Reflections & Research
Discover what we are learning about what helps pastors thrive
July 21, 2020
Taking a lesson from the seed — find joy
A New York City pastor writes about the tradition of resilience in Black churches and how she finds joy in troubled times. Growing up in the Black church, we used to say, “This joy I have; the world didn’t give it, and the world can’t take it away.” Joy is unspoken hope that floods your […]
read moreabout Taking a lesson from the seed — find joyJuly 7, 2020
There’s a better way to manage pastoral transitions
What if we imagined pastoral transitions as a relay race, in which each leader passes the baton to the next? asks a Baptist pastor. On a cold winter day, I was talking on the phone with a colleague about the church where I serve as pastor. I was feeling frustrated. I told him I didn’t […]
read moreabout There’s a better way to manage pastoral transitionsJuly 7, 2020
What does financial sustainability mean in the midst of inequity?
How we measure the investment in organizations can shortchange commitments that different racial, ethnic and cultural communities make to their ministries, writes the executive director of Leadership Education at Duke Divinity. What does having a financially sustainable ministry mean? The one-size-fits-all answer is simple. The revenue coming in is consistently more than the expenses going […]
read moreabout What does financial sustainability mean in the midst of inequity?June 23, 2020
Gail Song Bantum: Leaders make space for others
The pastor of Quest Church reflects on her journey into ministry and how pastors must make space for others to flourish. It was only after the death of her mother — herself a leader in the church — that the Rev. Gail Song Bantum’s call to become a pastor became too loud for her to […]
read moreabout Gail Song Bantum: Leaders make space for others