I met Dr. Scott Thumma years ago, at a Future of the Church gathering when I served on the executive leadership team at Group Publishing. He was then, and still is today, professor of sociology of religion at Connecticut’s Hartford International University, and co-director of the Hartford Institute for Religion
Early in her career, sociologist and author Brene Brown was on a mission to deconstruct the “secret sauce” of connectivity. “By the time you’re a social worker for 10 years,” she says, “what you realize is that connection is why we’re here. It’s what gives purpose and meaning to our
Parents, even in ever-decreasing numbers, are the lifeblood of the church. Their children help us keep our standard programs running yet one more year. And they represent our primary volunteer pool for so many church activities. A church without an “inlet” of new families is, by definition, stagnating. So, on
Over the last two decades writers have churned out millions of words, maybe billions of words, mapping the sobering decline of the church in America. I’m certainly responsible for tens of thousands of those words, first as editor of GROUP Magazine for more than 30 years, and now as blogger-in-chief
Antwuan Malone is a young-adult pastor and the founder and Executive Director of ELEVATE.YA. In an insightful piece posted on the ministry news service Faith On View, Malone explores the underlying reasons young adults have abandoned the church, and offers insightful onramps for reaching them, then inviting them back into
The diminishing ministry skill that is most threatened in church culture is, simply, listening… I just named it a simple skill, but that doesn’t mean the effective, transformational practice of listening is what people generally think it is. Transformational listening is not a passive pursuit, like a catcher waiting for
A long time ago, I decided to live my life with Jesus by jumping into mud puddles instead of over them. A mud puddle, in my own strange vernacular, is anything Jesus said or did that we typically ignore, avoid, struggle to understand, or forget. The story of the Canaanite
My friend and longtime pastor Tom Melton once shared with me a sweet memory from his early parenting. As a young father he carried his toddler son into a swimming pool for the first time. As the water crept up around them, his son clung to him more desperately. And
I know… it’s a provocative title for this piece. Let me explain… Years ago I gave my wife, Bev, an eyebrow-raising birthday gift. I secretly paid the registration fee for something our health club calls “Booty Camp,” then surprised her with it. Booty Camp is a female-only, military-style morning workout
In his famous TED talk, author and former ad man Simon Sinek argues that the genius of successful companies is that they start with why. Unlike most of us, who try to win a hearing by explaining what our organization does, world-class innovators like Steve Jobs start with the purpose
Summer moves at a different pace in our church communities. Some ministries are on hiatus and others are in maintenance mode. And while we may not intend to do so, this may include our hospitality ministries. As we look ahead to the fall, now is the time to consider what
I’ve heard a crazy rumor for years… Legend has it that church ministry slows down to a sabbath-y pace in the summer. My husband and I have been part of a handful of churches, in both volunteer and paid-staff roles. In all that time, we’ve experienced the alleged slow-down with just
I’m walking closely alongside two sets of parents who are raising young children in this world. I’m constantly struck by how different the shape of their lives is from what mine was when I was in that season of life. First of all, I’m just amazed by how much equipment
Last month I had lunch with a ministry leader—I get to see her in-person only a couple of times a year, so it was so good catching up. We lost track of time; for almost four hours we talked about life, ministry, faith, and everything in-between. We were well into
Last weekend I was driving around town ticking off my to-do list and listening to an episode of This American Life, the much-acclaimed public-radio storytelling show hosted by Ira Glass. I catch the show mid-stream as Boen Wang, a 20-something Asian-American man describes the impact of his early life growing
Summer is the sound of crackling campfire, the smell of a fresh-cut lawn, the taste of fresh watermelon, and the feel of a frisbee caught in a park—all under a sunny blue sky. It’s the perfect time for families to go all-in on engaging each other, and the perfect time
Think of a cultural environment very familiar to you that is not your home—your church, workplace, health club, volunteer organization, or social group. Now consider these questions: What are the values of that culture? What are the priorities? What do you like and not like about it? In what ways
On a shelf filled with memorabilia was a box labeled “photos.” The box sat collecting dust for years, untouched until the death of my sister, Kim. We opened it to fill a memory board for the funeral, and to use some photos for the memorial slide show. So many questions
