Transformational Growth- Positioning People for Maximum Impact
Transformational growth in your congregation heats up when every stakeholder is invited to make tangible contributions, every month, to the mission. To make meaningful contributions,
Vibrant Faith Articles
Vibrant Faith Coaching - Articles
Asking God for Questions, Not Answers
One of the congregations I’m coaching is in the midst of a pastoral transition—at the same time, their building needs major repairs and they are
Critical Questions for Faith-Forming Leaders
By Jim LaDouxDirector of Coaching & Coaching School In John 17, as Jesus is preparing Himself for the cross, He prays out loud so that His followers
5 Questions that Shape Leaders
By Jim LaDouxDirector of Coaching Services Jesus lived out a “forming” mindset in every conversation—I mean, He was naturally intentional in the way He engaged people, always
What We’re Learning: Shifting From Innovation to Reinvention
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,
A 5-Step Path For Coaching Through Conflict
By Jim LaDouxDirector of Coaching & Coaching School There’s no such thing as a conflict-free church or leadership team. Over the course of a year, most leaders
The Ministry Coach Imperative
By Rev. Erik SamuelsonVibrant Faith Coaching Team/Coaching School Faculty If you’re like most ministry leaders I know, after re-inventing pretty much every element of your ministry
The Slap- Recovering from a Harm You Caused
By Fred Oduyoye and Rick Lawrence As everyone in the world now knows, a little more than a week ago actor Will Smith walked onto the Oscars stage
How to Reclaim Curiosity
By Jim LaDouxDirector of Coaching Services & Coaching School We underestimate the power of curiosity—it’s the bedrock of learning, imagination, and innovation. Vibrant Faith highlights the primacy
Faith Formation - Articles
7 ways To Respond to Tragedy With Redemptive Presence
My daughter, Lucy, was a freshman at Arapahoe High School in Denver when a shooter entered the building, immediately killed one of her classmates, then
Faithful Imagination For Such a Time as This
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”
Critical Questions for Faith-Forming Leaders
By Jim LaDouxDirector of Coaching & Coaching School In John 17, as Jesus is preparing Himself for the cross, He prays out loud so that His followers
Jacques Ellul & the Importance of Attachment
By Rick LawrenceVibrant Faith Executive Director The late Jacques Ellul, author of The Technological Society (the seminal work on our relationship with technology), offers a prophetic way forward
Our BFF, Stress
By Rick LawrenceExecutive Director I was talking with a friend about those seasons in everyday life when we feel the pressure-cooker of stress inside building up
What We’re Learning: Why Parents Matter More Than Ever
By Dr. Nancy GoingDirector of Research & Resource Development Research has told us for more 25 years that the faith lives of parents matter (and actually
Holy Week Prep – Signs, Symbols, Scriptures, & Questions
At the heart of our Christian life is the celebration of the Paschal Mystery—the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. If we’re going
Teach Us To Pray
By Rick LawrenceVibrant Faith Executive Director Researchers with the National Study of Youth and Religion found that the overwhelming majority of teenagers (and their adult parents who were
The Secret Sauce of Trusted Leadership
By Rick LawrenceVibrant Faith Executive Director In the wider world, ministry leaders are deemed less trustworthy than police, and only barely above building contractors—we’re saddled with
Vibrant Faith Research - Articles
What We’re Learning: Surfacing God-Given Purpose In Others
By Dr. Nancy GoingDirector of Research & Resource Development Kathleen Cahalan (professor at St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN) has a unique calling. She studies calling
What We’re Learning: The Call to Coach
By Dr. Nancy GoingDirector of Research & Resource Development One crucial aspect of the experiment that Vibrant Faith built into our Creating a Culture of Calling
What We’re Learning: Creating Space for Stories
By Dr. Nancy GoingDirector of Research & Resource Development When I was in college and STILL not sure what I wanted to major in, my high
What We’re Learning: Creating Space for Stories
By Dr. Nancy GoingDirector of Research & Resource Development Editor’s Note: Over the next several months, we’ll continue to share insights we’ve gleaned from Vibrant Faith’s Creating
What We’re Learning: How Calling Is Lived-Out
By Dr. Nancy GoingDirector of Research & Resource Development Seven of our Vibrant Faith coaches are in the process of closing our three years of work
What We’re Learning: Creating a Culture of Calling
By Dr. Nancy GoingDirector of Research & Resource Development In 2017, Vibrant Faith began working with 24 churches from seven different denominations to help them embed
What We’re Learning: Religious Parenting
By Dr. Nancy GoingDirector of Research & Resource Development It’s finally happening, isn’t it? Church leaders who’ve been leveraged by Covid-world restrictions that have decimated their
What We’re Learning: ‘Hybrid Faithful Living’
By Dr. Nancy GoingDirector of Research & Resource Development “Hybrid Faithful Living” is a phrase that my very observant colleague, Angela Gorrell, professor at Baylor’s Truett
Vibrant Faith Leadership - Articles
The Weakness We Need
Our most effective ministry tool isn’t what you think it is… The great weight of impact we offer those we serve is not delivered by
What Thriving Is & Isn’t
Our Vibrant Faith Team has been deeply invested for more than two years with a cohort of churches that have committed to a growth path
A Swing and a Miss for Faith Formation
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
Prioritizing Flexibility In Faith Formation
Robert Gelinas is pastor of one of the largest multi-ethnic churches in America—Colorado Community Church in Aurora, a suburb of Denver. He’s an author, jazz
Pruning, Vitality, and Abundance in Ministry
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
A Way to Live
Four years ago a publisher approached me about a percolating idea for a book project. They suggested pairing me with a psychologist to write a
The Power of Stories
Last week, our Vibrant Faith team hosted “project teams” from 20 churches at a downtown Denver hotel—all gathered for a kickoff training event tied to
Change and Conflict Part 2
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
Redemptive Story-Engaging
In our ongoing partnership with churches in our 4th-Soil Parenting Project—a three-year experiment with parents to plant new ways to “infect” their children with an
Vibrant Faith's writing team of certified coaches, ministry leaders, and researchers publishes three times a week on leadership development, coaching for ministry leaders, and applied ministry research.