Online Forever?, on Getting to Nimble Ep. 24
Online worship, nimbly opening (while expecting future closures), and planning in a season of flux.
Ministry
It’s Flowchart Time
I’m a long-term planner at heart. I’ve got my five-year-plan, my yearly plan, my weekly plan – you get the picture. (Y’all, I finished planning Christmas Eve 2020 on the night of Christmas Eve 2019 because I couldn’t sleep!) No surprise, the ongoing uncertainty around worship services has thrown a wrench in my usual process. …
A Neighborhood Summer, on Getting to Nimble Ep. 23
Last summer, my colleagues and I at First Congregational of St. Louis developed a creative, intergenerational worship series. Then, the four of us – Hannah Rice and Emily Stokes, plus Bill and I – turned the series into a 14-week curriculum for other congregations to use. In this episode, the four of us talk about …
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Music and Change, on Getting to Nimble Ep. 22
Changing our musical habits is hard (and oddly enough right now, maybe both easier and harder than ever). In this episode, we talk with Paul Vasile about being open to musical change and helping others embrace the new, even when they’re sure they only want what they already know.
Climbing Up a Covid-19 Learning Curve on Getting to Nimble Ep. 21
Climbing up a learning curve. Running down a sand dune, trying not to face plant. Throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks. Just a few metaphors for the work we’re doing lately! Emily Stokes, a minister for children and families, joins us to talk about our approaches to ministry right now.
COVID-19 Resources for Churches Online
Most of us church leaders are walking up a steep learning curve right now. Especially in smaller churches, we need technical and musical resources as we move our services and communities online. We also need grace for ourselves and for others as we learn, fail, succeed, and grow. I hope these resources are helpful for …
COVID19 and the Church, on Getting to Nimble Ep. 20
What a strange time we are in, especially as church leaders. Bill and Sarah share what they are currently doing to respond to COVID19, especially in terms of pastoral care and spiritual connection in a time of physical distance. We can still “worship in spirit and in truth” whether or not we are in-person.
Advanced Degrees, on Getting to Nimble Ep. 19
What are the advantages (and disadvantages) to getting an advanced degree when you’re in church ministry? Bill and Sarah talk master’s degrees, doctorates, certificates.
When to Worship Together? on Getting to Nimble Ep. 18
Why do we worship corporately on Sunday mornings? When would we worship if we removed the “but we’ve always…” from our thinking?
Infinite Games, on Getting to Nimble Ep. 17
We church leaders have a lot to learn from game theory – and especially, how we should think of churches as part of an “infinite game” rather than a “finite game.” Drawing on Simon Sinek’s new book The Infinite Game, Bill and Sarah share how infinite games provide a conceptual grounding for leading churches in …