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Presbytery of Southeastern Illinois

A community in which God in Christ is present in our relationships, and the Spirit is apparent in our actions of welcome, hospitality, witness, leadership, and service

The Parish Paper

For several years, the Presbytery of Southeastern Illinois subscribed to The Parish Paper, a monthly newsletter of ideas and insights for active congregations founded in 1971 by Lyle S. Schaller. The newsletter ceased publication in 2022.

The Presbytery of Southeastern Illinois’ purchase of photocopy rights for The Parish Paper includes:

Congregations do NOT have permission (a) to delete the copyright notice on page 2; (b) to re-write, paraphrase, or change the wording of sentences and paragraphs; or (c) to give ANY THIRD PARTY—other than staff and constituents—permission to photocopy or reprint (in any quantity, no matter how small, whether for free distribution or for sale).

The image of an issue of The Parish Paper

2019

February 2019–Vol. 27, 2: What Is Contemporary Worship?

January 2019–Vol. 27, 1: Defining Church Vitality: Let Me Count the Ways

2018

December 2018–Vol. 26, 12: Getting to Know Our Neighbors: One-on-One Interviews

November 2018–Vol. 26, 11: How to Develop Habits for Well-Being

October 2018–Vol. 26, 10: Don’t Disagree, Deliberate

September 2018–Vol. 26, 9: Checking Up on Clergy Health

August 2018–Vol. 26, 8: How to Raise Money for Your Community Projects

July 2018–Vol. 26, 7: Inviting Informing and Including Newcomers

June 2018–Vol. 26, 6: Making the Nursery a Place of Belonging

May 2018–Vol-26, 5: How to Balance Hospitality and Church Security

April 2018–Vol. 26, 4: Church Energy Use: Can We Harness Hope?

March 2018–Vol. 26, 3: Finding Significance as a Small Church

February 2018–Vol. 26, 2: Best Practices for Church Members Serving as Staff

January 2018–Vol. 26, 1: 18 Questions for 26

2017

December 2017–Vol. 25, 12: Does Our Pastor Need a Job Description?

November 2017–Vol. 25, 11: Mistakes Churches Make During an Interim Ministry

October 2017–Vol. 25, 10: Short-Term Mission Trips that Yield Long-Term Success

September 2017–Vol. 25, 9: Equipping Volunteers Builds a Strong Church Community

August 2017–Vol. 25, 8: What Promotes Hope?

July 2017–Vol. 25, 7: How Can We Help Immigrants?

June 2017–Vol. 25, 6: Ministry in the Midst of Tragedy

May 2017–Vol. 25, 5: Financing the Local Church: What Does It Cost?

April 2017–Vol. 25, 4: Small Is Big Again: Reclaiming Small Church Ministry

March 2017–Vol. 25, 3: Guide to Good Governance

February 2017–Vol. 25, 2: How Do Congregations Respond to Interfaith Couples?

January 2017–Vol. 25, 1: Conquering the Cutback Syndrome

2016

December 2016–Vol. 24, 12: Can We Wait for God's Spark?

November 2016–Vol. 24, 11: Does Your Congregation Suffer from Anxiety?

October 2016–Vol. 24, 10: Keeping Up with the Pastor's Pay

September 2016–Vol. 24, 9: What Keeps Congregations from Implementing New Ideas?

August 2016–Vol. 24, 8: Multiple Roads to a Multicultural Congregation

July 2016–Vol. 24, 7: When Charity Brings Anything But Relief

June 2016, Vol. 24, 6: Making Congregations Greener

May 2016–Vol. 24, 5: How Do New People Hear about Your Church?

April 2016–Vol. 24, 4: How To Deal with Church Conflict

March 2016–Vol. 24, 3: What Numbers Matter for Congregations?

February 2016–Vol. 24, 2: The Payday Lending Crisis

January 2016–Vol. 24, 1: How Ministry Teams Get Things Done

2015

December 2015–Vol. 23, 12: Improving Church Communication

November 2015–Vol. 23, 11: Navigating the Currents of Endowments and Reserve Funds

October 2015–Vol. 23, 10: New Models for New Churches: What Works?

September 2015–Vol. 23, 9: Can Congregations Reach Young Adults?

August 2015–Vol. 23, 8: How To Enhance the Ministry of Associate Pastors

July 2015–Vol. 23, 7: Congregational Strength Is Always Plural

June 2015–Vol. 23, 6: Could Lack of Curiosity Kill the Church?

May 2015–Vol. 23, 5: Seeking a Bivocational Calling for Pastors and Churches

April 2015–Vol. 23, 4: Finding God's New Call in the Same Place

March 2015–Vol. 23, 3: What Churches Can Do to Increase Social Media Security

February 2015–Vol. 23, 2: How to Avoid the Potholes on the Road to Retirement

January 2015–Vol. 23, 1: Our Future Pastors: Assessing the State of the Pipeline

2014

December 2014–Vol. 22, 12: How to Make the Most of a Consulting Process

November 2014–Vol. 22, 11: Should We Consider Closing Our Church?

