In Dr. Dwight J. Zscheile’s seminal book The Agile Church, the professor of congregational mission and leadership at Luther Seminary lays out an alternate vision for churches that have struggled to respond to a rapidly changing culture and widespread decline. Learning churches, says Zscheile, are about fostering spaces in which people can learn, practice, and play. …
As ministry leaders, we face a unique challenge—the repetition of programming. It doesn’t matter how inspiring and powerful your worship was this Sunday, for example, because next week you’ll need to create another meaningful experience. Repetition is a significant hurdle for all those involved in planning weekly worship, Bible study, children’s and youth programming, and …
For years I’ve strategized new ways to support, equip, and continue empowering parents of young people. I’ve created and led parenting seminars on entitlement and digital addiction, helped develop an online course called Parents as Allies, and co-authored a bestselling book on innovative ways to partner with parents (The Family-Friendly Church). I’ve been a passionate advocate …
By Denise UtterVibrant Faith Coaching Team As August tails off into September, I often reflect back to my teacher days. I loved the end of August and looked forward to new blank notebooks, clean 16-month calendars, new pens, sharpened pencils, and an array of colored highlighters (oh the color-coding)! It was a fresh start—a chance …
By Rev. Dr. Mark SlaughterVibrant Faith Coaching Team Fall is on our doorstep, and that means we’re already working to reinvent what we do to spur new energy, spiritual vitality, attendance, and contributions. But what if you could produce that same energy without re-tooling the ministry programs you’re already doing? We’ve just launched an experiment …
Over the past two years we’ve experienced what many are calling “indifference,” relative to our spiritual life. With anxiety, crisis, grief, anger, and tension infiltrating our everyday reality, doubt and disappointment have chewed into the foundations of our faith. This article will take a look at stages of spiritual growth that embrace these emotions as …
In early May the Vibrant Faith team held a final meeting with representatives from the 24 churches who were a part of our Creating a Culture of Calling Grant. We’ve been working together since the Spring of 2017 working to build church vitality and unity through the culture of calling. We wanted one final “listening …
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 generally unsure about their future. They have lots of questions and are looking for answers. So they’ve decided to examine and redevelop their mission and vision statements. Recently, they brought …
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 routines. That’s why Vibrant Faith’s …
What We’re Learning: Shifting From Innovation to Reinvention Read More »
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 to celebrate this journey through Easter well, we must prepare our hearts and minds. Lent invites intentionality. So, in these final days of preparation known as Holy Week, let’s hone …
Holy Week Prep – Signs, Symbols, Scriptures, & Questions Read More »
