Pastoral Helps
Showing 3301–3400 of 3961 resultsSorted by latest
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Sewing Church Linens
$19.95Add to cartThe classic book on sewing linens for the church is back in a revised edition. This complete explains the materials and equipment needed, a variety of hemming options, special instructions on the small linens such as purificators and palls, working with fair linens, white work embroidery, and caring for church linens. New to this edition are directions for rolled hems, chalice veils, more specific directions and an improved worksheet for planning shrinkage, special advice specifically for beginners, an updated “Source and Resource” section, and new patterns.
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Chaplaincy Ministry And The Mission Of The Church
$35.99Add to cartIn Chaplaincy Ministry and the Mission of the Church, Victoria Slater explores the significance of chaplaincy for the mission and ministry of the contemporary Church. She discusses the reasons for the recent growth in new chaplaincy roles in the contemporary cultural and church context and provides a theological rationale for chaplaincy along with practical suggestions for the development and support of chaplaincy practice. The book provides conceptual clarity about what chaplaincy actually is and will move beyond the common polarisation of chaplaincy and Church to position chaplaincy as a distinctive form of ministry with its own identity and integrity that, together with other forms of ministry, makes a significant contribution to the mission of the Church.
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Exodus (Student/Study Guide)
$9.99Add to cartExodus is a say out. It is a decisive act that leaves behind and moves on. Exodus and wilderness experiences significantly define the identity and existence of communities and individuals. How important have decisions to leave behind and move on been in your life? This study helps readers appreciate learning how God is in the midst of the movements and changes of life, no matter how minor or how transformational. Seven easy to lead sessions with teaching helps for adult learners in their 20’s and 30’s.
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Preaching Verse By Verse
$25.00Add to cartRonald Allen and Gilbert Bartholomew introduce preachers to verse-by-verse praching, in which the sermon unfolds much like a commentary on the Bible: the preacher interprets the passage unit by unit. They note its applicability in a variety of settings and occasions, and offer practical suggestions for preparing a sermon in the style, including sample sermons from different genres and tips for keeping it fresh, vital, and engaging.
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Firestorm : Preventing And Overcoming Church Conflicts (Reprinted)
$20.00Add to cartAccording to one survey, as many as one third of all congregations have suffered conflicts severe enough to result in the firing or forced resignation of one or more of their pastors. Ron Susek, who has firsthand experience of the lasting effects of church controversy and has ministered to churches in turmoil, offers a detailed portrait of how events can often spiral out of control–not unlike the flames of a wildfire.
Firestorm describes the six successive phases through which conflicts generally pass. In each phase, Susek identifies the tensions that tend to develop, explains how they are compounded if left unresolved, and offers practical, spiritual guidance for pastors and congregational leaders.
The book also explains the spiritual, social, and psychological causes of conflict; the most appropriate means for dealing with controversy in its various stages; and what can be done in the firestorm’s aftermath to restore faith and hope.
A detailed plan of action is included.
If you think that God fell into good fortune the day you committed your wonderful leadership skills to his work and that the two of you are building a masterpiece of a church that will stand until the Lord returns, then don’t bother reading this book. Enjoy your illusion while it lasts.
If, on the other hand, you have been in the ministry long enough to know that your church could blow into a firestorm of conflict despite your best efforts and that it demands a constant vigil to keep the temperature set at spiritually warm, not destructively hot, then this book may be of some assistance.
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Discover Your Spiritual Type
$29.00Add to cartFrom Urban T. Holmes’ spiritual typology and her own experience as a spiritual director and pastoral counselor, Ware provides a framework for people to name and understand their spiritual experience-in much the same way Myers-Briggs typology provides a framework for understanding personality type. Readers explore four spiritual types-head, heart, mystic, and Kingdom-and exercises allow individuals and groups to assess their type. Additional help for clergy to use this tool with congregations is included, which will help them gain greater understanding of how members learn about, worship, and celebrate God-and why there may be tension about such issues as the form or content of the worship service
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Clergy Self Care
$30.00Add to cartNationally known for his work and teaching on clergy development, Oswald integrates research and experience into a liberating perspective on the pastoral calling. Discover how imbalances in your physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual lives can destroy the very ministry you seek to carry out. Learn what you can do to restore that balance. Packed with self-assessment tools, real-life experiences, and specific self-care strategies.
