Guest commentary by Michelle Henrichs Our congregation sold all of our real estate and has lived to tell about it. Heritage Presbyterian Church in Muskego, Wisconsin, has a familiar story to tell: graying and declining membership, budget deficits and an aging building. As we entered 2016, we had just over 100 members on the rolls and approximately 40 in worship each week. But then, it seemed like the decisive blow occurred: Our well water was deemed unsuited to drink. We tried several fixes, including digging a new well, but continued to get a failing test. In May 2015, the Department of Natural Resources gave us one year to hook up to city water (financially unsound) – or lose our occupancy permit. During this time, the congregation held conversations about their future. We met with another Presbyterian church just a few miles away. We discussed selling or developing a parcel of land belonging to the church in hopes of receiving enough sale or rental income to move … [Read more...]

In the last 30-plus years as I’ve served seven congregations as a pastor, only a few were officially called “interim ministry.” But from this vantage point I would call every single one of them “transitional ministry.” In each congregation, whether we knew it at the time or not (and early on I did not!), we were experiencing what might be called a capital-T kind of Transition. Now we use phrases like post-Christendom, post-modern, post-denominational or emerging church to describe the tectonic shifts that were (and still are) taking place. There can be varying degrees of awareness in congregations about this type of Change or Transition.   Sometimes it gets expressed as a subtle, inarticulate unrest or grief in congregational life. Other times it can be a very outspoken discontent, or can even comes out as a more accusatory, Who stole my church? But of course, there are also the zillion and one mini-changes or micro-transitions that get spelled out in the life of congregations … [Read more...]

Guest commentary by Donna Holmes, with contributions from Dee Anderson, Jake Brandt and Bob Patton August 9, 2017, marked Habitat for Humanity’s Pastors’ Build Day in Milwaukee. It was an opportunity for pastors to join in building safe, affordable housing for those in need. In 2000, a group of representatives from churches of the Presbytery of Milwaukee met and formed the Presbyterian Coalition for Milwaukee Habitat. Each year, a number of churches in the presbytery provided funding and workers to help build homes in the city. According to Bob Patton, a member at Crossroads Presbyterian Church and the former Milwaukee Habitat board president: “We do framing of the homes, insulation, drywall, paint and install the finish wood work. Our team works every Wednesday, some Saturdays and during the two or three framing weeks each year.” “Our churches have partially or fully funded one home each year. This year the Presbytery of Milwaukee, Crossroads, Wauwatosa, Immanuel, and … [Read more...]