Rev. Laura Stephens-Reed One of the primary laments I hear from pastors and laity in this pre-post-pandemic time is that many former stalwarts have not yet returned to church. Maybe these folks continue to be Covid-cautious. (After all, most of us have someone we love who is medically fragile. We might even be that immuno-compromised … Continue reading
In many churches, this is the time of year when annual reviews of staff take place. For some pastors, these conversations are the only times they hear what is and isn’t working from their congregants’ point of view. That makes reviews somewhat nerve-wracking for clergy. They wonder: What surprises await me when that conference room … Continue reading
Rev. Laura Stephens-Reed Recently I published an article on the CBFblog about the biggest challenges for ministers right now. That data was pulled from a survey I distributed in late August. There was a lot of food for thought in the numbers. But the news is not all sobering! There were many aspects of ministry … Continue reading
By Rev. Laura Stephens-Reed In my coaching, I often hear themes across clergy about what is hard and what is delightful about their work. But in late August, I decided I wanted something more than anecdotal information about this season in ministry. I sent out a three-question, anonymous survey to my newsletter lists and posted … Continue reading
By Rev. Laura Stephens-Reed Recently my family moved from one town to another, which meant my son changed schools. A couple of weeks into the semester, the school hosted a Back-to-School Bash on a Friday night. What a great idea! The students would have an opportunity simply to have fun together without the constraints of … Continue reading
By Laura Stephens-Reed It is no secret that many churches, once pushing the fire marshal’s maximum occupancy to its limits, are now in numerical decline. I have my pick of statistics that I could cite, but here’s a particularly poignant visual from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research: The pews are no more than 38 … Continue reading
By Laura Stephens-Reed Thinking in general, I do not like the application of business mindsets to ministry. The Church, after all, is not out to make money for those who have invested in it. It’s not even about the number of people in the pews. Instead, the Church’s function is to grow disciples and to … Continue reading
By Rev. Laura Stephens-Reed Many pastors are taught in seminary that a church should never hire one of its members to serve on staff, for reasons explained below. That said, ministers might enter a new-to-them context where a member is already in the role of Administrative Assistant or Director of Christian Education. And there might … Continue reading
By Laura Stephens-Reed I have heard it many times in congregations experiencing stagnation or decline: If we could just bring in more young families… This is an understandable thought. For churches with nurseries that once burst at the seams or with memories of youth choirs that went on tour in the summers, bringing in more … Continue reading
By Laura Stephens-Reed Two years ago the world locked down, seemingly overnight, due to the rapid spread of COVID-19. Many congregations went from having a website and a minimal social media presence, which sometimes included recordings or livestreams of worship, to creating online community wholly through previously utilized and new-to-them media. Churches pivoted again and … Continue reading