Church Administration
Showing 1–100 of 117 results
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Sustaining While Disrupting
$21.99Add to cartClergy and other church leaders often feel pressed to preserve cherished traditions even as they direct people to discern the new thing God is doing. They face this tension of sustaining tradition while guiding fresh initiatives and addressing unfamiliar issues. Frederick Douglas Powe Jr. and Lovett H. Weems Jr. guide leaders in stewarding traditions while seeking innovative opportunities for faith communities.
Sustaining While Disrupting: The Challenge of Congregational Innovation offers church leaders theological insights and practical skills for two crucial tasks: to sustain and strengthen foundational elements of the churches they serve and to guide the critical innovation required to address a context vastly different from the one that current assumptions and behaviors fit. Powe and Weems argue that approaching these tasks as competing claims does not work and that new expressions of faith are needed to engender church vitality. They explain the different approaches needed for each task and specify the knowledge and practices leaders require.
While some church leaders start new ministries to reach the unserved, most clergy lead in well-established churches. They have a history, traditions, and a reputation in the community. From that base, Powe and Weems show how leaders can look forward to faithful new callings.
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What Do Deacons Do
$4.99Add to cartWhat Is the Biblical Job Description for a Deacon?
Many new believers have questions about what it means to live as a Christian in the context of a local church, and pastors are looking for resources to pass along to their congregations to help them think biblically about the Christian life. Church Questions is a series by 9Marks that seeks to provide Christians with sound and accessible biblical teaching by answering common questions about church life. Each booklet offers biblical answers and practical applications with the goal of nurturing healthy church practice and commitment.
In this concise booklet, Juan Sanchez explains the essential role deacons play in the life of the church. He addresses topics such as why churches need deacons, how deacons carry out their role, who is eligible to be a deacon, and how diaconal service exemplifies the character of Christ. Valuable for church leaders and members alike, this resource helps readers understand what the Bible has to say about this important church office and why its ministry is indispensable.
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Navigating The Future
$19.99Add to cartTraditioned innovation is a habit of being and living that cultivates a certain kind of moral imagination shaped by storytelling and expressed in creative, transformational action. Moral imagination is about character, which depends on ongoing formation that takes place in friendships and communities that embody traditions and that are sustained by institutions.
There is no quick-fix or set of techniques that will create a mindset of traditioned innovation. But we do believe that you can learn to cultivate it by:
*Becoming immersed in an imaginative engagement with the story of God told through Scripture*Learning from exemplary institutions, communities, and people practicing traditioned innovation.
*Discovering new skills for integrating character formation and dense networks of friendships, communities and institutions into your leadership and life.
Navigating the Future will explore stories and tips for cultivating traditioned innovation that will stimulate your thinking and inspire your imagination for more faithful and fruitful living along with the cultivation of more vibrant, life-giving institutions.
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Shepherds Hirelings And Dictators 10th Anniversary Edition (Anniversary)
$14.99Add to cart“To be effective, the preacher’s message must be alive; it must alarm, arouse, and challenge. It must be God’s present voice to a particular people”. –AW Tozer
Throughout the generations, false prophets and insincere teachers have always pretended to have the best interests of God’s people in mind. They claim they are human instruments who have received direct words of the Lord through the Holy Spirit. But in the final analysis, they do not represent God, and they harm the sheep often to the point of costing them their souls. Who are these false shepherds and how can we distinguish a true shepherd from wolves in shepherds’ clothing? That is the question Pastor Tavares Robinson explores in Shepherds, Hirelings, and Dictators: How to Recognize the Difference. In this eye-opening book he covers: Is it biblical to judge, The “American” gospel versus the gospel of Christ, The scheme of Scripture-twisting, The “first fruit offering” scam, The truth about the prosperity gospel, and more. —- ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Pastor Robinson shows readers how to open their eyes and come out of false teaching into God’s marvelous light where there is true healing, encouragement, and restoration. Tavares Robinson is the founder and senior pastor of Sound the Trumpet Ministries of Miami in Miami, Florida, and serves as publisher of The Trumpet Magazine. The Lord has graced him to speak with a bold prophetic voice which turns the hearts of people back to God. He and his wife Cardra live in South Florida with their two daughters.
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Last Pastor : Faithfully Steering A Closing Church
$32.00Add to cartGail Cafferata was heartbroken when the church she pastored voted to close its doors. It may have been the right decision, but it led to a million questions in her mind about her call, leadership, and future. She began to think that other pastors who close churches perhaps go through this same experience. This led her to obtain a grant from the Louisville Institute to conduct a sociological study of over 130 pastors in five historically established denominations (Episcopal, Lutheran, United Methodist, Presbyterian, and United Church of Christ) who were called to serve churches that closed. This book tells the results of that study, which consisted of many interviews, and the hard-won lessons learned by these courageous pastors.
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Care Revolution : A Proven New Paradigm For Pastoral Care
$18.99Add to cartThere is a missing link in our ministry efforts
Somewhere along the line, we have erroneously made pastoral care the sole responsibility of the pastor. We assumed the clergy are the ones that do ministry, while the laity watches ministry being done.
We need a new paradigm
For the most part, we provide crisis care instead of pastoral care in our churches. The ensued problem is that when the crisis is over, so is the care. This makes people feel unattached, insecure and neglected, which often results in them falling through the cracks or slipping through the proverbial back door.
The Care Revolution provides the answer. It presents a proven, efficient and workable system that enables believers to care for one another, making sure everyone experiences a sense of belonging and acceptance. When church members are trained and developed to connect and care for each other it meets a crucial need that is entirely biblical and should be part of the ongoing ministry of every congregation.
Pastoral Care is a Collaborative Effort
The Pastor cannot do it alone! Effective pastoral care just happens when pastors and members collaborate in their ministry-efforts. It is only when a congregation is cared for and nurtured that it becomes healthy and consequently has the ability to evangelize more effectively. A hurting and or dysfunctional church simply cannot do it.
Evangelism and pastoral care are not contrary to each other–the one depends on the other.
Dr. John Bosman has been a pastor for most of his adult life. Immediately before entering into his present international ministry, he served as the lead pastor of Glad Tidings Church in Lake Charles, Louisiana, for 15 years. Under his leadership, the church grew from fewer than five hundred to a thriving congregation that now occupies a 3,000-seat, state-of-the-art worship center.
John has served in both regional and national leadership roles within his denomination. He was a member of the Board of Regents of a stateside university as well as a Bible College in Russia. He is also the founder of both the JWB Institute for Leadership and Laity Development and Hamilton Christian Academy.
John and his wife, Anne (who is also an ordained minister), live in Frisco, Texas. Together, they minister nationally and internationally. They have three children and five grandsons.
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Evangelical Theological Method
$25.00Add to cartMethod In Systematic Theology: An Introduction-Stanley E. Porter And Steven M. Studebaker
Codifying God’s Word: Bible Doctrines/Conservative Theology-Sung Wook Chung
Living God’s Love: Missional Theology-John R. Franke
Framers And Painters: Interdisciplinary Theology-Telford C. Work
God In Human Context: Reflection On Theology’s Contextuality And Contextual Theology-Victor Ifeanyi Ezigbo
Confessing The Faith: A Trinitarian Method In Dogmatic Theology-Paul Louis MetzgerResponse To Other Contributors-Sung Wook Chung
Response To Other Contributors-John R. Franke
Response To Other Contributors-Telford C. Work
Response To Other Contributors-Victor Ifeanyi Ezigbo
Response To Other Contributors-Paul Louis MetzgerWhat Have We Learned Regarding Theological Method, And Where Do We Go From Here? Tentative Conclusions-Stanley E. Porter And Steven M. Studebaker
ContributorsAdditional Info
How should one approach the task of theology?The question of methodology is increasingly one of interest among theologians, who recognize that the very manner in which we approach theology informs both the questions we ask and the conclusions we reach. This volume in IVP’s Spectrum Multiview series brings together five evangelical theologians with distinctly different approaches to the theological task: Sung Wook ChungJohn R. FrankeTelford C. WorkVictor Ifeanyi EzigboPaul Louis MetzgerAfter presenting their own approach-which include appeals to Scripture, context, missions, interdisciplinary studies, and dogmatics-they respond to each of the other views. Emerging from this theological conversation is an awareness of our methodological commitments and the benefits that each can bring to the theological task. -
Come Let Us Eat Together
$30.00Add to cartAcknowledgments
Introduction
1. The Supper Of The Lord: Goodness And Grace In 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 (Amy Peeler)
2. Churches And The Politics Of The Sacraments: Rethinking “Unity Of The Church” (D. Zac Niringiye)
3. In Persona Christi: The Catholic Understanding Of The Ordained Priesthood In Relation To The Eucharist (Thomas G. Weinandy)
4. A Way Forward: A Catholic-Anabaptist Ecclesiology (D. Stephen Long)
5. Ascension, Communion, And The Hospitality Of The Priest-King (Cherith Fee Nordling)
6. The Gospel We Share And The Unity We Seek: An Orthodox Contribution (Bradley Nassif)
7. Christ The Ursakrament (Katherine Sonderegger)
8. Visual Ecumenism: The Coy Communion Of Art (Matthew J. Milliner)
9. The Eucharist, The Risen Lord, And The Road To Emmaus: A Road To Deeper Unity? (Matthew Levering)
10. The Eschatological Dimension Of Sacramental Unity: An Orthodox Christian View (Paul L. Gavrilyuk)
11. “For You Have Been Planted Together With Christ”: Sacraments And The Life Of The Church (George Kalantzis)
12. Who Invited The Baptist? The “Sacraments” And Free Church Theology (Marc Cortez)
13. Sacraments And (Dis-)Unity: A Constructive Ecumenical Proposal Toward Healing The Divisions And Facilitating Mutual Recognition (Veli-Matti Karkkainen)
Contributors
Author Index
Subject Index
Scripture IndexAdditional Info
As Christians, we are called to seek the unity of the one body of Christ.But when it comes to the sacraments, the church has often been-and remains-divided. What are we to do? Can we still gather together at the same table?
