A perennial problem with religious organizations is that the professional staff who serve congregations at a district or regional level and those who serve the larger denomination as a whole must be funded somehow, usually through donations from local congregations.

Lately you’ve been hearing a lot about clusters, especially in relationship with regionalization. I’ve had folks ask, “So is clusters just a cheaper way to provide services?” Well, in some ways, yes, clearly it is less time consuming for staff to provide the same workshop once to a cluster than to…

What is our core business – as congregations; as a faith community? There is a lot riding on how we answer that question.

A few years ago, organizational consultant Margaret Wheatley asked a great question that I think we can use is assessing our own efforts to change the world: “Is what I’m about to do strengthening the web of connections, or it weakening it?”…

I recently had the pleasure of participating in an online earth day meditation presented by The Master Shift. The group’s purpose is to unite the world through global meditation and positive living. In the earth day meditation, the soothing voice of Julian Lennon guides you through an amazingly…

“Although churches be distinct, and….equal and therefore have not dominion one over another; yet all the churches ought to preserve church communion one with another…The communion of churches is exercised in sundry ways. ( 1). By way of mutual care, in taking thought for one another’s…

Sharing is a good thing. My mother taught me that it was my duty as the eldest to share what I had with my two younger sisters. And we often urge our congregations to share with one another. If one or more of our congregations are experiencing some kind of hardship or natural disaster (flood,…

Recently I spent the Christmas holiday in Northern California, our home for many years, for some time with my friends, the beach and the redwoods. When I see those majestic trees, so much diminishes in their presence. They have withstood the pressures of the ages, survived the drought and the…