They say in polite conversation to never discuss politics or religion. In my profession, I find it pretty difficult to stay away from the topic of religion. However, I have found it necessary to stay far away from the topic of politics, at least here in church. In fact, I do not talk politics in […]
Category: Leadership
This post is the third in a series of resources dedicated to providing a potential road-map through the current COVID-19 crisis for your parish. We’ll be sharing with you what we’re doing, what’s working, and what isn’t. But honestly, we’re making it up as we go along, just like you. As always, our only credential […]
Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this? Esther 4:14 (NIV) In a time of such unprecedented crisis and cataclysmic change, everything looks unclear. Things we were so sure of last week – our schedules, our methods, our finances – have suddenly been thrown into a […]
Sudden crises have a way of clarifying long-running debates. The essential nature of whatever is at stake tends to become obvious when we are forced to confront it without the haze of extraneous distractions or details. This moment in time is no different. As the current outbreak of the COVID-19 virus sweeps across the country, […]
Often, parish leaders have a major weakness when it comes to keeping their church campus and space attractive for guests. It’s the same problem you have with your house: when you spend so much time in a place, you become blind to its flaws and imperfections. You stop noticing: the dead shrubs along the […]
We are in the last week of a series of blog posts all about our values as a staff. This week, hospitality. We define hospitality as “wow-ing” people with extraordinary service. We want each guest who steps onto our campus to feel like every aspect of the experience was designed with them in mind. Here […]
Some social commentators have derided the downfall of commitment in our society, especially among young people. They point to lower rates of marriage (and higher rates of divorce) along with other social tendencies. In our fast-paced, ever-changing culture, remembering the value of commitment is increasingly important. We’re in the fifth week of a series of […]
Over the past few weeks we have been using this space to reflect on the values we rely on in serving our mission as a parish. This week “Excellence.” Excellence in the church can be hard to define. Some parishioners measure the excellence of a homily by its length (the shorter the better). Still others […]
Change is inevitable, even in the Church. Technology moves at cyber speed, families are on the move more than ever before, and the culture around us seems to be more unrecognizable every day. In the face of all this challenging change, it is especially important to be grounded in deliberate values. That’s why we are […]
We’re not that smart. We don’t know what to do in every situation and we definitely don’t have all the answers. That’s why, at Nativity, we try to make things as simple as possible, relying on some core values that shape our culture, determine our decisions, and guide our steps. Every organization operates on some […]