October 2014–Vol. 22, 10: How Can We Prevent Suicide?

September 2014–Vol. 22, 9: Back to School

August 2014–Vol. 22, 8: Do Your Mission and Method Fit Your Size?

July 2014–Vol. 22, 7: What Type of Follower Attends Our Church?

June 2014–Vol. 22, 6: Caring for the Caregivers

May 2014–Vol. 22, 5: How to Welcome Children with Autism and Their Families

April 2014–Vol. 22, 4: eGiving: It’s about More Than Money

March 2014–Vol. 22, 3: When Less Is More

February 2014–Vol. 22, 2: A Parable about Pastoral Leadership

January 2014–Vol. 22, 1: Big Ministry Trends for 22

2013

December 2013–Vol. 21, 12: Why a Sense of Belonging Matters

November 2013–Vol. 21, 11: E-Newsletters: Worth More Than You Know

October 2013–Vol. 21, 10: Growth or Decline?

September 2013–Vol. 21, 9: Disaster Relief: Congregations in the Eye of the Storm

August 2013–Vol. 21, 8: Clergy Groups: Are They Worth the Investment?

July 2013–Vol. 21, 7: The Great Recession: Its Effects on Congregations and What We Learned

June 2013–Vol. 21, 6: Making Informed Decisions during Times of Change

May 2013–Vol. 21, 5: Important Conversations: How to Avoid the Sand Traps

April 2013–Vol. 21, 4: Oral Communication: How to Strengthen Our Effectiveness

March 2013–Vol. 21, 3: What Leadership Style Works in Our Church?

February 2013–Vol. 21, 2: Can You Downsize Staff Without Destroying Your Congregation?

January 2013–Vol. 21, 1: How to Avoid Pastor Burnout

2012

December 2012–Vol. 20, 12: How to Use Our Five Senses to Experience the Wonder of Advent

November 2012–Vol. 20, 11: How to Maintain Church Health in a Declining Population County

October 2012–Vol. 20, 10: Preventing Church Fraud

September 2012–Vol. 20, 9: Where Are the Unchurched?

August 2012–Vol. 20, 8: Keys to Growing a Small Church

July 2012–Vol. 20, 7: What Message Are We Sending about Giving?

June 2012–Vol. 20, 6: Mission Possible: More Men in the Pews

May 2012–Vol. 20, 5: How to Turn Bystanders into Active Disciples

April 2012–Vol. 20, 4: How Is Your Congregation’s Health?

March 2012–Vol. 20, 3: What Type of Future Are We Building?

February 2012–Vol. 20, 2: How to Manage Change Resistance

January 2012–Vol. 20, 1: How to Perfect Your Leadership Triangle

2011

December 2011–Vol. 19, 12: How Do We Successfully Launch a New Project?

November 2011–Vol. 19, 11: Should We Unleash the Power of Congregational Planning?

October 2011–Vol. 19, 10: Why Do Smart Churches Make Dumb Decisions?

September 2011–Vol. 19, 9: Why Do People Connect with Christ and a Congregation?

August 2011–Vol. 19, 8: How to Prevent Bad Behavior During Times of Change

July 2011–Vol. 19, 7: How to Select Quality Staff

June 2011–Vol. 19, 6: What is the Pastor’s Role in Church Finances?

May 2011–Vol. 19, 5: When Does Success Lead to Failure?

April 2011–Vol. 19, 4: Incoming Pastors: Building Smoother Transition Bridges

March 2011–Vol. 19, 3: Does a Congregation’s Location Influence Its Effectiveness?

February 2011–Vol. 19, 2: Accomplishing Worthy Goals–Being Smart Is not Enough

January 2011–Vol. 19, 1: What Is Your Unconscious Intent?

2010

December 2010–Vol. 18, 12: Fifty Years Later: What Has Changed?

November 2010–Vol. 18, 11: What Are the Big-Picture Trends in Congregations?

October 2010–Vol. 18, 10: Why Are Worship Visitors Important?

September 2010–Vol. 18, 9: Planning for the Unexpected Financial Crisis

August 2010–Vol. 18, 8: How Much Should We Pay Our Pastor

July 2010–Vol. 18, 7: Should Congregations Use Internet Social Media?

June 2010–Vol. 18, 6: Why Does Mentoring Succeed and Fail?

May 2010–Vol. 18, 5: Generous Givers: A Product of Motivation and Methods

April 2010–Vol. 18, 4: What Can We Learn from the Emerging Church Movement?

March 2010–Vol. 18, 3: New Trends in Belonging

February 2010–Vol. 18, 2: Become Comfortable with Conflict: Step One to Moving Beyond It!

January 2010–Vol. 18, 1: Should We Fine-Tune Our Church’s Internal Culture?

2009

December 2009–Vol. 17, 12: Are We a Leader-Sending Congregation?

November 2009–Vol. 17, 11: Seven Roads to a Multicultural Congregation

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