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Saying Goodbye : A Time Of Growth For Congregations And Pastors
$23.00Add to cartLeaving a pastorate is hard on both congregation and pastor. Learn how to make this transition a growth experience for all. Written for congregations and pastors, Goodbye skillfully weaves accounts from clergy, laity, and educators of seven denominations with White’s own insight as a former General Presbyter to create a resource for meaningful and healthy partings. Includes examples of a “farewell” worship service and litany for closure of a ministry.
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Inviting Church : A Study Of New Member Assimilation
$23.00Add to cartEver wonder why some people never return after their first visit? Why some join but you rarely see them? Or why others become active participants in your church family’s life and worship? Discover how your congregation can meet growth challenges. Based on Alban Institute research, The Inviting Church includes a self-study design for assessing assimilation processes and analyzing visitors’ perceptions.
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Running Through The Thistles
$13.00Add to cartCan how you leave a church affect your feelings about leaving or create “baggage” you take to your new congregation? Gain insight into termination styles and how they affect both you and your parishioners. Oswald guides you through Alban Institute research findings, using real-life illustrations.
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Transforming Rituals : Daily Practices For Changing Lives
$23.00Add to cartToday’s rapid, deep, and pervasive changes in North American culture present myriad challenges for faith communities now and in the years ahead. Oswald explores the use of rituals as spiritually healing practices for the home, congregation, and broader community. He teaches congregational leaders how individuals and groups can use familiar new rituals to name, evaluate, live out, celebrate, and grow through change.
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Generous Saints : Congregations Rethinking Ethics And Money
$23.00Add to cartA constructive theology and ethics of money in the Christian life, this series addition is by James Hudnut-Beumler, dean and associate professor of religion and culture at Columbia Theological Seminary, and deals with vital questions. “What does the Lord require? what is the true meaning of the term ‘commonwealth?’ and how does the church build a stable base for its members to live ethical lives?” A positive approach to forming the basis for new thought and discussion.
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Total Ministry : Reclaiming The Ministry Of All Of Gods People
$23.00Add to cartUsed successfully in Episcopal dioceses and congregations, Total Ministry describes a new way for local congregations (especially small ones) and judicatories to organize their response to God’s call and to provide resources, support, and encouragement for ministry-a way that is not dependent only on full-time, seminary-trained, ordained leaders.
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Music In Churches
$23.00Add to cartClergy, worship or music committees, organists, and choir or music directors will find this a practical and invaluable guide to the role and power of music to express and form faith. Clark researched twenty-four Episcopal and United Methodist congregations to discover how churchgoers express their faith through music. Discover how music can either enhance or detract from tradition and faith experience. Explore how it can shape your congregation’s character.
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Understanding Your Congregation As A System (Reprinted)
$32.00Add to cartParsons and Leas have created an important tool for congregational leaders in this application of systems theory to evaluating a congregation’s life and readiness for change. Church leaders can explore the forces at work and examine the systemic implications in seven key areas: strategy, process, pastoral and lay leadership, authority, relatedness, and learning. The Manual provides an overview of systems theory, complete instructions for administering and scoring the Congregational Systems Inventory (CSI), and guidance for interpreting and explaining the inventory results using sample scores. Be sure to order some packs of the CSI along with this valuable resource
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Single In The Church
$20.00Add to cartSingle adults are expected to comprise 52% of all Americans by the year 2000. Explore the concerns, needs, and fears of this segment of our society and how your church may be ignoring it. Discover practical ways churches have opened their ministries, worship, and congregational life to include singles. An eye-opening discovery that a church growth model need not rely on family-oriented programs and structures
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Making Your Church More Inviting
$23.00Add to cartIf you’ve read the book or viewed the course, now lead your church in study with this workbook approach to Alban’s Inviting Church materials. Its fifteen sessions are designed to help clergy or lay leaders guide committees or study groups through a dynamic exploration of their congregation’s IQ (invitation quotient). Discover how well you invite, welcome, and incorporate new members. As participants uncover the inviting elements of your church, they develop a personal witness style that emerges comfortably from their individual gifts.
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Evaluating Ministry : Principles And Processes For Clergy And Congregations
$23.00Add to cartGrounding evaluation in the theological and organizational context of mission (everyone a minister), Hudson describes case studies of four successful evaluation models that include the whole church. She suggests how “whole church” reviews might result in stronger pastoral ministry and new directions for mission. An important resource that will help clergy and laity explore mutual ministry, judicatory executives strengthen congregations, and new pastors get through their first congregational evaluation.
