On an average Tuesday, about 20 patients are seen at the Substance Use Disorder Clinic, which operates out of Galveston Central Church. The trust built by the church is translating into better access to treatment at the free clinic. faithandleadership.com/church-and-h...

A weekend read for you, from @us.theconversation.com, as seen in our News & Ideas roundups this week: There is an ongoing push to make chaplains available in public schools across the United States. theconversation.com/schools-are-...

“When we go from one climate-controlled space to another, we don’t know our relationship with creation because we don’t have to. Being outside and being on the farm gets us out of our comfort zone, and that allows people to ask questions.” faithandleadership.com/plainsong-fa...

Oh hey! My colleague Rev Kenneth Young wrote this about us at #MassChurches!

In his new book, a professor of ethics recounts the story and impact of humanitarian Maggy Barankitse — who cared for hundreds of orphans in the wake of the civil war in Burundi. faithandleadership.com/love-made-me...

How can predominantly white institutions make strides towards diversity? The unfreeze, change, freeze model, developed in the 1940s, is a practical way to embrace and implement cultural change, writes a pastor and director for Massachusetts Council of Churches. faithandleadership.com/where-do-we-...

While many aspects of life have returned to pre-pandemic normal, organizations continue to save money formerly used for travel and hosting meetings by gathering on zoom. It's time to rediscover the value of in-person gathering vs. online efficiency. faithandleadership.com/what-zoom-ha...

A weekend read for you, from @rns.org, as seen in our News & Ideas roundups this week: The fear of raids has pushed some congregations back to pandemic-era worship strategies. religionnews.com/2025/08/04/w...

In Houston, a Christian theater company has been premiering original content and performing internationally-known plays for almost 60 years. This spring, that included “How to Die: The Life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.” faithandleadership.com/kevin-dean-t...

The United Methodist Church’s system of itinerancy — where pastors are periodically moved around within the geographical area of their conference — means accepting that I don’t have control over my life. But after all, nobody does. faithandleadership.com/how-itineran...

For almost 75 years, A Christian Ministry in the National Parks has placed young people in some of America’s most beautiful settings to work seasonal jobs and offer faithful connection. faithandleadership.com/serving-god-...

A weekend read for you, from @rns.org, as seen in our News & Ideas roundups this week: The Rev. Yehiel Curry, bishop of the ELCA’s Metropolitan Chicago Synod since 2019, will serve a six-year term as presiding bishop of the 2.7 million-member denomination. religionnews.com/2025/07/31/e...

"I wonder, in this age of technology and touch screens, how engaging with natural materials and making things with our own hands might help us be more fully incarnate and in turn celebrate a God who blessed our bodies by Godself becoming enfleshed" (From 2024). faithandleadership.com/why-i-knit-c...

After a church member’s murder, a Massachusetts pastor developed a strategy to help communities deal with collective trauma. It can also be applied within our national landscape of division and anxiety. faithandleadership.com/healing-amer...

Hope Center in Blue Island, Illinois, has begun to focus on growing food and fish for their community and teaching them how healthy foods can make a positive impact. faithandleadership.com/moy-mendez-c...

Intentional listening is a form of spiritual discernment that helps us co-create with one another and with God. faithandleadership.com/why-listenin...

A weekend read for you, from @rns.org, as seen in our News & Ideas roundups this week: The home makeover reality stars' recent troubles highlight the difficulty of catering to both mainstream and Christian audiences. religionnews.com/2025/07/22/c...

In a world consumed by political polarization, economic crises and rising violence, there is a growing hunger for spiritual practices that do not retreat from reality but help us face it with courage, clarity and collective action. #WePrayFreedom faithandleadership.com/how-prayer-r...

A writer who grew up in Kerrville, Texas, where recent floods have caused devastation, reflects on the meaning of place and the future after flooding. faithandleadership.com/when-the-riv...

Liturgies of liberation offer “a shared moral vision for a better world," write Charon Hribar and @liztheoharis.kairoscenter.org of @kairoscenter.org‬. "These practices are not accessories to organizing — they are central to it." faithandleadership.com/how-prayer-r...

Visitors come to Plainsong Farm to learn about agricultural, environmental and spiritual practices. “Real ministry happens in the garden just as much as a sanctuary, God didn’t put Adam and Eve into a sanctuary. God put Adam and Eve into a garden.” faithandleadership.com/plainsong-fa...

Though the number of pastors leaving parish ministry hasn’t amounted to a “great resignation,” those who have left still offer insight into the current state of the American church. (From 2024) faithandleadership.com/lessons-past...

With crisis after crisis taking place, why should anyone care about belonging? Because belonging is a matter of life or death, writes @erinweber-johnson.bsky.social, editor of a new book on the subject. faithandleadership.com/belonging-co...

The new pope’s roots in Chicago and his experience as a missionary in Peru are inspiring to young Latino Catholics, says the founder of Iskali, a Chicago-area nonprofit serving second-generation young adults. faithandleadership.com/vicente-del-...

A mother considers the best way to respond to near-endless news stories about conflict. Is it OK to continue with daily life — weeding the garden, washing dishes and caring for children — while the world is on fire? From Andrea Palpant Dilley. faithandleadership.com/how-do-we-li...

