April 7, 2020
In the last few years there’s been a surge of congregations interested in their communities. Nearly 10% of all Center for Congregations calls include some type of community involvement. For many congregations, the first step is to gather data about the area. The Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) provides the ARDA Community Profile Builder,…
March 26, 2020
I’ve “attended” several synagogue and church worship services over the last weeks and must report my disappointment. That’s a nice way of saying that most really stink. Live streaming a regular worship service just doesn’t work. Remember that as soon as you put something on a screen, the viewer compares it to everything else they…
November 21, 2019
Websites are the “front door” for congregations, and having a web presence is no longer optional. Visitors often search for a new church home online. Savvy congregations even use their websites to gather information from people. Investing the right resources in a website can help your congregation attract new visitors and better interact with members.…
January 14, 2019
Center for Congregations CRG Director Aaron Spiegel spoke with Gerardo Martí about his recent CRG guest blog post. Gerardo is a professor, researcher and author of Latino Protestants in America. Below are highlights of their conversation. Aaron: What are the primary motivators for American Latinos moving from Catholicism to Protestantism? Gerardo: Roman Catholic observers have…
December 11, 2015
Increasingly, all kinds of congregations are actively externally focused. I’ve observed this since 2008. The change is remarkable. Really! The energy is so powerful. The conversations exciting. The possibilities abundant. At the Center for Congregations, we receive calls daily from congregational leaders and members inquiring about outreach. “We want to start a partnership with…