Reflections & Research
Discover what we are learning about what helps pastors thrive
November 24, 2020
A merged congregation bonds over a project to honor the freed and enslaved Africans buried in its cemetery
A historic, predominantly Black congregation in New Jersey seeks to learn the names and stories of more than 300 unidentified souls buried in unmarked graves. In December 2019, when the Rev. Dr. Wanda Lundy was settling in as the new pastor of Siloam Hope First Presbyterian Church in Elizabeth, New Jersey, she made a discovery […]
read moreabout A merged congregation bonds over a project to honor the freed and enslaved Africans buried in its cemeteryNovember 10, 2020
Frankly planning for roadblocks is an advantage for pastors
Church leaders can remain focused on their goals by anticipating challenges, naming them, and preparing for them, writes a managing director of Leadership Education at Duke Divinity. This has been a year of roadblocks and challenges — one after another. And they just keep coming. Sometimes they pop up out of nowhere and take us […]
read moreabout Frankly planning for roadblocks is an advantage for pastorsNovember 10, 2020
After the election, faith leaders must fill the vacuum of moral leadership
In the battles over the soul of the nation, faith leaders must bring God’s vision of justice and reject America’s sin of white supremacy, says a theologian and priest. Leading up to Nov. 3, 2020, pollsters predicted a landslide victory for Joe Biden. What actually happened was a closely contested election. As in 2016, many […]
read moreabout After the election, faith leaders must fill the vacuum of moral leadershipOctober 27, 2020
A healing friendship in the aftermath of gun violence
The rabbi of the Tree of Life congregation and the pastor of Mother Emanuel AME talk about their relationship, their shared spiritual heritage and what lies ahead. Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers and the Rev. Eric Manning have an uncommon bond, born out of unspeakable tragedy. Both faith leaders minister to congregations wounded by mass […]
read moreabout A healing friendship in the aftermath of gun violence