Insights to Share (ASSC)

Created on February 2nd, 2012

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

Improve Your Communication: Q&A with Kem Meyer

By Kem Meyer
Your 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

Find Your Niche

By Martin Thielen
Before 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

Helping Newcomers Feel at Home

By Ministry Matters
Nine 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

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

Welcoming Visitors with Children

By Rita Hays
Jeff 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

John Q. Gets Red Carpet Treatment

By John Q. Visitor
Just 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

Why I Like Contemporary Worship

By Jessica Miller Kelley
I 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

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

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