With all the sensitivity that can be mustered, it has to be said on a regular basis that it’s so important for folk who are part of a local church to want to engage visitors and newcomers before and after the service. Spending thirty or forty minutes talking to exactly the same person each week …
Tradition and nostalgia both seek to bring the past to bear on present and future practice. Tradition will do so in a way that encourages a view that looks forward with optimism, thankful for the past. Nostalgia will do so in a way that nurtures a view that looks forward with pessimism, longing to return …
Heard a sermon preached on the occasion of the installation of a new Lutheran pastor here in town. One of the points the preacher made was about pastoral leadership. Law will get results quicker than grace, but those results will not be sustainable. I also think those results, unsustainable as they are, undermine Gospel witness. …
Conflict is part of life and all relationships. Good processes in conflict will facilitate constructive resolutions that build trust and partnership. Leaders particularly need to model good processes as they work through issues of conflict with others and not rely on an authority position to get their way. Leaders especially should ask themselves when they …
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