Based on the lectures from the 2017 Wheaton Theology Conference, this volume brings together the reflections of Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox theologians, who jointly consider what it means to proclaim the unity of the body of Christ in light of the sacraments.
Without avoiding or downplaying the genuine theological and sacramental differences that exist between Christian traditions, what emerges is a thoughtful consideration of what it means to live with the difficult, elusive command to be one as the Father and the Son are one.
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ReMission : Rethinking How Church Leaders Create Movement
$19.99Add to cartA systemic disease is lurking inside the church that is derailing it from what God intended it to be, to know, and to do. That disease is practical ignorance and isolation. If the church is to be healthy and thriving, its members must gain the needed know-how and skillsets to meaningfully engage with their increasingly difficult-to-reach unsaved neighbors, communities, and cultures in productive conversations about the good news of Jesus Christ. In other words, there must be a re-missioning of the body of Christ. Blending honest analysis with innovating principles, ReMission places the onus of change at the feet of today’s leaders. Each chapter of ReMission builds upon the next to practically equip leaders with tried-and-tested solutions that can outwardly mobilize a congregation, small group, or nonprofit ministry, and substantially increase the spiritual vitality of the body of Christ, both locally and globally. ReMission isn’t only focused on developing new “outfrastructure”; its aim is also to breathe new life into God’s kingdom and His chosen leaders who are serious enough to implement the life-changing strategies that are sorely needed.
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Every Christians Call
$35.95Add to cart“Every Christian’s Call uses a God inspired vision to see us all, as one, just as Jesus prayed in John 17:21-23. The biblical plan for unity is simple and systematic. Every reader can understand their role and how they fit in God’s plan for true unity.”
-Pastor Randy V. Thomas
Lake Country Church, Ft. Worth, Tx
Unity and Purpose – A Match Made in Heaven
With the increasing turmoil in the world today it’s no wonder so many are talking about unity. In his new book, Every Christian’s Call, Vol. 1, Kevin Almond brings together the two hottest topics in Christianity today; Unity and Purpose. In John 17:21-23 Jesus prayed for His followers to be one. In that same prayer He also revealed that the very believe-ability of the Gospel to the world depends upon the unity of the Christian Church. He prayed, ..”.that they may be one as We are one…that the world may know that You have sent Me…” Not only is unity a crucial issue for the Church today but it also directly ties into God’s unique purpose for you. Every Christian’s Call reveals from a biblical perspective how the principles of unity are identical to God’s plan for your life.
In Every Christian’s Call you’ll find answers to questions like:
What are the biblical principles that reveal the path to fulfilling my destiny?
What is the primary Key to the Church becoming one as Jesus prayed?
How does this Key determine the success of every relationship I’ll ever be involved in?
How does answering Christ’s Call to Unity ensure that I will fulfill my God-given purpose and destiny?
Come and discover the answers to these and other questions that are directly related to the purpose God has designed specifically for you in, Every Christian’s Call. When you do, you’ll see that the biblical principles of unity are identical to the principles you must walk in if you are going to fulfill God’s great plan for your life. Any Christian that wants to know how to complete the destiny God has for them must first, answer the Call.
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Every Christians Call
$19.95Add to cart“Every Christian’s Call uses a God inspired vision to see us all, as one, just as Jesus prayed in John 17:21-23. The biblical plan for unity is simple and systematic. Every reader can understand their role and how they fit in God’s plan for true unity.”
-Pastor Randy V. Thomas
Lake Country Church, Ft. Worth, Tx
Unity and Purpose – A Match Made in Heaven
With the increasing turmoil in the world today it’s no wonder so many are talking about unity. In his new book, Every Christian’s Call, Vol. 1, Kevin Almond brings together the two hottest topics in Christianity today; Unity and Purpose. In John 17:21-23 Jesus prayed for His followers to be one. In that same prayer He also revealed that the very believe-ability of the Gospel to the world depends upon the unity of the Christian Church. He prayed, ..”.that they may be one as We are one…that the world may know that You have sent Me…” Not only is unity a crucial issue for the Church today but it also directly ties into God’s unique purpose for you. Every Christian’s Call reveals from a biblical perspective how the principles of unity are identical to God’s plan for your life.
In Every Christian’s Call you’ll find answers to questions like:
What are the biblical principles that reveal the path to fulfilling my destiny?
What is the primary Key to the Church becoming one as Jesus prayed?
How does this Key determine the success of every relationship I’ll ever be involved in?
How does answering Christ’s Call to Unity ensure that I will fulfill my God-given purpose and destiny?
Come and discover the answers to these and other questions that are directly related to the purpose God has designed specifically for you in, Every Christian’s Call. When you do, you’ll see that the biblical principles of unity are identical to the principles you must walk in if you are going to fulfill God’s great plan for your life. Any Christian that wants to know how to complete the destiny God has for them must first, answer the Call.
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Lies Pastors Believe
$12.99Add to cartAll of us are tempted to believe lies about ourselves.
For many pastors, the lies we’re tempted to believe have to do with our identity: that God has called us to lead a movement, that we must sacrifice our home life for our ministry life, or that our image as holy is more important than our actual pursuit of holiness.
In Lies Pastors Believe, pastor and professor Dayton Hartman takes aim at these and other lies he has faced in his own ministry and seen other pastors struggle with. With a winsome and engaging style, Hartman shows current and future pastors why these lies are so tempting, the damage they can do, and how they can be resisted by believing and applying the truth of the gospel.
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Unboxed : Uncovering New Paradigms For Tomorrow’s Church
$14.99Add to cartWhy live like an artificial when you were designed to be an original? That’s the theme ministry leader entrepreneur Martijn van Tilborgh unpacks as he delivers this challenge for us to become “unboxed.” His premise? God is waiting to empower you to shed the shackles of personal limitations so you can become an authentic change-agent in this world.
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That Deacon Book
$12.99Add to cartIn many churches today, finding true, faithful servants to the church can feel like hunting for unicorns. Lots of people say they want to be like Jesus, but too few are willing to serve like him. “That Deacon Book” was written for pastors, staff, and lay leaders in mind. It can be handed to literally anyone in the church to great benefit.
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Shoulders And Shadows
$9.99Add to cartWe often follow a successful leader, and it is said we are “filling our predecessor’s shoes,” or we are “continuing a lasting legacy.” However, the truth is that although we are standing on their shoulders, we are often operating in their shadow. Shoulders and Shadows: Following Legendary Leaders helps new leaders succeed at succession.
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Failure Of Nerve (Anniversary)
$32.95Add to cart10th Anniversary Revised Edition
Ten years after his death, Edwin Friedman’s best-selling A Failure of Nerve continues to offer insights into leadership that are more urgently needed than ever, and this revised, anniversary edition is essential reading for all leaders, be they parents or presidents, corporate executives or educators, religious superiors or coaches, healers or generals, managers or clergy. -
United Methodist Church Membership Records Manual 2017-2020
$12.99Add to cartThe task of the church is to reach out to people and receive them in the name of Jesus Christ, to help them relate to God, to nurture and strengthen them in their journey of discipleship, and to send them into the world to live transformed and transforming lives. The United Methodist Membership Records System supports the pastoral concern for persons that is so important to this task. Using the forms and procedures described in this manual will enable your church to maintain excellent membership records, which will be the source of vital information used by pastors, witness ministry chairpersons, evangelism chairpersons, and other church leaders for effective ministries to make disciples. All the forms and procedures are ingredients in the pastoral care of the church. Because The United Methodist Church is a connectional church, we use a consistent approach to record keeping. Using these forms and procedures will help the pastor and staff meet the membership record-keeping and reporting requirements of The Book of Disciple. This manual includes: Background, purpose, and value for keeping membership records for care and outreach FAQs on records required ty The Book of Discipline 2016/li> Tips on how to close gaps in your membership records Sample of each membership record sheet with instructions Available online with purchase of this resource, includes: Searchable PDF of the Manual Templates for membership record sheets* Templates for 8.5″ x 11″ certificates for baptism, confirmation/reception, and membership in English, Korean, and Spanish Templates for additional forms, including Notification of Moved Members, Certificates of Transfer, and Verification of Baptism The United Methodist Financial Records Handbook 2017-2020 was developed by The General Council on Finance and Administration of The United Methodist Church. *Acid-Free archival paper is available from Cokesbury, so you can printout the forms for your permanent records.