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Once And Future Church
$23.00Add to cartMead takes a broad look at past and present changes in the church, and postulates a future to which those changes are calling us. Denominations, once structured to deliver resources to far-off lands of foreign mission, now encounter the mission field in the layperson’s workplace and the community surrounding the local congregation. Thus, the church is called to reinvention for this new mission frontier. Study guide information follows.
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Personality Type And Religious Leadership
$30.00Add to cartCombining pastoral and behavioral science expertise, the authors spell out ways type and temperament theory illuminate the clergy role. Learn how to use the 16 Myers-Briggs personality types to recognize and affirm your gifts, work with your liabilities, and understand and accept those with whom you minister.
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Behavioral Covenants In Congregations (Workbook)
$26.00Add to cartThis down-to-earth workbook gets to the heart of modern congregational life: how to live creatively together despite differences of age, race, culture, opinion, gender, theological or political position. Alban Senior Consultant Gil Rendle explains how to grow by valuing our differences rather than trying to ignore or blend them. He describes a method of establishing behavioral covenants that includes leadership instruction, training tools, resources (visual models, examples of specific covenants), small-group exercises, plans for meetings and retreats.
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In Between Church
$23.00Add to cartAlban Senior Consultant Mann draws on her lengthy experience in helping congregations deal with the hurdles and anxieties of expansion or contraction in size. Often, congregations experiencing size change do not recognize the need to change culture and form as part of the successful adaptation process. Mann details the adjustments in attitude-as well as practice-that are necessary to support successful size change.
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Leading Change In The Congregation
$31.00Add to cartMany books have been written about leadership and change, but until now none has focused on the kind of change that tears at a community’s very fabric. Alban senior consultant Gil Rendle provides a respectful context for understanding change, especially the experiences and resistances that people feel. Rendle pulls together theory, research, and his work with churches facing change to provide leaders with practical diagnostic models and tools. In a time when change is the norm, this book helps to “lead change” in a spiritual and healthy way.
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Discerning Your Congregations Future
$31.00Add to cartDrawing on extensive consulting experience with congregations, the authors provide a step-by-step guide to congregational planning that grounds strategic planning techniques in a process of spiritual discernment. The result: members will own the vision and be eager to participate in the congregation’s calling, life, and ministry. You and your planning committee learn the theory behind the techniques, along with receiving help for addressing specific situations.
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Attending Parishioners Spiritual Growth
$23.00Add to cartIn this clarion call to tend to spiritual growth, Williamsen provides a much-needed resource for clergy. Discover how to assist parishioners in their prayer and spiritual life. Learn how individual spiritual growth can flow back into the congregation’s growth as a community. Explore new ideas and practical approaches to using Christian education, worship, retreats, devotional guides, and church meetings as tools to achieve spiritual growth. Learn about spirituality gender differences; the importance of your own spiritual life; spiritually grounding lay leaders; encouraging spiritual friendships and study groups. For clergy interested in developing spirituality at the individual level; seminary professors who want to help their students explore this aspect of parish ministry; and judicatory executives who wish to encourage their clergy in this area.
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Faith
$9.99Add to cartYou may have faith, but may also realize that it can mean many things. Is it belief or trust or waiting or moral behavior or something else? Or is it all those things? This resource targets adult learners in their 20’s and 30’s. It challenges you to examine a powerful biblical image that defines and shapes your life, and includes these helpful features: Bible background on the particular image: faith. Articles on group leadership, organizing a study group, using small Break-Out groups, and choosing teaching options. Case studies throughout the text and in the appendix to use as discussion starters or as a bridge to your own experiences. Seven easy-to-lead sessions with clear teaching helps on every page. Options for service projects.
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Once And Future Pastor
$25.00Add to cartHobgood examines new pressures on clergy that are emerging in the “post-Christendom era:” financial stresses; the effects of a conflicted and confrontational culture; the needs of an increasing number of people living broken or dependent lives; dysfunctional behavior on the part of pastors and parishioners; questions regarding clergy respect and job satisfaction. How is ministry being affected by these changes? What skills will clergy need as they enter the new century? An invaluable resource thoroughly grounded in research and full of practical observations for clergy, judicatory executives, seminary professors, and long-range planners.
