January 1, 2026
Leading Through the Hand-Off: Lessons in Pastoral Transition
With careful planning, clear communication, financial foresight, and sensitivity to personalities, churches can not only survive transitions, they can thrive through them.
Articles for tag: congregational health
November 5, 2025
The Missing Piece of the Great Commission
As those who have been charged with carrying out the Great Commission to go to all the world making disciples, let's remember that baptizing and teaching is not complete if obedience is not also taught and modeled by those who claim to follow Jesus.
September 21, 2018
Change
E2: Effective Elders Blog Editor’s Note: Each Friday we publish a new blog post from our partners in ministry, E2: Effective Elders. We publish it here simultaneous to E2’s posting on their site. The leaders of E2 write an article for our print and online magazine every month as well. Those articles are full of wisdom and practical help for elders. Please check them out! _____ By Jim Estep Putting it simply: Change is hard. We try to change our diet, exercise more, adapt to new technology, change our routines . . . but it’s hard to take the risk of
February 20, 2017
A Next Chapter
By Jennifer Johnson Several years ago I wrote a series of case studies for Kairos Legacy Partners that described their work with dying and declining churches across the country. Kairos works with these churches to evaluate their impact, their finances, and overall health and determine whether it makes sense for them to stay open as a congregation. If the decision is no, Kairos also works with those churches to help them “recycle” their facilities and financial resources in ways that can fund another ministry. I”m a fan of Kairos and I appreciate its desire to honor the sacrifices of past
December 30, 2010
Regrafting: A Matter of Motivation
Ken Swatman urges struggling churches to pursue renewal through prayerful vision, clear purpose, honest self-assessment, and a deeper understanding of their congregation’s unique DNA.
February 7, 2010
Memoirs of a Young Preacher
A congregation divided by distrust seemed headed for collapse. Dale Tinsley recounts five difficult years of ministry and the surprising turnaround that followed when members began loving one another.
August 5, 2007
Still Alive
Using the “bilge pump” parable, Phil Scott warns that maintenance can’t stop long-term decline and urges congregations toward courageous leadership, innovation, and aggressive evangelism beyond the safety of the harbor.