The old saying goes: “The church is always one generation away from extinction.” Typically, we use that sort of “fear leverage” to double-down on attractional ministries for children and youth. I’ve heard ministry leaders use the “one generation” mantra to argue for the importance of church/parachurch-based ministries. But I’ve never
I know, “program-ification” is not a real word. One of our Vibrant Faith Coaches, the Rev. Erik Samuelson, made that up. On our team, we all like it. And we know that you know what we mean when we say it. We’re curious—has Christian faith formation been mixed up with
When we gather with other ministry leaders, the conversations inevitably gravitate toward a common complaint—we disapprove of the way most parents allocate their time as a family. We’re frustrated by what parents prioritize over attendance at church or church programing. With our 4th-Soil Parenting Project, Vibrant Faith is helping
(EDITOR’S NOTE: At Vibrant Faith we’ve partnered with our team of ministry leadership coaches to name the obstacles and challenges the church has put in the way of a FAMILYING approach to the formation of faith. Check out a previous blog that sets the stage for this conversation with Obstacle
Ministry leaders generally agree that parents matter most for the formation of faith in their children, but nevertheless have multiple long-standing objections to this notion. These objections most often show up in the way leaders resist shifting their faith-forming paradigm from the church to the home. And, unconsciously, these objections
It’s maybe the oldest “shop talk” topic in ministry—Why can’t or won’t parents take responsibility for forming faith in their children? And, always threaded into this conversation, our common conclusion—This is why church and parachurch ministry leaders simply have to step in and teach the next generation of children and
In the last couple of weeks, I’ve heard an important truism more than once, so maybe that’s a nudge to sit up and pay attention… We have to name the truth about our obstacles before we can overcome them. Naming the truth about our lives is just as important for
As we begin the process of accompanying churches as they focus on and nurture the faith lives of parents through our 4th Soil Parenting Project funded by The Lilly Endowment, we will be reflecting here on our discoveries and challenges and hoping we can share those with you even as they
There’s no question that our post-pandemic church life is different… We have shifted yet again, and not toward consistent church attendance or support of faith-formation programs for children. While we need to take a deep dive into our current cultural reality, the research work fueling our Thriving Congregations grant
Recently, I was coaching a pastor, and he made an interesting discovery. He wondered what it would look like if his spiritual journey was more closely connected to his leadership practices. His curiosity intrigued me—maybe I’ve assumed this merger happens naturally (and I’m sure it does, sometimes). However, this pastor
Every day brings a new reminder that—on both a macro and micro scale—we human beings have a very hard time getting along. Tension leads to division leads to a rupture in relationship… And that leads to harm, violence, and even war. Our natural ecosystem breeds relational weeds. And that’s why
We all know that reinventing how we do things is essential for keeping up in today’s ever-changing ministry environment. We’re always finding ways to adapt and innovate. But beyond the obvious reasons for continuous improvement, reinvention invites us into a deeper spiritual practice… At its core, reinventing ourselves requires an
In our Vibrant Faith coaching relationships with congregations, we often tell ministry leaders: “If you want to change your congregation, change what you talk about.” Our conversations must be aligned with our mission. Therefore, if we want to help our congregation live into its mission, then we have to make
Just a ballpark guess, but let’s say 95% of people hate conflict and will actively avoid it if they can. Of the remaining 5%, some relish conflict because they have bullying tendencies. And the tiny percentage that remains actually have a healthy, inspiring, and impactful relationship with conflict. They see
By Jim LaDouxDirector of Coaching & Coaching School “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” –Matthew 11:28 ESV The Sabbath moments of the soul are those brief glimpses we all have of unexpected wonder and unlooked-for surprise—the feeling of being ambushed by beauty. In
In the last couple of weeks, I’ve heard an important truism more than once, so maybe that’s a nudge to sit up and pay attention… We have to name the truth about our obstacles before we can overcome them. Naming the truth about our lives is just as important for
We already know, and have known for a long time, that “status quo” is never the goal of growing organizations or thriving faith communities. Stagnation is just the first stage in the death process. And yet, we can’t seem to quit the lure of entropy. Moving beyond the status quo
I live in the upper Midwest, and like many parts of the nation, smoke from Canadian wildfires has infiltrated our sky. It can turn the best day into a gray-sky day… Likewise, for the past three years since the pandemic, we’re living in a cultural gray-zone. I’m sure you, like