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Embracing Diversity : Leadership In Multicultural Congregations
$20.00Add to cartExplore a variety of approaches congregations have taken to embrace differences; identify leadership issues diversity creates in congregations; and discover programmatic suggestions drawn from the experience of multicultural congregations to address these issues. This book helps readers to understand their own experience with racial and cultural differences and is a guide for gathering diverse people into the life and mission of the congregation
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User Friendly Evaluation
$23.00Add to cartEach congregation must evaluate itself in light of its own mix of gifts, backgrounds, talents, and opportunities. Presenting the best of evaluation theory past and present, Woods shows clergy and lay leaders how to engage in mutual evaluation-not judgment-of ministry, mission, and community as a shared responsibility. The goal is building up the congregation. A special chapter provides commentary from church evaluation experts Roy Oswald (Alban), Paul Light (ABUSA denominational staff), and Jill Hudson (PCUSA judicatory executive) on dilemmas congregations face in evaluation
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Small Groups In The Church
$20.00Add to cartThis planning and leader training handbook offers a distinctive broad-based, small-group approach to building community. From the Jewish havurot to Christian koinonia, you will gain a thorough understanding of community, learn how to plan an effective small-group ministry, how to select and train leaders for all kinds of small groups, and how to start small groups that are a part of and not apart from their congregations. Appendices provide an overview of the sociological, psychological, and biblical theological literature on community and a wealth of presentation and leader training resources.
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Pastoral Visitation
$19.00Add to cartThis book integrates the theory and practice of pastoral visitation to increase the effectiveness of pastors and trained laity for an intentional, proactive program of pastoral visitation in the local church. In order to increase pastoral visitor’s positive experiences of effectiveness, the author presents basic “how to” information in a straightforward manner characterized by vivid illustrations and case studies. The book provides a theological basis for pastoral visitation.
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Making A Good Move
$20.99Add to cartIf you’re thinking of applying for a position in another church, you’ll appreciate the sensible guidance Coyner offers on transitioning from one pastorate to another! Discover how to establish working relationships with church members, move smoothly out of the “honeymoon” phase, and more. A valuable resource for new and seasoned pastors.
Michael Coyner argues that though the early months and years of a new pastorate can be stressful and difficult, they can also be particularly fruitful. These new beginnings can be among the most rewarding times of a pastor’s career, especially if the minister seizes opportunities for establishing and strengthening relationships with church members and plans carefully for the transition out of the initial “honeymoon” period. Drawing on years of experience as a pastor of local congregations as well as extensive work supervising pastors, Coyner provides solid, sensible guidance on making a good move into a successful ministry. Written in consultation with pastors from both “call” and “appointment” systems, this book will be of value to those who are starting a new ministry placement, whether they be fresh out of seminary or long-time seasoned veterans.
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Teaching Children Bible Basics
$21.99Add to cartHelp the 8- to 10-year-olds in your Sunday school learn to use the Bible! Children gain a working knowledge of the Bible’s structure, organization, and significance. The interactive 30-minute lessons stimulate creativity and critical thinking; each includes a lesson focus, Scripture text, materials list, learning activities, discussion questions, and closing prayer. A practical guide for teachers!
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Pilgrim Road
$28.00Add to cartChristian faith and life are not static; in fact, they can be viewed as a journey. Preeminent theologian B.A. Gerrish uses the motif of the journey of Christian life to present the cardinal Christian themes-such as God, faith, sin, forgiveness, evil, and moral action-as well as to address important related contempory questions.
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Never Call Them Jerks
$26.00Add to cartNo church is immune to the problems that can arise when parishioners behave in difficult ways. Responding to such situations with self-awareness and in a manner true to one’s faith tradition makes the difference between peace and disaster. In this must-read book, Boers shows how a better understanding of difficult behavior can help congregational leaders avoid the trap of labeling such parishioners and exercise self-care when the going gets rough. Foreword by David W. Augsburger, author of Conflict Mediation across Cultures.
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Heart Of Black Preaching
$45.00Add to cartCleophus LaRue argues that the extraordinary character of black preaching derives from a distinctive biblical hermeneutic that views God as involved in practical ways in the lives of African Americans. This hermeneutic, he believes, has remained constant since the days of slavery.
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Preaching In The New Creation
$30.00Add to cartMost preachers have little fondness for apocalyptic texts because of their scathing language, surrealistic plots, and enigmatic symbols. David Jacobsen not only helps preachers move past these barriers, but offers a three-part approach for preaching these texts today.
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Fun Activities For Bible Learning
$22.95Add to cartDo you ever have trouble keeping the attention of the children in your Sunday school classroom? Do you find that the young people get restless? Would you like some help in getting kids interested in the Bible? Then use one of the activities in this book!
