Reflections & Research
Discover what we are learning about what helps pastors thrive
February 18, 2020
Excerpt: ‘Planning Sabbaticals: A Guide for Congregations and Their Pastors’
In this excerpt from his recent book, author Robert C. Saler writes about pastoral sabbaticals as a time of reinvigoration and reflection for both church leaders and their congregations. Saler directs the Lilly Endowment Clergy Renewal Programs and the Center for Pastoral Excellence at Christian Theological Seminary. What Kinds of Activities Can the Congregation Do? […]
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How I reach college students as a womanist millennial preacher
The inaugural dean of chapel at Wiley College blends traditional faith practices with a fresh approach in order to inspire and teach undergraduates at the HBCU. Much of who the Rev. Dr. Dominique A. Robinson is today can be traced back to two women — her grandmothers. Her father’s mother was Pentecostal and the founding […]
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Creating community in nature
For one pastor, feeding the spiritually hungry means meeting them where they are. At 8:00 on a Sunday morning, I usually worship in the suburban Chicago church where I am pastor, wearing a stole and sensible flats. But this Sunday, I am leading a group of 10 on a hike in a Chicago forest preserve, wearing […]
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Ash Wednesday instills a leadership discipline, even for a novice
Themes of confession and repentance connect across faith traditions and reinforce important traits for those in positions of authority, writes the executive director of Leadership Education at Duke Divinity. Ash Wednesday is still difficult for me to embrace. The churches of my youth did not follow the seasons of the liturgical year. I was in […]
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