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Transcending Mission : The Eclipse Of A Modern Tradition
$40.00Add to cartPrologue
Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Enigma Of MissionPart I: Justifying Mission
1. Partisans And Apologists
2. Reading Scripture As Mission
3. Presenting History As Mission
4. Rhetoric And TropePart II: Innovating Mission
5. Holy Conquest
6. Latin Occupation
7. Mission Vow
8. Ignatian MissionPart III: Revising Mission
9. Protestant Reception
10. Missionary ProblemsEpilogue: Toward Pilgrim Witness
Abbreviations
Works CitedAdditional Info
Mission, missions, missional, and all its linguistic variations are part of the expanding vocabulary and rhetoric of the contemporary Christian missionary enterprise. Its language and assumptions are deeply ingrained in the thought and speech of the church today. Christianity is a missionary religion and faithful churches are mission-minded. What’s more, in telling the story of apostles and bishops and monks as missionaries, we think we have grasped the true thread of Christian history. But what about those odd shapes, those unsettling gaps and creases in the historical record? Is the language of mission so clearly evident across the broad reaches of time? Is the trajectory of mission really so explicit from the early church to the present? Or has the modern missionary enterprise distorted our view of the past? As with every reigning paradigm, there comes a point when enough questions surface to beg for a close and critical look, even when it may seem transgressive to do so. In this study of the language of mission-its origin, development, and application-Michael Stroope investigates how the modern church has come to understand, speak of, and engage in the global expansion of Christianity. There is both surprise and hope in this tale. And perhaps the beginnings of a new conversation. -
Pickled Priest And The Perishing Parish
$11.95Add to cartJust as baby boomers comprise the largest generation in America’s history, they also represent the largest percentage of current senior pastors in American churches. Boomer pastors all over the country are struggling to transition from their roots in twentieth-century church culture to ministry and leadership in our challenging twenty-first century–and this transition must take place for traditional churches to be a relevant factor in world redemption.
In The Pickled Priest and the Perishing Parish: Boomer Pastors Bouncing Back, Senior Pastor Hal West, himself a baby boomer, offers essential insights and words of inspiration for pastors, leaders, and Christians who desire to see renewal and transformation in their churches, in America, and in themselves.
The challenges facing traditional churches and the boomer pastors who lead them are many– not the least of which are pastors’ ensconced perspective of their own spiritual formation, theological training, and experience. In his unique, conversational, and at times humorous tone, Pastor Hal West first offers proof through his own -pickled- perspective and then explores, with help from the lessons of biblical prophets like Isaiah and Nehemiah, how boomer pastors can and must bounce back.
Change is challenging, but in our day of cultural conflict, political corruption, and spiritual crisis, change is imperative. It falls to church leaders, regardless of their decades of experience in ministry and leadership, to approach transformation with an open mind and provide guidance, vision, and restoration to their churches and the souls they serve. -
Tactful Advice For Calling Your Next Pastor
$9.99Add to cartA change of pastoral leadership creates a special kind of stress and strain on a congregation. Your church may prefer the more practical starting points, such as appointing a search team, getting assistance from a denomination, shoring up finances, addressing maintenance issues, and developing a quick timeline. Then there are the deeper matters: grief work, sober evaluation of effectiveness, prayer around core reasons for being, attending matters of the heart around communal healing and reconciliation, and authentic conversation about who we are called to be for the sake of the Gospel and the world around us.
Gary Straub articulates the dynamics of the pastoral search process from both sides of the equation. With more than 50 years of ministry experience-including calls to large congregations, interim positions, and coaching of pastoral candidates-Straub integrates practical advice with prayerful counsel. Healthy dialogue helps keep you passionately open to the Holy Spirit. Tactful Advice for Calling Your Next Pastor starts the dialogue and keeps it focused.
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Church Buildings : A Strategic Guide To Design Renovation And Construction
$12.99Add to cartHow can church leaders make wise decisions when planning, designing, and constructing their church’s facilities?
How do church leaders address the needs and wants of the church while staying within their budget? When should they begin planning their future facility? Pastors, elders, and leaders beginning the process of renovation or construction are faced with the questions of where to begin, when to hire professionals, and how to successfully oversee the many details of their building project.
In “Church Buildings,” PlanNorth Principal Architect Katie Burch draws from extensive industry experience to give church executives the tools and knowledge to successfully lead their church’s renovation or new building construction from beginning to end. Leaders will learn useful tips and advice of how to:
Refine the vision and purpose for their church
Create an informative, clear fundraising campaign
Ensure their facilities meet the unique needs of their congregation
Creatively work within their church’s budget
Navigate the terms and processes of the design and construction industriesWhether church leaders are just beginning their ministry or are knee-deep in a growing congregation, this book will serve as an excellent reference guide for an organized, informed approach to facilities. Most importantly, leaders will walk away understanding how to ensure their church facility will serve people for decades to come.
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Thriving In The Second Chair
$20.99Add to cartThe number of second chair leaders in churches and other ministries continues to grow rapidly. Churches operate with the leadership of paid and unpaid staff who are not the senior or lead pastor. Laity, licensed local pastors, and program ministry leaders are critical to the health and success of churches. In a new trend, there are far more executive pastors today than ten years ago. The campus pastor, another type of second chair leader, is also a rapidly growing group. Thriving in the Second Chair identifies and explores ten “key factors to thrive” (KFT’s) that determine whether someone truly thrives or barely survives in this vital but complex position. These ten factors are grouped into three sections: (1) the relationship with the first chair, (2) the definition and key meta-skills for the role, and (3) the personal and spiritual attributes that sustain leaders. Each factor is described in a separate chapter that includes the conceptual framework, real-life examples from the author’s own second chair ministry as well as that of many others, and practical steps to move toward thriving. Readers will be encouraged and equipped as they discover the keys to Thriving in the Second Chair.
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Securing The Sacred
$25.99Add to cart1. The Great Illusion: Church Is A Safe Place
2. Can Faith And Security Be Married?
3. Who’s That Knocking At My Door – Wolf Or Sheep Dog?
4. New Times Require A New Mindset
5. An Eye For An Eye – The Force Continuum
6. Trouble In The Outer Limits
7. Stuck In The Middle With You-the Holy Place
8. The Great Distraction
9. Recommendations And Legal ConsiderationsAdditional Info
Your Church Security Handbook Crimes against churches and ministers are rising at an alarming rate. Almost on a weekly basis, we read or hear about a shooting or act of violence in or on a church property. -
Longevity In Leadership
$15.99Add to cartEverybody knows that leading is challenging. Leaders are out front, showing people and organizations new places where they can and should go. They have to inspire people to challenge themselves to do more things or to increase their abilities in order to achieve specific goals.
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Securing The Sacred
$13.99Add to cart1. The Great Illusion: Church Is A Safe Place
2. Can Faith And Security Be Married?
3. Who’s That Knocking At My Door – Wolf Or Sheep Dog?
4. New Times Require A New Mindset
5. An Eye For An Eye – The Force Continuum
6. Trouble In The Outer Limits
7. Stuck In The Middle With You-the Holy Place
8. The Great Distraction
9. Recommendations And Legal ConsiderationsAdditional Info
Your Church Security Handbook Crimes against churches and ministers are rising at an alarming rate. Almost on a weekly basis, we read or hear about a shooting or act of violence in or on a church property. -
Thoughts From My Journey
$9.99Add to cartWith Thoughts from My Journey, Seattle business leader Ralph Palmen has gifted his readers with simple and profound words of wisdom that have a direct bearing on how we can live godly lives. Stemming from an intimate relationship with God and decades of experience and success in the business world, these devotional gems offer practical advice on dynamic Christian living, biblical management, leadership, and organizational development, and how to gain the cultural high ground in order to impact the world for Christ. Ralph Palmen is founder and president of the Palmen Institute, Inc. and co-founder of Express Employment Professionals.
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Gift Of Administration
$21.95Add to cartIn his First Letter to the Corinthians Paul cites “administrators” as one of God’s gifts to the Christian community (1 Cor 12:28). But many who serve in administrative service today have difficulty seeing how their everyday work is an expression of discipleship. This book, written by an experienced administrator and noted biblical scholar, shows how the various functions of institutional administration are deeply rooted in the Scriptures and are a genuine expression of our call to discipleship. Leadership, mission statements and planning, finances and fund raising, personnel issues, communications, and public relations-all of these seemingly “secular” activities serve to build up the Body of Christ and deserve to be recognized as authentic Christian ministry. To see administrative service as a biblically rooted gift can help those involved in this way of life to find deeper and more satisfying spiritual meaning in what they do.
