Parish Paper

Ideas and Insights for Active Congregations


The Parish Paper will end after the June 2022 issue.

Wisconsin Conference United Church of Christ‘s purchase of a subscription to The Parish Paper includes:

  1. Permission to provide copies to the congregations within our jurisdiction in any of the following ways: e-mail, postal, newspaper, newsletter, meetings, training events, and our website.
  1. Permission for each congregation within our jurisdiction to (a) photocopy or electronically distribute for local use as many copies as it needs; (b) post them on its website, and; (c) quote sentences and paragraphs.

Congregations within the Wisconsin Conference United Church of Christ to which we distribute The Parish Paper do NOT have permission (a) to delete the copyright ownership notice; (b) to re-write, paraphrase, delete, or change the wording of sentences and paragraphs or; (c) to give ANY THIRD PARTY — other than our staff and constituents – permission to photocopy or reprint (in any quantity, no matter how small, whether for free distribution or for sale).

Small Groups are the Church’s Past and Future – June 2022

Reaching Out to Low-Income Neighbors – May 2022

New Life for Older Buildings – April 2022

Bringing a Community Project into Focus – March 2022

Prepare for Community Engagement through Study – February 2022

Planning the Future by Appreciating the Past – January 2022

How to Plan a Community Project – December 2021

Thinking Flexibly about Our Buildings – November 2021

Get to Know the Neighborhood with a Community Tour – October 2021

Bringing the Power of Groups to Prison Ministry – September 2021

Building Lasting Strength through Community Development – August 2021

Is Drive-In Church a Good Idea? – July 2021

Is it Time to Relocate? – June 2021

How Can We Overcome Barriers to Vaccination? – May 2021

Readiness is the Key to Congregational Change – April 2021

How Can We Build Trust in a Vaccine – March 2021

Connect with Spiritual Seekers Through the Arts – February 2021

Build a Robust Network – January 2021

Using Surveys to Guide Decision Making – December 2020

Building Relationships in Livestream Worship – November 2020

How to Foster Deep Listening Amid Political Difference – October 2020

Getting Started with Livestreaming – September 2020

Hospitality: Offering a Third Place to Gather – August 2020

Care, Leadership and Self-Renewal in Uncertain Times – July 2020

Six Tools for Managing Volunteers – June 2020

Yes, Congregations Can Learn New Habits – May 2020

Enlist Specialists to Improve Outreach Ministry – April 2020

What is the Emerging Church? – March 2020

Get to Know the Community through Mapping – February 2020

Repurpose Worship Space, Don’t Rebuild – January 2020

Writing as a Tool for Community Engagement – December 2019

Learning to Love Variety in Worship Song Selection – November 2019

Let’s Take a Walk: The Ministry of Accompaniment – October 2019

A Team Approach to Worship Design – September 2019

Learn More About Your Congregation through Focus Groups – August 2019

Team Talk Can Strengthen Volunteer Ministry – July 2019

Overcome Volunteer Burnout by Building Capacity – June 2019

Tips for Starting and Managing a Worship Band – May 2019

Building Your Community Ties with a Block Party – April 2019

Media Technology for Worship – March 2019

What is Contemporary Worship? – February 2019

Defining Church Vitality: Let Me Count the Ways – January 2019

Getting to Know Our Neighbors: One on One Interviews – December 2018

How to Develop Habits for Well-Being – November 2018

Don’t Disagree, Deliberate: How to Lead Community Conversations in Your Church – October 2018

Checking Up on Clergy Health – September 2018

How to Raise Money for Your Community Projects – August 2018

Inviting, Informing, and Including Newcomers – July 2018

Making the Nursery a Place of Belonging – June 2018

How to Balance Hospitality and Church Security – May 2018

Church Energy Use: Can We Harness Hope? – April 2018

Finding Significance as a Small Church- March 2018

Best Practices for Church Members Serving as Staff – February 2018

18 Questions for 2018 – January 2018

Does Our Pastor Need a Job Description? – December 2017

Mistakes Churches Make During an Interim Ministry – November 2017

Short-Term Mission Trips that Yield Long-Term Success – October 2017

Equipping Volunteers Builds a Strong Church Community – September 2017

What Promotes Hope? – August 2017

How Can We Help Immigrants? – July 2017

Ministry in the Midst of Tragedy – June 2017

Financing the Local Church: What Does it Cost? – May 2017

Small is Big Again: Reclaiming Small Church Ministry – April 2017

Guide to Good Governance – March 2017

How do Congregations Respond to Interfaith Couples? – February 2017

Conquering the Cutback Syndrome – January 2017

Can We Wait for God’s Spark? – December 2016

Does Your Congregation Suffer from Anxiety? – November 2016

Keeping Up with the Pastor’s Pay – October 2016

What Keeps Congregations From Implementing New Ideas? – September 2016

Multiple Roads to a Multicultural Church – August 2016

When Charity Brings Anything But Relief – July 2016

Making Congregations Greener – June 2016

How Do New People Hear about Your Church? – May 2016

How to Deal with Church Conflict – April 2016

What Numbers Matter for Congregations? Lessons from Five-Year Trends – March 2016

