church Growth & Vitality, Entering and Engaging the Congregation, External Relations, Faith Formation, Mission and Vision, Spiritual Formation Tagged with

19 min 18 s

Rev. Dawn Adams

From a 20-hour/week pastorate to a 30-hour/week one and more – how we’re doing it

Boundaries: balancing clergy self-care with the practical realities of renewal;

Success metrics, and a rhythm of communication about critical topics…

A practical step-by-step story revealing what did work and what didn’t (and why);

Instilling a spirit of experimentation into a congregation;

Helping the small congregation know that there is a larger congregation that exists that may never ever sit in a pew in our building;

Listen or Read Now!