"I lost five council members when I tried to make changes."

This candid admission from a church leader captures the real challenges of leading congregations today. In this special Q&A episode, hosts Alicia Granholm, Dwight Zscheile, and Terri Elton tackle your most pressing questions about church leadership and change.

Drawing from questions submitted by listeners in the field, our hosts explore how to build motivation for change, ways to discern God's will as a community, practical approaches to neighborhood ministry for commuter churches, and strategies for building trust while leading through lament. Whether you're facing council resistance or seeking to guide your congregation into God's future, this episode offers both practical wisdom and spiritual encouragement for the journey. Featuring insights on the "five whys" exercise, storytelling practices for building trust, and scripture-based approaches to discernment from Acts 16.

Resources Mentioned:

• “Grounded in God: Listening Hearts Discernment for Group Deliberations” Morehouse Publishing, 1996) by Suzanne G. Farnham et al.
• “Pursuing God’s Will Together” by Ruth Haley Barton, D.D.
• Acts 16 passage on discernment

Mentioned in this episode:

Register for Faith+Lead's School for Lay Ministry Starting May 17th!

Learn more and register at faithlead.org/schoolforlay.

May 2025 School for Lay Ministry Cohort