The Payday Lending Crisis: What Can Congregations Do? – February 2016

How Ministry Teams Get Things Done – January 2016

Improving Church Communication – December 2015

Navigating the Currents of Endowments and Reserve Funds – November 2015

New Models for New Churches: What Works? – October 2015

Can Congregations Reach Young Adults? – September 2015

How to Enhance the Ministry of Associate Pastors – August 2015

Congregational Strength is Always Plural – July 2015

Could a Lack of Curiosity Kill the Church? – June 2015

Seeking a Bivocational Calling for Pastors and Churches – May 2015

Finding God’s New Call in the Same Place – April 2015

What Churches Can do to Increase Social Media Security – March 2015

How to Avoid the Potholes on the Road to Retirement – February 2015

Our Future Pastors: Assessing the State of the Pipeline – January 2015

How to Make the Most of a Consulting Process – December 2014

Should We Consider Closing Our Church? – November 2014

How Can We Prevent Suicide? – October 2014

Back to School: How Churches Can Partner with Local Schools – September 2014

Do Your Mission and Method Fit Your Size? – August 2014

What Type of Follower Attends Our Church? – July 2014

Caring for the Caregivers – June 2014

How to Welcome Children with Autism and Their Families – May 2014

E-Giving: It’s about More than Money – April 2014

Consequences of Clergy Turnover – March 2014

A Parable about Pastoral Leadership – February 2014

Big Ministry Trends for 2014 – January 2014

Why a Sense of Belonging Matters – December 2013

E-Newsletters: Worth More Than You Know – November 2013

Growth or Decline? 10 Key Questions About Worship Attendance – October 2013

Disaster Relief: Congregations in the Eye of the Storm – September 2013

Clergy Groups: Are They Worth the Investment? – August 2013

The Great Recession: Its Effects on Congregations and What We Learned – July 2013

Making Informed Decisions during Times of Change – June 2013

Important Conversations: How to Avoid the Sand Traps – May 2013

Oral Communication: How to Strengthen Our Effectiveness – April 2013

What Leadership Style Works in Our Church? – March 2013

Can You Downsize Staff Without Destroying Your Congregation? – February 2013

How to Avoid Pastor Burnout – January 2013

Preventing Church Fraud – October 2012

Where are the Unchurched? – September 2012

Keys to Growing a Small Church – August 2012

What Message are we Sending about Giving? – July 2012

Mission Possible: More Men in the Pews – June 2012

How to Turn Bystanders into Active Disciples – May 2012

How is Your Congregation’s Health? – April 2012

What Type of Future are we Building? – March 2012

How to Manage Change Resistance – February 2012

How to Perfect Your Leadership Triangle – January 2012

How do we Successfully Launch a New Project? – December 2011

Should We Unleash the Power of Congregational Planning? – November 2011

Why Do Smart Churches Make Dumb Decisions? – October 2011

Why Do People Connect with Christ and a Congregation? – September 2011

How to Prevent Bad Behavior during Times of Change – August 2011

How to Select Quality Staff – July 2011

What is the Pastor’s Role in Church Finances? – June 2011

When Does Success Lead to Failure? – May 2011

Incoming Pastors: Building Smoother Transition Bridges – April 2011

Does a Congregation’s Location Influence Its Effectiveness? – March 2011

Accomplishing Worthy Goals: Being Smart is Not Enough! – February 2011

What is Your Unconscious Intent? – January 2011

Fifty Years Later: What Has Changed? – December 2010

What Are the Big-Picture Trends in Congregations? – November 2010

Why are Worship Visitors Important? – October 2010

Planning for the Unexpected Financial Crisis – September 2010

How Much Should We Pay Our Pastor? – August 2010

Should Our Congregation Use Internet Social Media? – July 2010

Why Does Mentoring Succeed and Fail? – June 2010

Generous Givers: A Product of Motivation and Methods – May 2010

What Can We Learn from the Emerging Church Movement? April 2010

New Trends in Belonging – March 2010

Should We Fine-Tune Our Church’s Internal Culture? – February 2010

Become Comfortable with Conflict: Step One to Moving Beyond It! – January 2010

Are We a Leader-Sending Congregation? – December 2009

Seven Roads to a Multicultural Congregation – November 2009

Additional Free Resources From The Parish Paper
www.theparishpaper.com/free-resources

Sign up for our newsletter!

 

Contact Us

(608) 846-7880