If you practice mindfulness, then you stand the chance of noticing when your body is going into fight or flight mode and you can grab control, slow it down, and choose your response. LeaderWise offerings include opportunities for you to work on your emotional intelligence (which can help with self-awareness and self-regulation) and your conflict skills (on February 25th!) or you can enter into a 1:1 relationship through reflective pastoral supervision, coaching, or therapy. [Photo by Ashley Batz on Unsplash]

My LeaderWise colleagues and I have worked with many, many churches across the country who are desperate to reverse the trend of declining membership and dwindling budgets. They are constantly searching for the perfect program or offering that will bring people streaming through their doors. This is what’s known as the attractional model – believing that they can create a program, a worship service, or an outreach program that will be so valuable or interesting that people will be drawn to the church and will return it to the glory days when the building was full to bursting on a Sunday morning. [Photo by Benjamin Davies on Unsplash]

Ministry contexts also have a life cycle. The times of transition within ministry and/or society, for that matter, can cause people to feel fearful and anxious, anticipating an upcoming loss. The anxiety of “not enough” becomes prevalent. Some are experiencing diminishing resources in their denominations, ministry contexts, churches, etc. (think finances and people). The lack of resources has produced a sense of fear about the survival of their particular ministry and the church at large. As is common, the decline becomes the focus; clinging and grasping become the tools used to try to assuage the fear of the looming possible outcome.

I wonder how ministry contexts and faith communities might shift their perspective to view the resources they have as “enough.”

When it comes to building connection, it's valuable to know how much solitude and connectedness will energize you. [Photo by Milan Popovic on Unsplash]

We don’t have to experience the LA fires firsthand to feel like we are a part of a world on fire. Both literally and figuratively. People are coming through the many doors of our different ministry contexts. They want a harbor, somewhere safe for a moment to relieve their anxiety, to know that they aren’t alone, to make meaning of it all, and to renew their vision of a hopeful future. How do you create such a sanctuary when the world is on fire? How do you show up for those who need you? [Photo by Emad El Byed on Unsplash]

Four steps we can take as spiritual leaders to shift from anxiety to a more constructive mindset.

In this video interview with LeaderWise's emilie boggis, spiritual director Susan Miller shares how everyday life is a spiritual life.

Next time your body tells you it’s time for connection, instead of pushing away the emotion, try one of these proven activities. They don’t take much time at all, and they are antidotes to loneliness and isolation. [Photo by jaikishan patel on Unsplash]

Sweet Darkness - Visiting a poem in practice of embracing the tension and complexity of what this season holds.

We live in an age where there is most certainly a tyranny of choice. Want a good book to get lost in? Interested in listening to a podcast on your commute? How do you choose? We asked LeaderWise staff about their favorite reads and audio dives of 2024. What’s clear from the recommendations is that books help us face what needs to be faced while podcasts emerge as practices of resilience. 

An Interview with LeaderWise spiritual director John Lee.

The varied backgrounds, traditions, and expertise of LeaderWise staff contribute to our strength and enable us to work collaboratively and with care for our communities (you!) and each other. And so with grateful hearts we have welcomed new staff members to our team, and we’re happy to introduce them to you!

Resilience is a practice. During the summer of 2023, we shared a series that included eleven tangible steps that helping professionals can take to support their own resilience. We wanted to remind you of these tools and resources so that you can continue to serve those who need you. [Photo by Maksym Kaharlytskyi on Unsplash]

As citizens, today—Election Day—it is our responsibility to vote. But our responsibilities don’t end there. The rest of the year we can commit to local participation, getting proximate, to building bridges. To inspire & support you, LeaderWise offers a few tools from our staff grounded in their hard-won stories. [Photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash]

This article may or may not apply to your context. At the time of its writing, this commentary represents Christian mainline denominational churches in the USA. While each church is unique in its experiences, certain themes have been observed by LeaderWise consultants. [Photo by Ksenia Makagonova on Unsplash]

An Interview with LeaderWise spiritual director Heidi Lender.

By understanding your “tuning” to conflict, developing your self-management skills, and expanding your repertoire of conflict management approaches, you can shift your relationship with conflict and begin to develop increased confidence when (not if) a conflict arises in your church, relationships, or elsewhere.

[Photo by joesef key on Unsplash]

At LeaderWise, we have seen situations in which anxiety and dysfunction in systems can have devastating consequences, which is why we developed Beyond Boundaries, our advanced boundaries training. Beyond Boundaries picks up where NYABT leaves off, assuming that participants have done the necessary work to understand and enhance their own personal wellness and taking the work a step farther into the tasks of understanding and strengthening their own resilience. Through a series of large group learning, small group practice and conversation, and individual reflection, Beyond Boundaries participants are guided through a process that will enhance their resilience and fortify their ability to differentiate themselves from the unhealthy and dysfunctional patterns that frequently arise in anxious systems. Beyond Boundaries equips leaders not only to resist getting caught up in dysfunction but also to contribute to the work of restoring health to anxious systems. [Photo by Guilherme Stecanella on Unsplash]