Stimulate your youngsters’ interest and a spirit of positive competition with these …
Puzzles
Paper and pencil games
Memory work activities
Bible drill games
Board games
Action games that teach Bible truths and spiritual valuesAll this while providing fun ways to use their pent-up energy! These activities are perfect for Sunday school classes, children’s church, Bible clubs, Christian and home schools, Christian camps, or for home family times.
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They Came Together In Bethlehem
$12.95Add to cartThis book provides a complete worship resource for busy pastors …
Sermons for Advent, Christmas Eve, and the Sunday after Christmas
Advent candle readings with scripture verses
Pastoral prayers
Children’s object lessons
Dramatic monologues which can be presented by the pastor or a lay personAssign the materials … schedule the sermon titles … then relax and enjoy the season with your family as you employ these inspiring materials in your congregation.
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Culture Of Disbelief Cycle B
$12.95Add to cartThrough fascinating anecdotes and narrative stories, Donna Schaper relates these ancient texts to contemporary situations. She skillfully applies the Gospel of life and hope to circumstances of suffering and death.
Chapters include:
Letting Death Go — Mark 8:31-38
Paying Attention To The Modern Light — John 3:14-21
Junk Food And Holy Tables — John 18:1-19
Being Spiritually Odd — John 20:19-31
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Out Of The Whirlwind Cycle B
$12.95Add to cartWriting on the lectionary texts from Job, Stroman deals with extremely contemporary issues. We discover in these messages that Job’s struggles are the same as ours. The texts from Ruth and 1 Samuel introduce us to four important Old Testament women: Naomi, Orpah, Ruth, and Hannah. They all play an important role in the biblical narrative, as well as providing insight into vital current issues.
Chapters include:
*Taking The Good With The Bad — (Job 1:1; 2:1-10)
*Making Our Feelings Known — (Job 23:1-9, 16-17)
*The Tale of Three Women — (Ruth 1:1-8)
*God Remembers — (1 Samuel 1:4-20)
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Parables Of Jesus Cycle B
$12.95Add to cartThe parable is the most well-known literary form presented in the Gospels – and since narrative or story sermons are such a prominent element in the contemporary pulpit, pastors are preaching on the parable texts more frequently than ever.
This book provides a thorough and complete examination of each of the parables in Cycle B of the Revised Common Lectionary. Each parable study includes:
discussion of the theme
spiritual food for the journey
application of the parable to contemporary life
openings for preaching
points of challenge and questions to ponder
exegesis and explanation of the parable
context of the parableThese studies will be a classic resource for preaching … or useful for Bible study and inspiration.
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Defining Moments Cycle B
$14.95Add to cartThe Old Testament readings in the lectionary are often neglected during the Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany seasons in favor of the more direct and easier-to-preach New Testament passages. William Self brings his creative imagination to these scriptural passages and gives them new life for the preacher.
The sermons of this veteran preacher are written with the pew in mind. They are for people who hurt, for people who wait, for people who face defining moments, and for churches that struggle to proclaim the Gospel. Amply illustrated from life and literature, these sermons can be read for inspiration by lay persons and clergy alike.
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Ashes To Ascension Cycle B
$12.95Add to cartThese sermons lift up the themes of suffering, reconciliation, and the unmerited goodness of God extended to all through Jesus Christ. Stroman never loses sight of the kerygma in his tightly packed messages. He addresses a world where hatred and violence prevail with the message of divine love, which has enriched souls and kindled faith throughout the centuries.
Titles include:
Beginning The Journey To Calvary — 2 Corinthians 5:20b
Once And For All — 1 Peter 3:18a
Promises — Promises — Romans 4:21
The Right Person For The Job — Hebrews 5:5-10
Life – And Then Some — 1 John 5:9-13
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Partners In Ministry
$21.99Add to cartCould you use a partner in your ministry? Utilize the laity! Writing from the standpoint that ministry is the fundamental vocation of all Christians, the authors provide practical guidance on how the work of clergy and laity complements and strengthens each other; understanding of the functions of each; and direction on building ministry teams.
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New Beginning For Pastors And Congregations
$29.00Add to cartThis wise and practical guide provides clear insight for both pastors and congregations on how to begin a healthy, productive new pastorate or make a fresh start in an ongoing ministry. Author Kennon L. Callahan, today’s most sought-after church consultant, has conferred with thousands of pastors and congregations, helping them discover their strengths and gifts and showing them how to work together in service to their community and mission. Here he offers fresh suggestions on how pastors and congregations can ensure a solid future together, whether they are newly beginning or beginning again.
