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Transforming Church Boards into Communities by Charles M. Olsen Pdf
Discover inspiring, practical ways your board can make its meetings become opportunities for deepening faith, developing leadership, and church renewal. Research included interviews with lay leaders; clergy; and seminary, judicatory, and denominational staff from mainline Protestant, Roman Catholic, Jewish, and Evangelical Christian faith traditions.
Discerning God's Will Together by Danny E. Morris,Charles M. Olsen Pdf
Bible study, research, and fieldwork merge in this book of practical principles for decision making by spiritual discernment. The step-by-step approach can be used to help any size group learn a new way to make decisions--a way that is interactive, spiritual, and rooted in faith practices and community. Small groups, committees, church boards, church leaders at all levels, and seminary professors will find this book valuable. This is a revised and updated version of the book, originally published in 1997. This new version inclused revised and updated material, as well as a new introduction by Charles Olsen.
Transforming the Mainline Church by Robert A. Chesnut Pdf
In Transforming the Mainline Church, Robert Chesnut provides valuable lessons for inner-city churches. He urges congregations to be more open to diversity, to emphasize the arts and music, to support entrepreneurial leadership, and to move beyond denominational concerns to an approach that responds to the religious hungers of a new generation.
Pursuing God's Will Together by Ruth Haley Barton Pdf
Logos Book of the Year Meetings can sap our energy, rupture community and thoroughly demoralize us. They can go on forever with no resolution. Or they can rush along without consensus just to "get through the agenda." What if there was another way? Church boards and other Christian leadership teams have long relied on models adapted from the business world. Ruth Haley Barton, president of the Transforming Center, helps teams transition to a much more suitable model—the spiritual community that discerns God's will together. In these pages you will discover personal and group practices that will lead you into a new way of experiencing community and listening to God together.
Transform Your Church with Ministry Teams by E. Stanley Ott Pdf
The concept of "ministry teams" is rapidly taking hold in churches, but just what are they and how do they work? Transform Your Church with Ministry Teams outlines what effective ministry teams look like, describes what they can offer local congregations, and gives concrete step-by-step suggestions for making them happen. The power of ministry teams lies in their unique capacity to generate genuine Christian fellowship, nurture disciples, develop leaders, and mobilize people for ministry. While traditional church leadership organizations concentrate almost exclusively on task, policy, and program, ministry teams are designed to enhance faith development and, thus, ministry effectiveness. E. Stanley Ott explores three main areas of ministry-team development. First, he explains the philosophy behind ministry teams and discusses the issues involved in shifting from committee-based to team-based ministry. Second, he tells how to begin ministry teams, including how to identify team leaders and members and how to determine their roles. Third, he looks at the details of ministry-team life, including ways to build team fellowship, foster discipleship and communication within teams, and accomplish specific ministry tasks. Filled with wise, time-tested advice, including four how-to appendixes, this book will help pastors and lay leaders transform the life of their church or Christian organization.
During the past 30 years, a quiet revolution has taken place in Christianity. People of all ages are finding the need for daily prayer. Many are encountering Jesus anew through ancient yet new forms of prayer. "Quiet Pentecosts" are happening as Christians engage in spiritual practices. Congregations feel the power of the Holy Spirit at work as they participate in thoughtful reading of scripture, walking the labyrinth, prayerful listening to one another, spiritual direction, and more. At a time when denominations are declining and the church seems to be fighting for survival, Dwight Judy sees hope for the future in the practices of spiritual formation. "The practices of spiritual formation take us outside of the noisy and frenetic activity our popular culture encourages," Judy writes. "We need to be taught how to be together in a spirit of respectful listening to one another. We will not learn this art from our television commentators. We will rarely witness such moments of genuine care in national or international politics." In A Quiet Pentecost, he recounts the stories of more than 40 congregations being transformed by spiritual practices. This book addresses the following topics: evangelism and spiritual formation praying the scriptures (lectio divina) spiritual practices in small groups healing prayer multisensory worship (evening prayer and Taizé) congregational discernment prayer ministries health and wellness ministries centering prayer and much more! A wonderful resource for churches and individuals interested in reenergizing their spiritual life. Perfect for laypersons or clergy who want guidance in establishing or expanding spiritual formation ministries; also helpful for seminary classes.
Thompson, a prolific author of church leadership resources, believes the continuing decline in membership of mainline denominations and the increasing number of multicultural and multiracial churches call for a new way of thinking: ministers must begin to see their ministry differently in order to do their ministry differently. Treasures in Clay Jars is designed to provide persons in training for ministry with a paradigm-shifting framework to interpret and work effectively with the complex dynamics of local faith communities. Thompson takes an innovative approach by utilizing explicit and relevant conceptual and theoretical tools from the social sciences--sociology, economics, and cultural anthropology--to engage future pastors to minister effectively to twenty-first-century congregations. The book discusses congregations in five different ways: as social group, as bearer of meaning, as locus of exchange, as collective capacity, and as complex organization. A study guide is included for church leaders who would like to engage their congregations in this new paradigm of ministry.