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Vulnerable Pastor : How Human Limitations Empower Our Ministry
$22.00Add to cartForeword
Introduction: God Is An Odd LeaderPart I: Getting Over Ourselves: Vulnerability With God
1. Filled With Emptiness
2. What Makes Us Feel Weak. And What Doesn’t: A Confession
3. Save Me! Vulnerability And Salvation
4. Feeling Exposed: How Vulnerable Pastors Handle Emotions
5. I Need You! How Vulnerable Pastors Pray
6. Letting The Bible Read Us: How Vulnerable Pastors Read The BiblePart II: Being True To Ourselves: Vulnerability Behind The Scenes
7. Learning To Like The Mess: How Vulnerable Pastors Create Culture
8. Changing The Mold: How Vulnerable Pastors Recognize And Develop Leaders
9. Taking Our Own Sweet Time: How Vulnerable Pastors Use Their Time And Energy
10. Thriving For Others: How Vulnerable Pastors Measure SuccessPart III: Practicing In Public: Vulnerability With An Audience
11. Welcome To The Process: How Vulnerable Pastors Teach And Preach
12. The Right Kind Of Desperate: How Vulnerable Pastors Engage With The WorldEpilogue: Unfading Treasure In Jars Of Clay
Discussion Guide
Acknowledgments
NotesAdditional Info
Often pastors feel like we need to project strength and competency in order to minister effectively. That’s why we go to conferences and emulate the latest superstars. But we know we can never live up to those images. Deep down, we know our own limitations, our weaknesses, our faults. We fear that if people knew who we really are, we’d be disqualified from ministry. Not so. Mandy Smith unpacks the biblical paradox that God’s strength is revealed through our human weakness. Transparently describing her pastoral journey, Smith shows how vulnerability shapes ministry, through our spiritual practices and relationships, influencing our preaching, teaching and even the nuts and bolts of the daily schedule. Understanding our human constraints makes our ministry more sustainable and guards us against disillusionment and burnout. We don’t have to have it all together. Recognizing our weakness makes us rely on God, so our weakness can become a ministry resource. God has called you to lead not as a demigod, but as a human, so the world can see that the church is a place for humans like them. -
Radical Sending : Go To Love And Serve
$21.95Add to cartForeword by Stephanie Spellers
* Core resource for discernment in living out baptismal promises
* Empowers the laity for their ministries beyond the church doors
* Study questions for small group discussion or individual reflectionAs congregations explore their emerging visions, they need support in “equipping the saints” for their day-to-day lives and ministries beyond the doors of the building. The Dismissal – “go in peace, to love and serve the Lord” – becomes as important as the Eucharist in feeding the people for the journey. But churches often fail to focus on this baptismal calling to “go” into the worlds of work, family, and community. This book fills that void, focusing on how the baptized become “go-ers,” providing practical and tested ways of fulfilling that calling.
Go to Love and Serve builds on and complements the work of Stephanie Spellers’ Radical Welcome, which called congregations to move beyond diversity and inclusion to be places where the transforming gifts, voices, and power of marginalized cultures and groups bring new life to the mainline church. Each chapter is followed by discussion questions for use with small groups or for personal reflection.
For lay and ordained church leaders, adult formation groups.
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Oversee Gods People
$12.99Add to cartThe Bible gives instruction to those called to church leadership, challenging them to shepherd God s people by exercising oversight. But what does that mean? And how is it done in a way that is faithful to God and effective in enabling growth, individually and corporately?
The Practical Shepherding series of guides provides pastors and ministry leaders with practical help to do the work of pastoral ministry in a local church. In Oversee God s People, pastors Brian Croft and Bryce Butler unpack what the Bible teaches about administration and the necessity of delegation in congregational leadership, offering practical suggestions to improve the structures, process, and relationships among leaders in your church.”
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Focusing Your Church Board
$11.99Add to cartChurch boards are often the scene of confusion, conflict, and chaos. What’s the job of a board? What’s the role of the pastor in relation to the board? Should there be an elder board and an administrative board? Ted Hull’s use of illustrations and analogies bring these questions-and answers-into focus.
Ted first looks at the foundation of governance, both from a biblical and historic perspective. Then he introduces Policy Governance(R), often referred to as the Carver model, and confronts questions regarding whether this secular model can work in the church, or if it should even be allowed. He even argues for why a church board may not want to use Policy Governance.
When you’re done reading, you’ll never look at the role of a church board in the same way again. In fact, whether you’re a member of your church board or the board of any charity, you’ll find yourself reaching for this book more than once.
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Stan Tolers Practical Guide To Hiring Staff
$14.99Add to cartGetting the right staff at the right time can make or break a congregation’s momentum. Drawing from his vast experience as a senior pastor and leader of large organizations, Toler shares the secrets that will make your first hire the right one. Subjects include: casting the vision for staff expansion, funding a new position, communicating vision to staff members, setting staff expectations, interviewing, the first thirty days, and how to be a great boss.
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Unexpected Consequences : The Diaconate Renewed
$26.95Add to cartFirst book in years to look critically at the diaconate in the Episcopal Church
Times change, and the Order of Deacons in the Episcopal Church has not remained
static. While the book seeks to update contemporary knowledge about deacons, it also
shows how the diaconate may be well positioned to lead the church into change that cuts
across governance, formation, and ministry. While the institutional church struggles with
its structure and purpose, working to change its reality and perception, the book suggests
that there are diaconal leaders who have been working all along for this kind of change.The book chronicles ways in which one church order has grown, matured, adapted,
adjusted, and is as effective as it is because of its dynamic nature. It is hoped that other
orders might learn from the importance of being adaptable, contextual, and baptismal,
while highlighting the primary lens deacons look through as they seek to fulfill what the
church has called them to do.For the 3,000 deacons active in the Episcopal Church, plus those involved in diocesan
schools for ministry, those considering a call to the diaconate, those engaged in
Education for Ministry, educators, and seminarians. -
Understanding The Government Of God
$19.95Add to cartUnderstanding the Government of God! There must be a paradigm shift in the way Christians think. In order for the Church to be able to go where God has planned for it to go, and for the Church to do what God has planned for it to do. In these final days, we must understand who we are, what we have been blessed with, and what is going on where we are?Jesus came to the earth, as a human being to redeem Mankind back to God. When Adam committed high treason, he lost the earth and Mankind. Jesus came to bring Mankind back to God and to give us that which was lost, and the ability to have a relationship with God and to reestablish the government of God on earth. Why is it so important that we understand the Kingdom of God, and the message of the Kingdom?Jesus has returned to Heaven after completing his responsibility of restoring the kingdom of God back on earth. In restoring the Kingdom back on earth, He raised up disciples and Apostle to continue the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom of Godthe Government of God. He sits on the throne of heaven directing that work through His representatives’ (legislative body). Regrettably, most of us do not really understand what Jesus meant when He spoke of the Kingdom of Godthe Government of God.What are you doing to expand the Kingdom of God?
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Chronicles Of A Church Administrator
$13.49Add to cartA practical handbook for ministry leaders and full-time church staff employees charged with doing full-time ministry. The approach is simplistic yet resourceful enough because the ideas are not all theory and personal opinion but concerns servant leadership. Smart administration is smart administration and a solid work ethic is a solid work ethic, independent of context. The Study Guide, Work Section Answers and Some Quick How-Tos are worthy of being carried around daily for reference purposes.
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Help It Still Hurts
$23.99Add to cartWhen the relationship between the pastor and the congregation is good, the hope of the congregation is that the pastor never leaves from serving the church. The reality of the Scripture and life reveals that serving a church forever is not possible. Transition is an inevitable phenomenon.
Cynthia Hinson Graham remembers being sad as a child when her pastor did not return to church after his illness. She recalls, “The church never came together as a family to talk about what happened or how they felt.” Forty years later, the senior pastor at her church announced his retirement, but offered no guidance “for the church family to come together and process their reactions or responses to the impending transition.”
In this study, Hinson Graham examines how a congregation deals spiritually and emotionally with the loss of its long-time pastor, as well as how the exiting pastor should prepare for his or her departure. She focuses on five independent African-American churches, which are significant because they were led by a single senior pastor, rather than by a board of governance or denominational order.
During her research, Hinson Graham explored the answers to four core questions: What were the spiritual and emotional responses to the transition of a long-term pastor? How were congregants able to express these feelings? What mindsets were most common when faced with the transition? And what, if any, processes were followed to ease the transition for the church body?
The author acknowledges the logical concern with the reasons for the current pastor’s departure and the uncertainty concerning the incoming pastor, but these are before and after issues. The emotional and spiritual well-being of church members during the transition, however, is of concern here. In a clear and approachable voice, Hinson Graham cites extensive biblical precedents for managing such matters.
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Navigating Pastoral Transitions
$9.95Add to cartAs a parish staff member, you have a unique leadership role when there is a change in pastors. In that transitional time when the current pastor hasn’t quite left and the new pastor hasn’t quite arrived, you are an anchor that the rest of the parish turns to for guidance.
Navigating Pastoral Transitions: A Staff Guide shows you, step-by-step, how to navigate this stressful moment in parish life. A detailed Pastor Transition Timeline, as well as solid, field-tested advice, gives you the tools you need for a smooth transition process. Discover how to use this time of transition to lead the parish to deeper faith and spiritual growth. Help the parishioners and the pastor move together into this new stage of parish life.
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Ideal Class Book
$4.99Add to cartIt is important to keep accurate records, and this class book for 75-member classes helps with this task. This book enables one to record attendance for a full year with each student’s address, phone number, birthday, church relationship, and additional class sessions. Available individually or in packages of six.