"Could the key to community be resisting the mythology of scarcity and embracing the call to be tangible signs, foretastes and instruments of God’s reign on earth?" This article won the Award of Excellence for Theological Reflection from the ACP: faithandleadership.com/what-narrati...

Our thoughts are with those impacted by the deadly flooding in Texas last week. In this article, written before the flood, a social entrepreneur revisits her hometown of Kerrville, TX and reflects on what is holy and enduring about life in community. faithandleadership.com/the-gospel-l...

A weekend read for you, as seen in our News & Ideas roundups this week: The problem in finding a suitable person to be the Archbishop of Canterbury is this: it has become an impossible job. Not just difficult, but impossible. unherd.com/2025/07/angl...

"[G]rowth without grounding is hazardous. Expansion without assessment is reckless. Like a bowed canvas, a beautiful vision constructed on a fragile base will collapse under pressure." faithandleadership.com/your-organiz...

The giant of biblical studies left a long legacy impacting the way many preachers interpret the biblical text for their own contexts every week, says an associate professor of homiletics at @dukedivinity.bsky.social. faithandleadership.com/jerusha-neal...

Despite challenges like the threat of deportations, Casa Chirilagua — a community hub for Central American families in northern Virginia — is still focused on their core mission: to cultivate joy and help immigrants feel less alone. faithandleadership.com/organization...

Reactionary Christians who embrace authoritarianism contribute to democratic erosion around the world, says a Christian ethicist. Yet the Christian tradition and its concern for the common good of all can strengthen democracy as well (from 2024). faithandleadership.com/david-p-gush...

An historic Black church was recently awarded control of the trademark for the name and logos of the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group convicted of vandalizing the church in 2020. The pastor of the church reflects on the recent court ruling. faithandleadership.com/william-h-la...

Today is the feast day for Episcopal saint Pauli Murray. A writer, lawyer, activist and priest, Rev. Pauli Murray insisted that religion at its best is "this-worldly," committed to the application of the gospel to historical change. (From 2023). faithandleadership.com/speak-defian...

We're continuing to revisit our top stories from the year so far! As a recent report sheds light on the postpandemic state of faith and finances, experts offer suggestions for increasing church income by prioritizing ease of giving and financial literacy. faithandleadership.com/church-incom...

A weekend read for you (from @apnews.com), as seen in this week's News & Ideas roundups: 10 years after the Supreme Court ruled on the right to same-sex marriage, the split between Republicans and Democrats on the issue is wider than it’s been in decades. apnews.com/article/same...

We're revisiting our top stories from the year so far! A Texas congregation has formed itself and transformed a worn-down warehouse with art at the core of theology and community. faithandleadership.com/artistic-cre...

Does your organization support BIPOC youth empowerment? This three-step process can help community organizations evaluate their programs. faithandleadership.com/how-churches...

A former pastor — and now frequent church visitor — suggests simple, concrete ways to welcome the visiting stranger. This article from Sarah E. Forsyth won Honorable Mention for Professional Resource from the ACP: faithandleadership.com/note-pastors...

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the Mother Emanuel AME Church shooting. The pastor of Mother Emanuel AME and the rabbi of the Tree of Life congregation talk about their relationship, their shared spiritual heritage and what lies ahead. From 2020. faithandleadership.com/jeffrey-myer...

Findings from Pew Research Center reveal differences in spiritual practices among age groups of American adults. faithandleadership.com/younger-adul...

A weekend read for you (from @rns.org), as seen in this week's News & Ideas roundups: As Southern Baptists gather, death of former SBC publishing exec looms over abuse debate. religionnews.com/2025/06/08/j...

While the Bible encourages us to be hospitable to strangers, the possibilities can be frightening. Some churches provide models for bringing people together beyond weekly services or liturgical ties. faithandleadership.com/entertaining...

Are the kids OK? People often forget that adolescents, too, are plugged into world events. But they are too seldom asked how they’re doing. faithandleadership.com/being-teenag...

An international religious order uses a teaching framework based on abundance, practice and peacemaking. Street Psalms offers a seminary, design studio and resources to its partners. faithandleadership.com/street-psalm...

Focusing conversations on “welcome” or “inclusion” is not enough; we need to learn from LGBTQ+ people and expand our understanding of community, a queer pastor says (from 2021). faithandleadership.com/lgbtq-folks-...

A weekend read for you (from @theatlantic.com), as seen in this week's News & Ideas roundups: Instead of killing off faith, modernity has supercharged some of its most dramatic manifestations. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

It’s a difficult time for the church but it has a bright future if leaders help their congregations adapt to a new, diverse world, says @kpowellfyi.bsky.social, co-author of the book “Future-Focused Church.” faithandleadership.com/kara-powell-...

We can look to faith communities that welcome people well for models of listening and speaking differently through ministry, writes an associate director of the Thriving Congregations Coordination Program. faithandleadership.com/pentecost-re...

Nine Black members of the Charleston church were killed by a white supremacist during a Bible study a decade ago. A new book explores Mother Emanuel’s history within the larger racial history of America. faithandleadership.com/kevin-sack-t...