By: Tammy Dunahoo on May 11, 2019
I was recently asked by a fairly new pastor to consult with their church leadership team in order to develop and articulate their mission, values and vision for the future. Having worked through Robert J. Clinton’s Leadership Emergence Theory for many years I wondered if the same process could be similarly effective for a church.[1]…
By: John Muhanji on May 10, 2019
Is there a church that has no conflicts among its members, leaders, pastors and leaders and any other pet conflict despite praying and fellowshipping together on a common goal on God? Since I started becoming severe in church leadership, we have been dealing with very many church conflicts in various categories. However, something interesting is…
By: Rhonda Davis on May 10, 2019
I am sure I echo the sentiment of many of my cohort-mates who desire to bring change in their contexts, that this was a refreshing look at a complicated matter. Diane Zemke uses her expertise in leadership studies, combined with a clear passion for the church, to provide an informed, insightful look at congregational change.…
By: Sean Dean on May 9, 2019
I had an interesting discussion last month with several pastors. We were discussing the way churches and parachurch ministries interact with each other. Several of the pastors mentioned that there is an unspoken tension or competition when a non-profit comes into the church and needs funding. Most people only have so much money to use…
By: Rev Jacob Bolton on May 9, 2019
This book was a fun one to read. Being SMART about Congregational Change by Diane Zemke was incredibly applicable to my immediate ministry context and my dissertation research. For anyone working in a parish setting I would highly recommend this succinct, well researched, and fascinating text. Zemke, a Gonzaga trained expert in Leadership Studies lays…
By: Andrea Lathrop on May 9, 2019
Dr. Zemke’s well-written book on congregational change is timely given the shifting landscape of the Church in America. Most U.S. denominations are experiencing declines in attendance and engagement. She has spent her life trying to understand churches and offers wisdom to navigate a way forward through the necessary change. Everyone can gain from being more…
By: Digby Wilkinson on May 9, 2019
Losing the will to live is a rather common experience of pastors in transitional ministry. If not that extreme, living on the edge of “losing your mind” is a routine occurrence. Consequently, Diane Zemke’s book, Being SMART about Congregational Change, could easily be something of a godsend to church leaders, assuming they read it early…
By: Mario Hood on May 9, 2019
Diane Zemke holds a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from Gonzaga University, with a focus on enacting congregational change. Zemke, in Being SMART About Congregational Change, writes about the tools and resources necessary to enact, embrace and encounter congregational change. Zemke provides an easy to read but insightful book that is laid out in three sections.…
By: Jenn Burnett on May 9, 2019
“Appreciating difference is not easy.”[1] Most people have a tendency to gravitate to people who are more like themselves. In fact, “[f]amiliarity is the most powerful predictor of friendship.”[2] It’s easier being around people who are like minded because we can predict their actions, which decreases fear and stress.[3] Given the amount of stress in…
By: Karen Rouggly on May 9, 2019
Diane Zemke is a wealth of knowledge. Zemke earned a PhD in Leadership studies from Gonzaga University, and has been working for many years in the academy. She has also been an active consultant for faith communities to process through change and transition to come out healthier on the other side. In her book,…
By: Harry Edwards on May 8, 2019
I‘ve been thinking about Diane Zemke’s work in Being SMART about Congregation Change when she pointed out that churches are either founded on the concept of common identity or common bond. She explained that churches founded on common identity tend to form around a shared vision of the founding members.1 Churches that start like this…
By: Harry Fritzenschaft on May 4, 2019
Zemke earned a PhD in Leadership Studies from Gonzaga University, with a focus on enacting congregational change.[1] She also serves as a Project Faculty member for Portland Seminary’s Doctor of Ministry Leadership and Global Perspectives track. Of all our assigned readings, this is the first opportunity where I have met and interacted with the author.…
By: John Muhanji on April 14, 2019
Brene Brown has touched the core of failure in our leadership. In her book “Dare to Lead: Brave Work, Tough Conversation, Whole Hearts,” she surprises many by encouraging them to learn how to fail and fall. She also introduces very well what breaks or build us strong is vulnerability. It is defined as the emotion…
By: Wallace Kamau on April 14, 2019
Nelson Mandela is famously quoted as saying that courage is not the absence of fear but the triumph over fear. I found the quote relevant to the Brene Brown’s book, Dare to Lead and her emphasis on courage as key to leading successfully. I believe courage is the one competence that distinguishes great achievers and…
By: Mary Mims on April 12, 2019
Vulnerability is a word I have always had trouble pronouncing and sometimes difficulty practicing. Growing up in an urban environment, vulnerability was associated with weakness and weakness will get you killed. It is not that I grew up in such a bad neighborhood, but it is just that vulnerability implies trust, and trust is not…
By: Nancy VanderRoest on April 12, 2019
Leadership holds a different meaning for me today than it did a few years ago when I was serving as Director of the American Red Cross, Director of the Kalamazoo Gospel Mission, and finally Director of the Kalamazoo Prayer Center – all over a 20-year span. Back then, leadership to me meant “expert of everything,…
By: Harry Fritzenschaft on April 12, 2019
Brown’s Dare to Lead describes the four skills needed to become a courageous leader. The first skill is Rumbling with Vulnerability. Brown had assumed that the biggest barrier to courageous leadership would be fear, but her research indicated that fear is not a barrier. The real barrier is how people armor themselves to deal with fear. Curiosity…
By: Digby Wilkinson on April 11, 2019
I can understand why Brené Brown is so popular. The women in my life have been harassing me for some time that I need to watch Brown speaking on vulnerability through her TED Talk.[1] That led me to scan through Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent,…
By: Karen Rouggly on April 11, 2019
Today, I was belittled on the phone. A man, whom I’ll call Ted, had a problem with his daughter going on the mission trip my office is organizing. More specifically, he had a problem with the money his daughter is raising to go on the mission trip my office is organizing. Ted felt that it…
By: Andrea Lathrop on April 11, 2019
Brené Brown is a shame and vulnerability research professor that I have been casually following for some years. Her Dare to Lead book is the recent offering of her research to the workplace. It seems slightly counter-cultural to bring these subjects to work and yet I think we are desperate for it. When it comes…