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Ideal Class Book
$3.99Add to cartIt is important to keep accurate records, and this class book for 25-member classes helps with this task. This book enables one to record attendance for a full year with each student’s address, phone number, birthday, church relationship, and additional class sessions. Available individually or in packages of six.
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If You Need A Minister
$7.99Add to cartIntroduction
Before You Begin
Who Are You?
Who Are You Looking For?
The Search Process
A Final Word
Sample Job Posting
Sample Interview Questions
Sample Work AgreementAdditional Info
Hiring a minister is one of the most important decisions that church leaders can make. It affects the health, stability, and growth of the local congregation. Nothing is better than a minister and congregation that match one another. Few things are worse than poorly planned hires. Wil Perkins has explored the ups and downs of 25 years of ministry and outlined a 12-step process that will help guide congregations to the right minister and ministers to the right churches. -
Effective Staffing For Vital Churches (Reprinted)
$19.00Add to cartWell-staffed churches grow. But how do churches staff for growth in these rapidly changing times when budgets are tight, mission opportunities abound, and there is a growing shortage of qualified pastors, staff members, and church leaders? Two veteran pastors and church growth consultants offer workable solutions that focus on the four core processes vital to church health and growth: bringing people to Christ and the church, retaining them, discipling them, and sending them back out into the world. They also show pastors how to navigate the leadership transitions they must make to become increasingly effective as the church grows. Pastors will learn how to be leaders who multiply leaders and develop a mission-minded staff that does the same. Foreward by Ed Stetzer.
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Cultivating The Missional Church
$18.95Add to cartWritten from a post-Christendom/emergent worldview, this book was born of a singular question asked in hundreds of ways: “What do we do to be faithful in this changed and changing reality?” Whether shaped by anxiety, a foretaste of coming changes, excitement, or energy at the prospects of witness and service the future holds, the question remains the same and the answers elusive.
Part one addresses church functions under categories of governance, modeling, collaboration, champion, catalyst, mission, convenant, disciple, change and leadership. Part two offers further explication of the functions, including books recommended for in-depth study, application ideas, and further exploration of themes.
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Back From The Dead
$19.95Add to cartPractical advice for congregations in decline, drawn from author’s years of hands-on experience throughout the Diocese of New York.
Not denominatinally specific; holds exceptional ecumenical appeal
Almost everywhere throughout the greater church are unsustainable trends – endowments are being depleted, building maintenance deferred, congregations are aging and dwindling, and budgets are too far out-of-whack. And alghough there is much literature on what to do to grow congregations, little has been said about how to get those things done.
In highly accessible, anecdotal prose, church management expert Gerald Keucher focuses in very practical terms on how to bring the right spirit, approach, and tactics to the work of bringing a congregation back from the edge of the abyss.
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Church Planting For Reproduction
$16.49Add to cartThe task of church planting requires the wisdom of a practitioner and the logic of a strategist. With his years of experience planting churches, and his extensive research on the subject, the author displays these two requisites on every page of his fruitful study.
“As a missionary and missiologist,” writes J. Ronald Blue of Dallas Theological Seminary, “the author gives a new perspective to church planting that extends beyond the immediate and sometimes shallow goal of a newly installed fellowship of believers. This book will be an invaluable aid to church planters and missionaries. This is a church planting guide that puts it all together.”
The author emphasizes that the primary goal of missions constitutes planting churches, which in turn are able to reproduce themselves. By using the proven management method Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT), the author outlines each step needed to accomplish that goal. Over sixty charts illustrate his principles and directives.
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Building Church : Practical Wisdom For All Church Builders
$14.99Add to cartBuilding Church is the culmination of 30 years of Stephen Matthew s experience as a leader and church builder. It contains the distilled wisdom and lessons learned from the process of repurposing a church with passion and direction. He insists that anyone who offers a model for church building or church growth must do so in a way that is transferable to other contexts – and this is often not possible. So instead, he offers here the timeless principles of Scripture as the building blocks of ‘the church everyone wants to build’ and, more importantly, ‘the church God wants you to build’.
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Vestry Handbook (Revised)
$17.95Add to cartAn Episcopal Church classic and must-have book for all congregations, written by a known and respected author and priest
Revised and updated to reflect changes in canon law and to include discussion of additional subjects such as sexual misconduct and safe-church training
The Vestry Handbook was first published in 1988 and a revised edition was published in 2000. Over that span of time it has sold nearly 90,000 copies and continues to sell well each year.
Inevitably, such a working guidebook becomes out of date if not revised at regular intervals. The Canons of the church change and new issues confront Vestries.
The author consulted diocesan administrators, other clergy, the Church Deployment Office, and the Church Pension Fund for this timely revision. Canons, resource listings, financial information, continuing education, technology issues, plus how to deal with current tensions in the Anglican Communion and a myraid of other spot revisions can be found throughout this completely updated edition.
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Loyalty And Disloyalty
$10.00Add to cartThough a primary requirement of God for leaders, very little has been written on this subject. In this book, Dag Heward-Mills outlines very important principles with the intention of increasing the stability of churches. So relevant and practical is the content of this book that it has become an indispensable tool for many church leaders.
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Church Administration And Management
$34.99Add to cart* Achieving excellence in church management * Vital information on proper, ethical conduct for God’s servants * Clear information on achieving the frugal use of resources * A valuable and timely resume of the full-time ministry * Takes you beyond mediocrity in church administration One night while studying in a remove town of Ghana, God miraculously anointed Dag Heward-Mills as he waited upon the Lord. He supernaturally heard the words, “From now on you can teach…” This supernatural call is what has ushered him into a worldwide ministry. Today, his Healing Jesus Crusades are conducted throughout the world with thousands in attendance and many accompanying miracles. These phenomenal miracles, attested to by medical doctors have included the opening of the eyes of the blind, the restoring of hearing to the deaf, the emptying of wheel chairs and even the raising of the dead. Dag Heward-Mills, an author of several bestselling books also founded the Lighthouse Chapel International has become a worldwide denomination. His radio, TV and internet programs reach millions around the world.
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They Smell Like Sheep Volume 2
$17.99Add to cartSpiritual sheep, stray sheep, and searching sheep aren’t nearly as concerned about the knowledge and skill of the shepherd as they are about his heart. When finding their way — at weddings, at funerals, during family crises, and in the hospital — sheep go to a shepherd in whom they discern God’s own heart, like King David of old.
Jesus said sheep would know their shepherd’s voice and be drawn to it. It is the heart behind the voice that soothes and comforts God’s people.How do you measure the influence of a godly shepherd? Without doubt, it’s the heart of the shepherd that most powerfully shapes lives and souls in our flocks.
If you want your own heart shaped and molded into the likeness of Christ, this book is an excellent place to begin.“Be shepherds of God’s flock under your care… as God wants you to be.”
Heeding the call to be a leader is an awesome responsibility. Whether you have been called to serve as a minister or you’re teaching an adult Bible study group or you’re a teen leading the youth group in song, most assuredly from time to time you question your abilities and look for support and example.Author Lynn Anderson addresses the starting and ending place of true leadership among God’s people: the heart of a shepherd. He presents Jesus, the Head Shepherd, as our only reliable model of godly leadership; he guides us through the Scriptures and gives us practical exercises to strengthen our hearts as we do the difficult yet rewarding work of shepherding people of God with love and grace.
Enter the book’s pages with the confidence that you are being led by someone who has the heart of a shepherd and who sees himself first as a smelly sheep, dearly loved and led by the Good Shepherd.“And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory. — 1 Peter 5:4”
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How To Search For A Pastor In Todays Church
$13.49Add to cartHow To Search For A Pastor In Today’s Church is a work that will help any church, regardless of size, to examine and improve the way they search for their next pastor. This book contains advice, strategies and warnings that have been gleaned from numerous search committee members as well as pastors who have dealt with them. Even church members that do not serve on your Pastor Search Committee will benefit from the common sense counsel found in this volume.
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Pastoral Search Journey (Expanded)
$21.00Add to cartIt’s not a common occurrence to seek out a new pastor, so pastoral search committees can sometimes feel as though they are inventing the process from scratch. In The Pastoral Search Journey, John Vonhof provides detailed guidance for search committees to ensure a good match between pastor and congregation. This is Vonhof’s third book about the pastoral search-but the first to discuss interim pastors, transitions between pastors, and the use of the Internet and digital media.
Vonhof advises congregational leaders on establishing the search committee; ensuring the congregation is cared for during the pastoral vacancy; conducting the congregational self-study and creating an information packet; finding, communicating with, and interviewing candidates; determining selection criteria as well as evaluating and recommending candidates; managing call negotiations; and finally welcoming the congregation’s new pastor. Sample letters, forms, and other tools are provided.
This book is a revised and expanded version of John Vonhof’s 1999 book, Pastoral Search: The Alban Guide to Managing the Pastoral Search Process.
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Crucified Church : Leading Your Church Through Death & Rebirth
$15.99Add to cartWarning: The Church is Dying…and She Should! The Church is losing ground in America. In The Crucified Church: Leading Your Church through Death & Rebirth, seasoned pastor and church planting expert, Joel Rissinger insightfully and candidly shows that revival or renewal of an impotent, biblically deprived church are simply not enough. With great love for the Bride of Christ, Rissinger shows why the death of a church is often its biblical pathway to life. In The Crucified Church! you will be equipped to: * Explore the biblical foundation for church death and rebirth * Crucify unbiblical doctrine, to ensure our gospel is everything Jesus is, was, taught, lived, did, and will do in the future. * Crucify church structure, to ensure our churches are led more as a theocracy than a democracy. * Crucify church vision, to ensure it is based on the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. * Crucify missions, to ensure they center on church planting and multiplication. And much more!
