Esther Wojcicki is a popular 78-year-old Media Arts teacher at Palo Alto High School who’s raised three wildly successful daughters—CEO’s of major corporations (YouTube and 23andMe) and an epidemiologist/professor (UC San Francisco). Naturally, many have been curious about how Esther’s approach to parenting fueled these public-sector superstars—what’s the “secret sauce”
Every now and then, it is good to be reminded that God doesn’t call any of us into ministry, professional or otherwise, because we’re good at it. A quick glance through the Scriptural address book of God’s chosen is humbling: not a valedictorian among them, not a single CEO on
I’ve been leading deep-growth experiences for groups—from a few people to thousands—for more than two decades now. I’ve learned that when we are leading people in a ministry environment, we’re less like technicians and more like artists. That’s because our chosen “medium” is people, and our art form is relational.
We’re people created in the image of a triune God, and that means we’re fundamentally relational. That also means we’re in constant need of repair in our relationships—we hurt others, and they hurt us. So, how do we navigate when repair is needed in a relationship? In this Reachable Reconciliation
As ministry leaders our primary influence is stored-up in the treasure-house of our presence. Just as the presence of God in our life transforms us, our presence in the lives of those we serve has a kind of “radioactive” impact. We radiate the treasures of our soul when we interact
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
The Chosen, now streaming its fourth season, is a worldwide phenomenon. Crowd-funded from the beginning, the show has been so popular with viewers that it’s now available on multiple streaming services, attracting more than 200 million people who’ve watched at least one episode. I’m one of them… “Skeptical” is probably
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
With church partners in our Fourth-Soil Parenting Project, we’re experimenting with new ways to plant and nurture a story-sharing environment in congregations. Why? Because discipleship and faith formation are profoundly hindered when people have not yet explored, acknowledged, and witnessed to their own story. As more people in your
A few weeks ago I was in a staff-meeting discussion about our Lenten ministry plans. After a pregnant pause, we looked at each other and someone said, “Last year went well, let’s just do the same thing.” We let out a collective sigh of relief and Lent, once again, became
The mission of the church is to invite the broken and needy into a healing community, where they can find or deepen their relationship with Jesus and experience restoration in all aspects of their life. And so, as the pandemic set in, I helped launch a new online class
If you’ve been involved in ministry leadership for more than a year (and that includes almost all of us), you know that weekly worship-service planning can devolve into a mundane, lifeless routine. The struggle is real—I’ve been there for the past four decades. So let’s break free from the shackles
Parenting tips, strategies, and philosophies are well-resourced in our culture—through books, seminars, social media, and online resources. And in the contemporary church we’ve always been focused on the needs, developmental pathways, and spiritual formation of children. But, in many ways, we are just waking up to the needs, developmental
“For more information, please check the bulletin…” How many times have you heard that instruction at church? More important, how many people never hear it, or are tone-deaf to it? Church Communication should move from impersonal to personal Many churches still rely on traditional bulletins and emails to communicate to
When you think about the families in your congregation, what do you hope they can become? If you consider their “floor,” what is their “ceiling”? Consider the curious case of “Bandit and Chilli Heeler” (above), the dog-parents on the international hit kids show Bluey. Their floor is already the
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
In our research work with churches across the country, we’ve “discovered” an obvious truth all over again—listening to people is a crucial spiritual discipline. In our Fourth-Soil Parenting Project, an expedition into fueling parent’s spiritual impact in their kids’ lives, we asked our 20 participating churches to launch this
Over the course of our three-year Creating a Culture of Calling project, how did the churches involved actually embed calling into their culture? Here’s sampler that includes three churches planted in the Eastern U.S…. 1. They Hosted Dinners Just to Hear and Tell Calling Stories At Round Hill Community Church
Our Vibrant Faith Team spent three years immersed in helping churches create a “culture of calling” in their congregation—working under the umbrella of a Lilly Foundation grant, we built coaching relationships with 24 churches from seven denominations. First, we focused on teaching ministry leaders a theology of calling, sourced from
