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
Serving as the senior pastor of several different churches, along with a few associate roles, I have had my fair share of deacons, and congregational leaders question my decisions and leadership. I fondly remember having a chair of the deacons berate me in front of a Fellowship Hall of members on a Wednesday night because … 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 Rev. Laura Stephens Reed Recently, I was talking with a pastor whose congregation has weathered the pandemic as well as any church I know. There have been no significant conflicts. The pastor has felt her people’s grace when she has made mistakes navigating new technology. The congregation has welcomed new worshipers and found innovative … Continue reading
By Laura Stephens-Reed During the pandemic, when church committees could not gather in person and were forced to find other ways to discuss and decide, many of us realized that we had long been attending some meetings that could have been emails. It does not require a two-hour negotiation to choose a Sunday school curriculum, … Continue reading
By Laura Stephens-Reed A few years ago, I was a regular guest preacher at a church in the city where I lived after the minister there had submitted his resignation and as the church awaited the arrival of an interim. On the first of those Sundays, a woman stood up during the announcement time and … 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
May 9, 2022 By Aaron Weaver DECATUR, Ga. — The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship released a video trailer today to preview the forthcoming resource Seeing Through the Eyes of Jesus focused on calling participants back to the central focus of the Christian faith, the Risen and Living Jesus. This new resource for Fall 2022 invites congregations … Continue reading
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