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Foundations Of Church Administration
$34.99Add to cartChurch leadership is a demanding and challenging role. There are many responsibilities involved in leading a church, which can be difficult to maneuver without the proper tools and resources.
Written with Bible-based truths and helpful insights, Foundations of Church Administration is both an exploration of those responsibilities and a practical guide to navigating through them. Each chapter is authored by a notable expert in the field who, with sound experience and effective steps, helps church leaders efficiently succeed in the many facets of their responsibilities.
In this honest exploration, church leaders will find a new perspective on church administration that will help them dig deeper and develop a long-lasting and effective practice of leading and administrating a church.
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Business Of The Church
$21.00Add to cartPastors are called to be not only leaders with vision but also managers of congregational systems, says John Wimberly in The Business of the Church. Drawing on his thirty-six years in ordained ministry, Wimberly weaves the realities of congregational dynamics and faith-centered purpose together with practical, proven approaches to business management. A student and friend of Rabbi Edwin Friedman, Wimberly builds on Friedman’s systems theory as he helps readers avoid common pitfalls and put into practice effective techniques of congregational management.
The book begins with a foundational discussion of how a systems approach helps congregational managers identify areas of dysfunction and effective solutions. Managing the critical “inputs” of people, facilities, and finances has a direct bearing on the desired “outputs” of proclamation, pastoral care, and mission. A strategic plan, through which a congregation sets its goals and identifies and prioritizes resources, is an essential management tool for both pastors and lay leaders.
The author’s conversational writing style and many real-life examples make a seemingly complicated, mysterious topic for some an engaging and easily applicable read.
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Many Parts One Body
$26.95Add to cartProperty issues will be major topic of debate at 2009 Episcopal General Convention
Clear, concise information on the legal structure and governance of the Episcopal Church
Debunks misinformation about Episcopal governance promulgated on conservative blogs and publications
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Planting A Family Integrated Church
$15.99Add to cartPlanting a Family-Integrated Church pickes up where J. Mark Fox’s first book, Family-Integrated Church left off, and it gives you a workbook for change. Included is everything from: finding others with the same vision, choosing a name and a location, and keeping the Great Commission. May God get the glory as He builds His church!
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Fly In The Ointment
$24.95Add to cartAn ecumenical resource that helps churches and church leaders begin to think about how to transform themselves into vital, flourishing organizations-transformation that requires deep, systemic change on the part of the bodies that are meant to help congregations live into their mission in the world.
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Reverse Mentoring : How Young Leaders Can Transform The Church And Why We S
$24.95Add to cartEarl Creps is known for his work in connecting the younger generation of postmoderns with their Boomer predecessors. The author of Off-Road Disciplines, Creps, in this new book, takes up the topic of how older church leaders can learn from younger leaders who are more conversant with culture, technology, and social context. In addition to making the benefits of what he calls “reverse mentoring” apparent, he also makes it accessible by offering practical steps to implement this discipline at both personal and organizational levels, particularly in communication, evangelism, and leadership.
Creps’ new book is a topic of interest both inside and outside the church as older leaders realize that they’re not “getting it” when it comes to technologies (iPod, IM, blogging) or cultural issues such as the fact that younger people see the world in an entirely different way. Creps has been personally involved in reverse mentoring for several years and has spoken and written on the subject extensively. He has pastored three churches (one Boomer, one Builder, on X’er) and is currently a church planter in Berkeley, California. He has also served as a consultant and and a seminary professor and administrator, holding a PhD in Communication Studies and a D.Min. from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. -
All For Gods Glory
$21.00Add to cartNobody likes scutwork, the unwanted dregs of the working day. Pastors are no exception to this, often dreading the endless e-mails and phone calls, having no heart for putting together one more bulletin or attending one more meeting, all of which feels like so much distraction from the “true” pastoral work to which they have been called. Louis Weeks challenges that paradigm and lifts up scutwork as an integral part of pastoral care and leadership. How can we administer congregations in ways most likely to increase the measure of pastoral care? How can our service, in menial and glorious work alike, build up the Body of Christ? How can all the work and worship in this congregation help God’s work in the world?
Preparation, organization, and other administrative duties are crucial for effective programs and mission in a congregation as elsewhere in society. Preaching, teaching, and pastoral care-three indispensable parts of congregational life-all depend upon competent congregational administration. It is through focused attention to the details of scutwork that pastors are able to build solid relationships within the congregation, and without the trust that comes from these relationships, no true pastoral care and leadership is possible. All for God’s Glory explores ways in which churches are engaged and can engage in practices of administration that deepen care and build a healthy congregational community.
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Leadership Handbook Of Management And Administration (Revised)
$33.00Add to cartThis substantial resource offers pastors and church leaders practical insight into the daily issues of running a church. Conceived and compiled by the editors of Leadership journal, this book covers the full spectrum of ministry practice. Readers will learn about perennial topics such as time management, negotiating the terms of a call, handling crisis and conflict, hiring and managing staff, conducting special fund drives, spending church money, and dealing with tax and law considerations.
This revised and expanded edition of a proven ministry resource contains new contributions from prominent ministry leaders. Contributors include Leith Anderson, Rick Warren, Brian McLaren, Luis Palau, John Ortberg, Aubrey Malphurs, and many others.
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Administration In The Small Membership Church
$18.99Add to cartFor many pastors, church administration may be their least favorite area of ministry. This book helps pastors create and maintian effective structures that will enable them to spend more time on what they truly value.
Outlines key steps to organize and manage time, staff, and resources of the small-membership church including multi-point chargesGives practical methods for creating and maintaining viable structures for effective church management
Helps pastors get organized so they can focus on what gives them the most satisfaction in ministry
Helps church leaders recruit and retain the right people for the right jobs, especially where resources are limited. -
When Moses Meets Aaron
$30.00Add to cartWith the number of large congregations rising in the U.S., these congregations are increasingly dependent upon a greater number of staff to meet the needs of their diverse collection of members. As leaders of multi-staff teams, senior clergy must play the dual role of both Moses and Aaron-both visionary and detail-oriented leader-in order for their large congregations to thrive. They need to be skilled with the tools of human resource management, while at the same time setting a vision and inspiring both staff and congregation.
Unfortunately, until now there have been few resources for senior clergy who lead multi-staff teams. Working without adequate models and tools, senior clergy of large congregations often find themselves with passionate, dedicated staff members who are moving in different directions, competing over limited resources and attention. They end up with questions of how to evaluate the performance of staff and direct their efforts. They find themselves using time, attention, and resources to care for staff rather than using staff as a resource to care for the mission of the congregation.
Alban senior consultants Susan Beaumont and Gil Rendle have developed When Moses Meets Aaron to help clergy responsible for several-member staff teams navigate these unknown waters. They have taken the best of corporate human resource tools and immersed them in a congregational context, providing a comprehensive manual for supervising, motivating, and coordinating staff teams. Rendle and Beaumont give both detailed and big picture guidance on hiring, job descriptions, supervision, performance evaluation, staff-team design, difficult staff behavior, and more. Their combined experience in consulting and training with staff and leaders of large congregations proves invaluable in this manual for today’s leadership demands.
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Beyond The First Visit (Reprinted)
$20.00Add to cartA complete guide to new member assimilation-the best ways to invite, greet, and follow-up on guests to a church.
Does your church put out the “Welcome” mat or the “Do not disturb” sign?
We all like to think that our church is the friendliest one in town. But do visitors see it that way? Church consultant Gary L. McIntosh invites you to take another look at your church through the eyes of a first-time guest to identify the things that might be holding them back from a second visit.This very practical book offers sound advice on assessing and improving the ways in which your church attracts people, welcomes them, does follow-up, and brings them into the church family. More than simply offering mere techniques, it gives suggestions for making a welcoming attitude part of the very fabric of your church.
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Communicating For A Change
$19.99Add to cartSpeakers and preachers—follow this instructive parable to keep your message alive and your audience alert! By knowing your destination before you leave (identifying the major premise you want to communicate), using your turn signals (transition ahead!), and employing five other practical points, you’ll be on the road to success—and drive your message home!
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Basic Business Principles For Growing Churches
$10.95Add to cartPastors are schooled in theology and ministry, but few receive training in the fine points of church administration. Learning how to handle a congregation’s finances “on the job” can be a harrowing experience. Yet efficiently managing your church’s business affairs is a key element in keeping current members satisfied with their pastoral leadership — and in attracting the new members you need for your church to grow in size and influence.
In Basic Business Principles For Growing Churches, Arnold Cirtin shares expertise gained from more than four decades of corporate and academic experience. He provides a clear and helpful primer for pastors with limited training in business administration on such practical topics as accounting, fiscal management, and marketing.
