Principles & Practice

Every day, you face challenges as a Christian leader. Turn to our Principles & Practice topics for guidance, insight and inspiration.

  • Faith changes the nature of leadership. What distinguishes Christian leadership from other forms of leadership is its purpose -- to cultivate thriving communities that bear witness to the reign of God. View topic »

  • Traditioned innovation -- envisioning the future by honoring the church’s past -- is a way of thinking about how the church engages the world. Consider how to develop missional work and live out the Gospel message in response to great needs both in the United States and abroad. View topic »

  • Vibrant institutions are attentive to economic strategies and practices that enable their sustenance and growth. How can Christian leaders deploy sound business principles and be true to the call to make sacrifices and to serve others in the Gospel? View topic »

  • The resurrection focuses our attention on God’s abundant gifts. Sharing snapshots of hopeful communities and their members opens our eyes to innovative expressions of ministry and connects us to the comprehensive story of God. View topic »

  • Conversations about leadership often begin with the pragmatic. How does the conversation change when we start with our underlying theological convictions? View topic »

  • A way of thinking and being that holds the past and future in tension, not in opposition, is crucial to the growth and vitality of Christian institutions. Traditioned innovation is an inner-biblical way of thinking theologically about the texture of human life in the context of God’s gracious and redemptive self-disclosure. View topic »

  • Christian wisdom is nurtured over the course of time in institutions that act as bearers of tradition, laboratories for learning and incubators of leadership. The practice of thinking institutionally requires Christian leaders to embody Christian virtues and to focus attention on the larger purposes of an institution. View topic »

  • The interplay among God, work, family and the individual presents complex joys and challenges. What does it mean for our priorities that God’s call lures us into relationship -- with God, with one another and with the whole of creation? View topic »

  • Caring for the health of body, mind, soul and spirit opens the Christian leader to the riches of God’s transformative grace. Explore the life-giving habits and practices that enrich participation in God’s redemptive work. View topic »

  • The art of leading involves reading across disciplines and integrating that learning into the story of God. Read about the practical skills Christian leaders need, as well as strategic and imaginative ways of thinking. View topic »