By Dr. Nancy GoingDirector of Research & Resource Development Leaders across the Christian Church are wondering if this season of pandemic chaos and trauma has given us a once-in-a-lifetime chance for a “reset.” In response, some are developing structural changes along with new patterns of worship and content delivery and relational
By Dr. Nancy GoingDirector of Research & Resource Development At Vibrant Faith we’re always talking with ministry leaders—here are the common questions we’re hearing right now, as the uncertainty of our post-pandemic (?) challenges settle in… Will families come back to our programs? How much bandwidth do our people have in
I love that phrase from the story of Esther, don’t you? God’s weaving of her story and her strength, “for such a time as this” for the people of Israel in the midst of crisis. As I’ve been reviewing Dr. Patrick Manning’s practical and profound way new book Converting the
By Dr. Nancy GoingDirector of Research & Resource Development In 2020, we launched a new research project focusing on faith formation and congregational thriving with 30 churches from six denominations. It’s funded by the Lilly Endowment through their THRIVING CONGREGATIONS initiative. Since our focus at Vibrant Faith is the conviction that
By Dr. Nancy GoingDirector of Research & Resource Development In the emerging research spotlighting the impact of pandemic-induced social isolation, the outcomes are sobering. Writing in a Frontiers In Psychology report, authors Giada Pietrabissa and Susan G. Simpson report: “The most common psychological disorders emerging are anxiety and panic, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, insomnia,
By Dr. Nancy GoingDirector of Research & Resource Development In the emerging research spotlighting the impact of pandemic-induced social isolation, the outcomes are sobering. Writing in a Frontiers In Psychology report, authors Giada Pietrabissa and Susan G. Simpson report: “The most common psychological disorders emerging are anxiety and panic, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, insomnia,
By Jim MerhautVibrant Faith CoachICF-Certified Coach The practices we follow as Christian people have a profound shaping influence on our life—the ways we gather, pray, worship, care, and serve have the power to form our identity. But over time, as we all know, our habitual practices can devolve into stale
Every year, I read Cal Newport’s book,Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. It’s a book that helps me reset my intentions for the year, carve out time for the things that matter most, and let go of the continuous distractions of our cultural reality. All of
We have become a selfie culture—at least once today you’ll either take a selfie or see someone else doing the same. Some people have turned it into an art form. While in Southern California last week to get my (Rick) daughter situated in a new off-campus apartment before she starts
Because ministry is centrally about relationships, we see the whole human spectrum of behavior—the good, the bad, and the ugly. Like other people-serving roles (police, physicians, counselors, social workers) it’s tempting to give in to jaded assumptions. We find ourselves expecting the worst in people. We’re quick to get frustrated
One key to building relational bridges in a divisive and isolating culture is simple – we notice what we notice about others, and gently (but intentionally) pursue them using what we see as our entry point. In this Reachable Reconciliation conversation, Fred tells a perceptive story about the obvious things that escape
In the church (and often in the wider culture) power carries with it unwanted baggage. But effective leaders use power to create positive change and thriving environments. Power in the positive sense is what the shepherd wields to encourage his flock to move to safe pastures, where they can get
In one of my first parish assignments, I knew I was going to miss a big event soon after I assumed my staff role—the celebration of First Communion. I had a pre-existing conflict with the date. So, in the weeks leading up to the celebration, I talked with my assistant
Ministry and mission were humming in the congregation. Average weekly worship attendance was booming, and we had just completed a capital campaign during the worst economy in 40 years. Following that capital campaign, we had pulled a new 12,000-square-foot multi-purpose Community Life Center out of the ground and positioned it so that
It seems counterintuitive, but the abundance we see in all aspects of our lives has as much to do with strategic deletion as it does with adding things to our efforts. I was a farmer in my first life—growing almonds in the Central Valley of California. My life revolved around
In my previous article, I focused on change and how it affects our lives. I also mentioned that change and conflict are important, if not vital, to growth. In this post, we’ll look at conflict and its unique relationship with change. Conflict serves many healthy purposes—it is… In my book, Thriving