This is an indispensable book for pastors of small- and medium-sized churches (who typically are also their congregations’ principal financial officers), as well as for church treasurers, trustees, and other financial board members. When you follow the guidelines in Basic Business Principles For Growing Churches, your church will be fiscally responsible, managed efficiently, and able to maximize its growing stewardship of God’s resources.
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Ministry Staff Member
$19.99Add to cartThis comprehensive resource provides counsel and direction for associate staff members. It can be used to train new staff members, for orientation with seminary interns, for in-service training in church staff meetings, or as a reference tool to consult if facing staff tensions and challenges. Topics covered include knowing your job, embracing your role as a servant leader, serving responsibly, getting along with others, living a balanced life, and avoiding things that get in the way.
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Great Giveaway : Reclaiming The Mission Of The Church (Reprinted)
$22.00Add to cartHas the North American church relinquished her God-given mission to parachurch organizations, psychotherapy, and consumer capitalism? Warning that postmodern evangelicals are increasingly modeling their ministries after secular sciences and “farming out” church functions in the name of efficiency, Fitch challenges believers to reclaim the lost practices of evangelism, physical healing, and spiritual formation.
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Giving Away My Joy
$15.95Add to cartThe pastor of New Prospect Missionary Baptist Church in Detroit where the membership has tripled in just five years, explains her pastoral leadership model–the Psalmist Model of Spiritual Joy–in which spiritual joy shapes expressions of worship, stewardship, counseling, and social outreach.
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So Youre On The Search Committee (Revised)
$12.00Add to cartSo You’re on the Search Committee focuses on the experience of pastoral search committees and the unique role that laity in most denominations play in this crucial process. Because a change of pastors is, as Alban Institute founder Loren Mead puts it, a “critical moment of ministry,” participation as a member of a search committee is a big investment with tremendous rewards, both for the congregation as well as for the individual.
Authors Ketcham and Hahn find that the pastoral search process presents both search committee members and the congregation as a whole with limitless opportunities for growth and faith development. They offer insightful reflections on the deeper issues of congregational identity and transformation that search committees will find themselves wrestling with, as well as raise warnings about some of the obstacles committee members can expect to encounter in the search process.
So You’re on the Search Committee began as a conversation between Celia Allison Hahn, former editor-in-chief at the Alban Institute, and Bunty Ketcham, a consultant with considerable experience serving on search committees. First published in 1985, this new edition retains the original book’s interview format and includes significant updates and revisions based on new learnings and experiences with congregations going through pastoral transition.
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Change Of Pastors (Revised)
$20.00Add to cartRevised Edition Of Critical Moment Of Ministry: Change Of Pastors
Twenty years after Critical Moment of Ministry was first published, Loren Mead returns to his groundbreaking work on one of the most important times in a congregation’s life-the time between one pastor’s leaving and another’s arrival. In this revised edition, A Change of Pastors, Mead shares the wisdom he gained from 35 years of studying congregations, wisdom that he hopes will allow congregations to take full advantage of this “extraordinarily pregnant moment” during which incredible congregational change can happen.With the voice of an old friend and trusted counselor, Mead leads his readers through the challenges of forming committees, negotiating denominational relations, and managing the search process. He describes in detail the seven sequential steps congregations ought to take to ensure a smooth transition: termination, direction finding, self-study, search, decision/negotiation, installation, and start-up. Additionally, Mead devotes a chapter to nonsequential developmental tasks, tasks that should take place throughout the transition and into the congregation’s future: coming to terms with the past, discovering a new identity, allowing for needed leadership changes, rediscovering the denomination, and commitment to new directions in ministry. Performing these developmental tasks in concert with the seven sequential steps allows congregations to take full advantage of this fertile time for change in the congregation, this “critical moment of ministry.”
A revised text and introduction, an updated bibliography, and a new preface and afterword make A Change of Pastors crucial for any congregation undergoing or about to undergo a change of pastors. In the midst of this transition, there is no doubt that your congregation will find a new pastor. But this book will help you to do more than merely find a hired hand to manage the preaching and the worship. You will discover what God wants you to be and do. You will find a new commitment to ministry. And you will find the pastor who will help make that ministry happen.
Loren B. Mead is president emeritus of the Alban Institute, which he founded in 1974. Since his retirement in 1993, he has continued to consult with congregations, lecture, and write. He has written many books, including The Once and Future Church: Reinventing the Church for a New Mission Frontier (Alban, 1991).
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How To Hit The Ground Running
$26.95Add to cartNeal O. Michell The quick-start program described in this book is designed for the new rector or pastor who wants to “hit the ground running.” It is also designed for principal lay leaders who will be instrumental in the transition to new leadership. The program takes the new pastor, vestry, or other leadership bodies from one month prior to the new leader’s arrival through the first eighteen months afterward. Organized in a user-friendly workbook format, this guide gives step-by-step suggestions on how the sometimes stalled and directionless period of transition in a faith community can be made dynamic and purposefula time of true congregational development.
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Leading Leaders : Empowering Church Boards For Ministry Excellence (Reprinted)
$20.00Add to cartThe key to effective leadership in the vast majority of today’s churches lies as much with their governing boards as it does with their pastor. But many churches are lead by those who volunteer to chair committees because there is a need, yet they have no leadership training to speak of. How well-meaning but sometimes ill-prepared lay people guide the path of a church body? The secret lies in offering effective, practical training. Leadership expert Aubrey Malphurs provides this in Leading Leaders. Filling a gaping hole in leadership literature, Malphurs offers workable strategies to train laypeople to successfully lead their churches.
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Healthy Small Church
$13.99Add to cartLike Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, a healthy church balances the well-being of its individual members with that of the entire church. If a church is afflicted with unhealthy issues, such as feelings of unimportance, a lack of vision, exclusivity, limited resources, or unbalanced leadership, then its health is threatened and it may eventually die. But an unhealthy church can get well and experience vital physical and spiritual growth.
In The Healthy Church, Dennis Bickers diagnoses those things that can threaten the life of your church and prescribes practical remedies for treatment. He emphasizes that maintaining a healthy church means preventing problems from developing by first recognizing their symptoms and then acting accordingly.
Become a healthy church that:
*Has a positive self-image
*Shares a common vision that creates a sense of purpose and unity
*Maintains community while still warmly welcoming new visitors
*Practices the importance of faithful stewardship and financial support
*Understands ministry to be the responsibility of all the members of the church
*Encourages everyone to serve according to his or her spiritual gifts-not by seniority or guilt. -
Pearls In The Pew
$17.95Add to cartIn Pearls in the Pew, Dr. John H. Walker presents a fresh look at mining the unlimited potential of the laity and introduces a Laity Leadership Training program. The program is based on the powerful Being, Becoming and Doing model for equipping lay leders in the new millennium. This book is a must-have leadership development tool for pastors and laypersons.
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Work Of The Church Trustee
$14.99Add to cart1. Who Make The Best Trustees?
2. It’s A Big Job
3. Your Board Should Be The Best
4. The Money In Your Hand
5. Buried Treasure For The Kingdom
6. Working With The Professional Team
7. Trustees In A Changing World
8. You Learn Through Others
9. Trustees Are Ministers, Too
AppendixesAdditional Info
There is more to serving as a trustee than counting money or arranging to repair the church plumbing! Beginning with the biblical and theological basis of service, Orlando Tibbetts has prepared a very comprehensive guide to deepen and broaden the trustee’s sense of ministry and mission in his/her service to the church. An excellent tool for new or experienced board members, this book covers every facet of the trustee’s responsibility as a steward of the community’s concerns and as a servant of the Lord. It is both practical and inspiring. -
Who Runs The Church
$22.99Add to cart“Many Protestants, individually and denominationally, are divided by differences regarding the form of church government. While these differences are not necessarily as divisive as theological and doctrinal issues, they are significant to churches and church leaders and affect the way Christians do God’s work. This book in the highly acclaimed Counterpoints series offers insights and contrasts into four kinds of church government: (1) episcopalianism (hierarchical, with priests, bishops, and archbishops), (2) presbyterianism (a representative form at multiple levels-church, classis/presbytery, synod/general assembly), (3) single-elder congregationalism (pastor-led local autonomy), and (4) plural-elder congregationalism (another form of local autonomy). Each form of government is explored through (1) description, (2) historical development, (3) hermeneutical assumptions, (4) biblical and theological foundations, (5) an understanding of the nature, number, and relationship of church officers, (6) the practical implications. The contributors are Peter Toon of the Anglican Church (episcopalianism), L. Roy Taylor of the Presbyterian Church in America (presbyterianism), Paige Patterson of the Southern Baptist Convention (single-elder congregationalism), and Samuel E. Waldron of the Reformed Baptist Church (plural-elder congregationalism).” EDITOR: Cowan, Steven B.
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Making Disciples Making Leaders
$27.00Add to cartThis book offers a model for selecting and training church officers that is grounded in spiritual discernment and development. The book begins with a biblical understanding of leadership, moves into consideration for how to train a Nominating Committee to select leaders according to the biblical vision, and then offers a step-by-step plan for a training event with three components. The training plan is designed to build up the church leaders spiritually and to set their work in the context of discipleship, as well as to teach them some of the fundamentals of the rules of governance of their denomination. The book ends with concrete suggestions for how future work of the church board can be structured to reflect the emphases highlighted in the training session.