Recovering Hope for Your Church by Edward H Hammett Pdf
"Why?" seems to be on the lips of many church, judicatory, and denominational leaders today. "Why has our church plateaued?" "Why are so few young leaders going into church-based ministries?" "Why are so few interested in church these days?" Recovering Hope uncovers the "whys," creating space to embrace new realities, commit to the tough road of recovery, and develop new skills, structures, and ministry designs through a process of spiritual discernment, congregational coaching, and a deeper reliance on the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit. Eddie Hammett, a Professional Certified Coach and Church and Clergy Coach for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina, provides a step-by-step process of hope and health to encourage, guide, and inspire pastors, leaders, churches, regions, and denominations that recovery of hope is possible. A TCP Leadership Series title.
This clear, beautifully written tool for congregations engaged in the discernment and search process is a balanced combination of spiritual reflection and practical advice, born of the author's extensive experience as deployment officer in the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey. The bonus of additional Appendix material, including a sample congregational questionnaire and other invaluable resources, available for free download below, make Calling Clergy a must-read book for parish search committees, vestry members, and other parish leaders.
From Nomads to Pilgrims by Diana Butler Bass,J. Stewart-Sicking Pdf
In The Practicing Congregation (Alban, 2004), Diana Butler Bass explored the phenomenon of "intentional congregations," an emerging style of congregational vitality in which churches creatively and intentionally re-appropriate traditional Christian practices such as hospitality, discernment, contemplative prayer, and testimony. Against the steady flow of stories highlighting "mainline decline," The Practicing Congregation suggested that there is a new and often overlooked renaissance occurring in mainline Protestant churches. The success of The Practicing Congregation made it clear that the next step was to provide examples that would illustrate the concepts laid out in that initial work. In From Nomads to Pilgrims, the editors continue to build this narrative, gathering specific stories of congregational vitality and transformation from participants in their research at the Project on Congregations of Intentional Practice, a Lilly Endowment Inc. funded study at Virginia Theological Seminary. Including stories from a variety of faith traditions across the U.S., From Nomads to Pilgrims explores: how intentional congregations develop ; how they negotiate the demands of interpreting traditional Christian practices in a postmodern culture ; how these practices lead to congregational and personal transformation. Each chapter is an instructive case study, illustrating a unique expression of the vitality experienced by a congregation that intentionally reclaims a traditional Christian practice. The pastors who have been involved in these congregations’ stories share their practical wisdom gained through the experience of leading these churches. - how intentional congregations develop - how they negotiate the demands of interpreting traditional Christian practices in a postmodern culture - how these practices lead to congregational and personal transformation.
Anyone concerned for the life and ministry of the church, who has a sense that things are not what they might be, and who is seeking a new understanding of congregational life and mission will find hope and help in the pages of this book. Jeff Jones takes his readers on a journey, providing a guidebook that maps out the factors facing congregations in this postmodern, post-Christendom world. With the heart of a pastor, Jones shows congregational leaders how to embrace the best parts of their church's rich heritage and reclaim it for a new day.
Leading Strategic Community Change by Jimmy Atkins Pdf
Leading Strategic Community Change explores the dynamics of leadership and strategic community change for churches and faith-based organizations. In doing so, it incorporates principles and practices from the fields of strategic planning, leadership, and organizational development. At the end of chapters there are exercises designed to reinforce the concepts discussed in the chapter. The appendices also include activities for churches and faith-based organizations to use with their congregations, boards, and executive ministry teams to develop a more effective plan for engaging the community in social and economic change. This book is based on the fundamental belief that churches and faith-based organizations are often closest to the needs of the poor and disenfranchised, but often lack the capital, human and financial, to implement community-based initiatives that lead to lasting change. However, if given the knowledge and expertise, churches and faith-based organizations can transform their surrounding communities and restore a sense of hope and renewal.
Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership by Ruth Haley Barton Pdf
"I'm tired of helping others enjoy God—I just want to enjoy God for myself." With this painful admission, Ruth Haley Barton invites us to an honest exploration of what happens when spiritual leaders lose track of their souls. Weaving together contemporary illustrations with penetrating insight from the life of Moses, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership explores topics such as responding to the dynamics of calling facing the loneliness of leadership leading from your authentic self cultivating spiritual community reenvisioning the promised land discerning God's will together Each chapter includes a spiritual practice to ensure your soul gets the nourishment it needs. Forging and maintaining a life-giving connection with God is the best choice you can make for yourself and for those you lead. This expanded edition includes the popular "How Is It with Your Soul?” assessment for leaders and a flexible six- or twelve-week guided experience for groups.
I Like Being in Parish Ministry by Mark F. Fischer Pdf
Ideal for those just beginning their ministry and for ministry veterans to affirm their call to service. Each 48-page booklet offers practical advice, questions for reflection, personal testimonies, simple prayers for either group or individual use, and spiritual enrichment in a format that is clear and easy to use.
