Category Archives: congregational life

”Everything takes five years”

Posted on October 29, 2008 by Israel Galindo

These past few weeks I’ve had ocassion to be reminded of what my friend Margaret says about bringing about change in congregations, which is, ”Everything takes five years.” While that’s a bit tounge-in-cheek, it’s not far from the truth. Over … Continue reading →

Posted in congregational life, leadership, second chair | 1 Comment

A list of names

Posted on October 23, 2008 by Israel Galindo

At a recent workshop with a group of ministers from another denomination I asked the participants to introduce themselves and include in their introduction information about their context. When describing their context all participants shared the membership size of their … Continue reading →

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The one year seminary

Posted on October 22, 2008 by Israel Galindo

Every once is a while (like last month, in fact) I get a call from a church leaders wanting guidance and ideas about creating a mini-seminary in their congregations. While that idea is driven by a desire to make Christian … Continue reading →

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The theory of hype

Posted on October 21, 2008 by Israel Galindo

Cleaning out some files I came across a listing of some businesses I’d done consultations for some years ago. The list was from the early nineties when I was doing more consultations with businesses and corporations than I do now. … Continue reading →

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The power of multigenerational transmission in congregations

Posted on October 15, 2008 by Israel Galindo

The Bowen theory concept of multigenerational transmission in families, although often difficult to accept, is logically appreciated. Families pass along habits, traditions, beliefs, grudges, feuds, genes, and emotional process down the generations. That force can be as powerful as a … Continue reading →

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Playing ball, playing nice

Posted on September 11, 2008 by Israel Galindo

I’m not a big fan of sports analogies or metaphors, especially from the pulpit and in reference to matters spiritual. I find them at least irksome and at times insufferable. When in seminary a local church pastor (whose church we … Continue reading →

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How to Handle a Dysfunctional Staff Colleague

Posted on August 28, 2008 by Israel Galindo

I’ve had a string of conversations recently with supervisors related to troubling staff. Few things seem as frustrating as working with underfunctioning or incompetent staff persons. Ironically, the overwhelming feeling by supervisors is one of powerlessness in the face of … Continue reading →

Posted in administration, bowen family systems theory, congregational life, leadership, personal growth, second chair | 5 Comments

Can you stop sabotage?

Posted on August 14, 2008 by Israel Galindo

I received a cryptic e-mail from a friend recently. She’s less than a year into a new church staff position. In her e-mail she asked the question, “Can you stop sabotage?” She didn’t go into details, but obviously, something’s going … Continue reading →

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What your mother said

Posted on August 5, 2008 by Israel Galindo

Most of us carry a little tape in our heads of things our mothers said repeatedly. And sometimes we repeat those things, often unintentionally mimicking mom’s voice. One of those things your mother probably said, especially if you had siblings, … Continue reading →

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Possibility and potentiality

Posted on August 4, 2008 by Israel Galindo

I had an interesting conversation with a local church minister who expressed frustration about his congregation’s failure to live fully into its possibility. That’s not an uncommon frustration for pastors and local church leaders. But I’ve found it helpful to … Continue reading →

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