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Bivocational Pastor : Two Jobs One Ministry
$15.99Add to cartSucceed in bi-vocational ministry. Bi-vocational ministers face unique challenges. Often times, you are called to lead smaller churches with few resources, many of which have plateaued or are in decline is looked at by some as a “second-class” ministry performed by people who do not have the opportunity to serve a larger church. Along with your family and church responsibilities, your second job also requires a large amount of time each week.
But you have a special calling, as both of your jobs can provide opportunities for ministry. In his new book, Dennis Bickers provides solid advice to help you succeed in bi-vocational ministry. You’ll learn how to:
*Manage time wisely
*Define success on your own terms
*Develop a vision for your church
*Maintain a passion for the ministry
*And much more! -
Choosing Church
$24.95Add to cartWidely known theological educator and sociologist Carol Lytch presents this well-researched study of what attracts teenagers to the church and what keeps them there. The cogent research includes interviews of a number of teenagers and their parents from mainline Protestant, evangelical, and Roman Catholic congregations. Groundbreaking and fascinating, Choosing Church ultimately serves as a highly useful description of the most effective ways that congregations and parents can foster faith in early teenagers that will help them value the church as a place to obtain identity, belonging, and growth.
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Ushers In Ministry
$13.49Add to cartBiblical Perspectives and Personal Reflections for Ushers, Greeters, and Lay Ministry These writings are not simply lists of ironclad duties and actions that need to be taken by ushers or those in lay ministry. Rather, they are a product of biblical understandings and personal reflections of the author, having evolved from hundreds of hours of consideration and experiences on the essentials of what would make the ministry of ushering more effective. Anyone engaged in the ministry of ushering or greeting should find much of value in these writings, as one will be exposed to biblical perspectives regarding these ministries. Overseers of these ministries should find their workload lightened by using these writings as a framework for providing direction to those who are so serving, since time for meetings and training sessions is always in short supply. Any of these essays may also be used effectively in group discussions and should result in a higher level of attainment.
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Pastors Guide To Growing A Christlike Church
$14.99Add to cartIn The pastor’s Guide To Growing A Christlike Church, you’ll discover the keys to creating a vibrant, biblical, spiritually healthy church. William Willimon, Kennon Callahan, George Hunter III, and other well-known church leaders will teach you how to:
*Develop servant leaders among the laity
*Get laity involved in serving the community
*Nurture healthy spirituality in the church
*Develop authentic Christian community and fellowship
*Plan worship services that bind church members together
*Cast a vision for the future of the church
*And much more! -
Church Administration In The Black Perspective (Revised)
$16.99Add to cartNot only does this revised edition feature updated language, but it also includes fresh information in such areas as budgeting and the use of modern technology. The authors supply detailed information on creating a church budget, and discuss the role websites, computer technology, and cable access television can play in helping churches to carry out their mission.
The book includes guidelines for effectively organizing church boards and committees, as well as details pertaining to overall church structure. The authors’ perspectives are well grounded in the experience of the African American Christian community, as the text explores how the African heritage and slave experience have molded black church traditions.
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Getting The Word Out
$27.00Add to cartHigh quality publications and public relations will enhance a congregation’s overall ministry by promoting strong stewardship, effective evangelism, and exciting parish education. Getting the Word Out provides all the tools congregations need to create attention-grabbing, informative, and inspiring communications.
Frederick H. Gonnerman shows readers how to assess their audience and the competition for the audience’s attention; identify a publication’s purpose; and create useful, readable, and attractive publications-whether print or online, for the congregation or a broader community. One chapter deals with the role of publications in the celebration of special events.
Approaching the parish communications task as a team effort-one that might include pastors; a volunteer or paid editor; and secretaries, other paid staff, and lay leaders-Gonnerman shares the experience and expertise of professional journalists, graphic designers and artists, photographers, and public relations personnel. Getting the Word Out will teach every member of the team how to produce the most effective and highest quality publications possible. Foreword by Martin E. Marty.
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On Purpose Leadership
$15.99Add to cart22 Chapters
Additional Info
After 20 books and three decades of developing innovative, need-meeting ministries, Galloway is recognized as one who trains the leaders of leaders of leaders. Now he offers the best of his best on multiplying your effectiveness through others. Building on Christ’s own model, he offers powerful insights for encouraging, equipping, and reproducing lay leadership. -
So The Vicars Leaving
$14.00Add to cartAn essential handbook for churchwardens, PCC’s and all with responsibility during this crucial time in the life of a church. This comprehensive guide offers practical advice on preparing for an interregnum, arranging for continuing worship and pastoral care, keeping church administration going, meeting legal responsibilities, finding a new priest and laying a good foundation for future ministry between priest and people.
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Starting A Non Profit At Your Church
$22.00Add to cartA large and growing number of congregations are setting up church-based nonprofit organizations in order to operate community development or educational programs. Once formed, the nonprofit structure allows for new opportunities for accessing additional funding and drawing new collaborative partners and volunteers into the ministry. Joy Skjegstad outlines the step-by-step procedures for setting up a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization connected to a congregation using simple, easy-to-understand terminology and plenty of examples from churches that have already taken on this task.
In addition to accessible and specific information on the legal aspects of a church-based nonprofit, topics include:
Why set up a nonprofit?
Advantages and disadvantages to setting up a nonprofit
Assessing readiness for the challenge
Defining the nonprofit’s mission and niche
Accountability and control
Establishing a board structure and defining board roles
Maintaining a positive relationship with the congregation
Personnel issues
Developing a fundraising plan
Ongoing evaluation
Whether a congregation is setting up new program or has an established nonprofit that needs to be restructured or redefined, congregations will find helpful guidance in this practical, experience-based book. Foreword by Mary Nelson, President, Bethel New Life, Inc., Chicago. -
Pastors Guide To Effective Ministry
$14.99Add to cart12 Chapters
Additional Info
Systematic theology. . . Philosophy of religion. . . Old Testament exegesis. Just about every seminary-trained pastor is educated in these areas. But how about nurturing the congregation? Don’t forget administration of the church and pastoral counseling. And on a more personal note, they must keep their family life in shape, care for their own physical and emotional health, manage their finances, and maintain a pure life and witness.Larry Burkett, Dallas Willard, William Willimon, and Dale Galloway, along with other well-known church leaders, provide solid advice for the personal and professional development of pastors. This book will be a desktop companion for pastors who are in the trenches and facing the day-to-day challenges of ministry.
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Ideal Seminary
$29.95Add to cartSamuel Calian hopes to create a shared vision of ownership of theological education. Addressing those who have a stake in theological schools and education, he encourages them to think both theologically and organizationally about the aim of theological schools in order to enhance the role and influence of these schools among their churches and communities. Calian ends each chapter with an issue for discussion intended to encourage conversation and action among all people interested in theological education.
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Deacons : Servant Models In The Church Updated Edition (Reprinted)
$14.99Add to cartFrom the days of the early church, deacons have been chosen to fulfill an essential ministry. Updating his classic resource, Webb explores the many facets of the pastoral assistant’s life and role, including marriage, family life, conduct, priorities, and more. Helpful as you equip lay leaders for their divinely appointed place in God’s church.
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Searching For A Pastor The Presbyterian Way
$24.00Add to cart1. What Lies Ahead?
2. “Decently And In Order”: Calling Pastoral Leadership The Presbyterian Way
3. Getting Organized
4. Remebering Your Story
5. Going Fishing: Net-Working For Candidates
6. It’s Time To Talk: Insights On Interviewing
7. The Big Decision
8. ClosureAdditional Info
When a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregation searches for a new pastor or associate pastor, there are many official guidelines to follow. This step-by-step guide for nominating committees not only makes these procedures clear and understandable, but it goes behind the rules and regulations to the deeper theological and practical concerns. Foose explains how to get organized, how to compose the Congregational Information materials, how to compile a list of good candidates, what kinds of questions to ask in an interview, and other essential tips and tactics to call a suitable pastor. Drawing upon years of experience working with pastors, candidates, and congregations, Foose tells the “inside story” on how to find just the right pastor and how to allow the search process to be a time of spiritual discernment and growth in faith. -
Grace Full Leadership
$16.99Add to cart20 Chapters
Additional Info
Leadership goes beyond just acting as a figurehead or simply filling a political position-leadership is all about being. A true leader si undoubtedly an influence in the hearts and minds of his or her follwers. But it is the Christian leader who is given the most transforming opportunity for influence be being Christ.And that means servanthood.
More than elegance or social accomplishment, servant-leadership is all about grace. A true Christian leader is full of grace that extends to each point of influence. Christ’s personal example of love, wisdom, and knowledge is reflected through the life of service.
Join author John Bowling as he gives insight and perspective into following the call to grace-fullness. You’ll find the heart of Christian leadership takes you far beyond seven steps to worldly success to an ever-deepening desire for integrity and excellence.
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Women In The Church
$35.00Add to cartThis painstaking work will enlighten people on all sides of the issue, though Stanley Grenz makes no secret of his bold conclusion. Historical, bibical, and theoological considerations, he writes, converge not only in allowing, but also in insisting, that women serve as full partners with men in the work of the church.
