Eight Ways to Kill an Organization
February 10, 2020
Leave a CommentDr. G. & Friends
Eight Ways to Kill an Organization
I’ve done enough consultations long enough and studied organizations carefully enough to recognize a pattern in some organizations. I refer here to those whose organizations, some young, some old, that ended their institutional lifespan. Though many were surprised by the...
+ Read Morerekindle interview: “My hope is that congregations receive encouragement, rest, hope, courage, and collegial wisdom”
Along the Journey
rekindle interview: “My hope is that congregations receive encouragement, rest, hope, courage, and collegial wisdom”
Columbia Theological Seminary recently received a grant of $969,528 from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish the “reKindle: Congregational Development in a Post COVID-19 Era” program through its Center for Lifelong Learning.
The reKindle Impact Grant will help realize the goal of the Thriving...
+ Read MoreAugustine of Hippo and Six educational principles
Dr. G. & Friends
Augustine of Hippo and Six educational principles
Augustine of Hippo was one of the foremost philosophers and theologians of early Christianity.
He had a profound influence on the subsequent development of Western thought and culture and, more than any other person, shaped the themes and defined the...
+ Read More“Let’s Pretend That Didn’t Happen”
Along the Journey
“Let’s Pretend That Didn’t Happen”
After a disturbing event in a church I was serving a while back, the elders were discussing how to respond. One elder – a distinguished older man – said this:
Let’s just pretend like it didn’t happen.
Some...
+ Read MoreThe Help You Never Knew You Needed
Along the Journey
The Help You Never Knew You Needed
It was sometime in the early 2000s that I was searching the interwebs for some ministry ideas and I ran across this thing called S3, a grant offered by the Center for Lifelong Learning at Columbia Theological Seminary.
Being on...
+ Read MoreHelp your church members grow spiritually this year
Dr. G. & Friends
Help your church members grow spiritually this year
A student in one of my online classes asked a great question:
How do I encourage members to reflect and think theologically?
I’m having a hard time coming up with an example of what that would even look like in...
+ Read MoreDoodling with God: An Active Prayer
Along the Journey
Doodling with God: An Active Prayer
Everyone can doodle! No skill required! The movement of coloring and drawing can help you center and see your unspoken prayers.
Below are two simple ways to begin. You will need a sheet of paper (or a journal like this...
+ Read MoreThe Theory of Instruction
Dr. G. & Friends
The Theory of Instruction
In Toward a Theory of Instruction, educational theorist Jerome Bruner insists that a theory of development must be linked both to a theory of knowledge and to a theory of instruction, “or be doomed to triviality.” (Bruner p. 21)
I...
+ Read MoreAdvent Resources: Walk a Labyrinth
Along the Journey
Advent Resources: Walk a Labyrinth
The labyrinth is an ancient symbol and path found in many cultures. In our tradition, it is used to represent the Christian journey, walked to deepen one’s relationship with God. The path in is the path out.
Walking a labyrinth...
+ Read MoreDon’t buy church curriculum
Dr. G. & Friends
Don’t buy church curriculum
There is one thing you can count on in Christian education at any local church: inevitably (just as certain as death and taxes), Sunday School teachers will begin to ask for “new curriculum.” This is regardless of the size of...
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