Tag Archives: elders

The Election of Elders During Covid-19 Restrictions

By Blog, Congregational Development Archive,

The election of elders is an important aspect of our congregational life, and is one we don’t want to put on hold until we can return fully to our church buildings. As the pandemic has continued from weeks to months a number of people have asked me how they might undertake the election of elders in these times. It is helpful to know that the process of holding an election is relatively easy to adapt, however the actual act of ordination becomes a little more complicated.

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Leadership in a Time of Great Change: A Call To Lead

By Blog, Congregational Development Archive, , ,

Over the past fourteen years as Regional Minister for Congregational Health, the workshop I have most often been asked to present is entitled, ‘Eldership as Spiritual Leadership’. In this workshop I encourage elders (ruling and teaching) to embrace their calling as spiritual and physical leaders of their communities of faith. This challenge is not always easily received.

In order for the call to leadership to make sense, we need to understand what leadership is. An easy way to understand leadership is to contrast it with management. Management guru, Peter Drucker, famously said,

“Management is doing things right; Leadership is doing the right thing.”

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COVID-19 Thoughts, Especially Around Stewardship

By Blog, Congregational Development Archive, , , ,

Friends in Christ,

It has been quite a week! Already it seems like a month since the decision to close churches. I am grateful for the stories I am hearing of people who are going out of their way to reach out to each other, especially by phone or video. Likewise I have heard of at least two instances where people ran bible studies and/or worship on video only to discover that the group was twice as big as normal, in part because shut-in people could join in as well as people who no longer live in the area. It may be worth keeping this up even after the doors open again.

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ENCOURAGEMENT DURING COVID-19

By Blog, Christian Education Archive, Congregational Development Archive, WMS Archive, , , ,

Friends in Ministry,

In 2004, Tori and I were serving a congregation in Central Florida. That year, in about a month, we experienced three hurricanes; Charley, Frances and Jeanne. These past weeks have felt very much like that time. While social distancing was not an issue, isolation and fear were. Isolation as people were stuck in homes without power and impassable roads, and fear for family, jobs and shelter in the face of an overwhelming catastrophe.

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Covid-19 and Worship Decisions

By Blog, Congregational Development Archive, , , , , ,

Dear friends in the synod, today I have witnessed much confusion and concern about whether or not to cancel church tomorrow or in the coming weeks. I am aware of a number of congregations who have already cancelled and a few who are having worship tomorrow but not the two Sundays following. It seems like the majority are planning to continue. 

In our polity, it is difficult to find one person who can make this decision, I can’t make it either, however, I would like to offer a few thoughts.

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