New article about the Center for Renewal

The national magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, The Lutheran, ran a full-page story on the Center for Renewal and Grand View University in its November issue. To read the article online, click here.
The only helpful correction that could be made to the article is in the second paragraph, in regard to funding. [...]

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A Place that Offers Life

“Finances are tight, and our numbers are dwindling. The congregation is looking to me to turn things around. So is my denomination—that’s exactly what I was told when I was appointed here. And, frankly, that’s my expectation too. Isn’t that my job?” says a pastor of a congregation that has been experiencing decline for many [...]

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A new (old) vision for congregational leadership

In my work, I’ve discovered that most congregational leaders are paying attention to the latest business practices. I’m being told that we’re not necessarily very good at those practices, but at the least, people are paying attention to them. Marketing, web presence, surveys, democratic decision making, time management and mission statements all have come to [...]

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Three views of the Church

Scholars (e.g., David Bosch in Transforming Mission, and Richard Bliese et al in The Evangelizing Church) have observed that the Reformation definition of the church as being “where the gospel is rightly preached and the sacraments are rightly administered” has led to an understanding that the church is a place where religious things happen. Quoting [...]

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