Insights to Share (ASSC)
About This Bin
Good articles to share with our Alternative Service Steering Committee at Arlington UMC in Nashville, TN!

Improve Your Communication: Q&A with Kem Meyer
By Kem MeyerYour church has a valuable message to share. But before people in the congregation or community encounter that message, they encounter you. What are you saying? How are you… read more

Find Your Niche
By Martin ThielenBefore becoming a minister, I sold insurance for a major life insurance company. My first week on the job, my supervisor told me, “If you want to succeed in this business… read more

Helping Newcomers Feel at Home
By Ministry MattersNine tips for Welcoming Visitors in Worship
Accept and encourage casual attire.
Do not ask visitors to stand and identify themselves. Seventy percent of new… read more

Shaping Welcoming Spaces
By Susan Eaton Mendenhall"We shape our buildings and afterwards our buildings shape us.” These words of Winston Churchill continue to teach by example as we enter public buildings, churches, and… read more

Welcoming Visitors with Children
By Rita HaysJeff and Sally Wright are the parents of newborn baby Zack and they are visiting your church for the first time. Jeff and Sally may come away from their visit to your congregation … read more

John Q. Gets Red Carpet Treatment
By John Q. VisitorJust as secret shoppers help retailers know what real customers are experiencing in their stores, John (or Jane) Q. Visitor offers the real view from the pew in congregations… read more

Why I Like Contemporary Worship
By Jessica Miller KelleyI know the so-called "worship wars" are so 1990s, and I'm not even sure how they turned out. (Maybe the emergent church threw a wrench in all of it as a surprise third-party… read more

Why the Spirit Requires New Worship Practices
By Len Wilson"…the curtain of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom…" - Matthew 27:51
Matthew's gospel provides a brief but crucial detail of the Passion… read more

How a 200-Year-Old, Declining, County Seat Church Got Its Groove Back
By Martin Thielen“This is a different church,” exclaimed Randy after the early worship service. “I barely recognize the place!” Randy, a former member of our congregation… read more