A governing board is approaching its annual officer elections. The chair’s term is ending. The treasurer has mentioned wanting to step back within the next year. The secretary has served long enough that everyone assumes someone else will eventually learn what she does. No one is leaving tomorrow. There is no emergency. Yet when the
Responsible Leadership Requires Succession Planning Read More »
Imagine a newer pastor sitting at a desk late in the week with a difficult biblical text open in front of them. There are notes from commentaries, a half-developed idea, and several questions that have not yet resolved themselves into a sermon. The pastor is tired. AI can turn that unfinished material into a coherent
When AI Does the Work You Need to Practice Read More »
We’ve all seen the memes about AI confidently recommending something or giving an answer that turns out to be completely false. Those of us who work with AI have experienced our own versions: a fact that does not exist, an invented source, a response that misses the question, or an explanation delivered with more confidence
You Cannot Oversee AI You Do Not Understand Read More »
For roughly the last eighteen months, I have spent a great deal of time learning how to use generative artificial intelligence well. I have used it across nearly every part of my work, from research and writing to presentations and routine administration. I have tried different systems, watched them succeed and fail, changed how I
Using AI Is Not the Ethical Question Read More »
Imagine a board chair who has already made up her mind. For months, she had watched the congregation invest significant volunteer energy and money in one large annual community event. A new proposal would redirect much of that effort toward several smaller neighborhood partnerships throughout the year, and she believed the change was worth making.
Imagine a pastor who, by Wednesday afternoon, has already been pulled into three situations that are not quite crises. Two members who are frustrated with each other want the pastor to carry messages back and forth rather than speak directly. A ministry leader has discovered that a volunteer did not complete an assignment and wonders
Servant Leadership Does Not Mean Absorbing Every Demand Read More »
A new governing-body member arrives at the first meeting with a folder full of material. There are bylaws, last month’s minutes, a budget, perhaps a policy manual, and a list of names that still does not make entirely clear who is responsible for what. Before long, the agenda reaches an item requiring a decision. Someone
What Every Church Board Member Needs to Understand Before Serving Read More »
The church wanted to hire a part-time family ministry coordinator. The pastor had identified the need and drafted a position description. The personnel committee refined it. The finance committee confirmed that the budget could carry the position. By the time the proposal reached the governing board, everyone seemed to agree that the hire should move
Who Actually Has the Authority to Decide? Read More »
A church board approves a multi-year agreement allowing a community organization to use much of the church building. The arrangement seems to fit the congregation’s current understanding of its ministry. Leaders discuss insurance, scheduling, responsibilities, and cost. The board votes, the agreement is announced, and people begin preparing for the partnership. A few days later,
When the Church Breaks Its Own Rules Read More »
Imagine a congregation preparing to launch a tutoring ministry in the fall. The board approved the program during the annual budget process. Volunteers are interested, ministry leaders have begun planning, and projected giving for the year is sufficient to cover the expense. Then the treasurer points to a problem no one noticed when the budget
When the Budget Says Yes but the Cash Says Not Yet Read More »