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Connecting With The Congregation
$20.99Add to cartWhether you know it or not, the timeless principles of rhetoric are at work in your preaching. When you take time to master this ancient art form, you’ll learn to consider not only what you’re saying but where, how, and to whom you’re saying it. You’ll soon get your message across with new power!
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Videos That Teach
$22.99Add to cartWith Videos That Teach you can use clips from 75 of the best recent movies on video — already collected and organized by topic and Bible reference, complete with start and stop times — to illustrate your lessons and launch provocative discussions among your students. Discussions that get kids talking about themselves and life, about God and the Bible. Browse the book to find the movie clip you like, or use one of the Quick Clip Locators (by topic of Bible reference) to quickly find the perfect reinforcement for your lesson. Or build an entire lesson from a clip–with each clip are summaries of the movie and the clip, start and stop times, Bible references, and discussion starting questions. And given the breadth of movies in Videos That Teach you’re almost guaranteed to find what you want for a topic to teach of a discussion to lead — Forrest Gump, The Spitfire Grill, Michael, City Slickers, Romeo and Juliet (1996), Grand Canyon, Mrs. Doubtfire, Naked Fun, Fried Green Tomatoes, Mr. Holland’s Opus. And lots more. Whether you’re a youth worker, Bible study or small-group leader, or Sunday school teacher, with Videos That Teach you’ll get your students thinking biblically instead of merely absorbing passively.
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Modern Preacher And The Ancient Text
$38.99Add to cartHow to choose and isolate a coherent section of Scripture, outline the main points, decide on a universal principle, choose alternate ways to preach the material (e.g., didactive, narrative, or textual), and deliver it in a creative, imaginative fashion.
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Feminist And Womanist Pastoral Theology
$29.99Add to cartIn the last decade, the focus of pastoral theology has shifted dramatically from care defined as counseling to care understood within a wider social, political, and religious context. Feminist and womanist theory as well as feminist and womanist faith convictions have played a key role in this development. This collection of essays identifies the many changes occurring in definitions of pastoral theology, care, and counseling; defines and develops new methods and approaches; and attends to the implications of these changes for congregational care and theological education
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Creative Bible Lessons In 1-2 Corinthians
$24.99Add to cartChristian adolescents in the 21st century face pretty much the same situations as the first-century Christians in Corinth did — an indulgent, profligate, choose-your-own-god society. The latest in the Creative Bible Lessons series, Creative Bible Lessons in 1 & 2 Corinthians is a 12-lesson curriculum with an issues-oriented spin on living one’s faith in the real world. It lets teenagers wrestle with the tension between biblical instruction and cultural realities. These 12 studies about the not-so-easily-tamed people of Corinth and their founding pastor Paul of Tarsus pave the way for youth workers and Sunday school teachers to teach high schoolers about conversion, transformation, failure, leadership, authority, and God’s constant saving love even in the midst of people making a mess of things. Here are some of the not-so-ancient issues you’ll explore in this study: Give Me Liberty or Give Me Love, Friends Don’t Let Friends Go Unforgiven, Those Pesky STDs (Sexually Tough Decisions), Love Is . . ., No Easy Answers, Show Me the Money, and Ouch! Of course, there’s lots of what the Creative bible Lessons series is known for: provocative and relevant discussion starters, to-the-point scripts, high-energy games, reproducible pages of interactive activities — all in the context of hard-core Bible study
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Wild Truth Journal Pictures Of God
$22.99Add to cartWe can’t “see” our invisible God. Fortunately, Scripture uses lots of metaphors, providing us “pictures” of his nature. By picturing God as an artist, baby, lion, dad, and more, your junior highers will discover God’s character traits, what he does, and how it changes their own thoughts and behavior. Features 50 journaling devotions.
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Reenvisioning Theological Education A Print On Demand Title
$29.99Add to cartThe future of the church in North America must include the recovery of its missional identity. Robert Banks does a masterful job of taking the fact seriously and bringing it to bear on the way we do seminary education. His analysis is thoroughly grounded inthe ferment of recent decades about the character of theological education. Based on that, he dares to open up a spacious vision for the reformantion of church ministry and seminary education along lines that a missional model wourl require. All of us in the seminary establishment will have to engage the issue he raises and give serious consideration to what a missional understanding of the church implies about training for pastoral leadership.
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Medieval Church
$60.99Add to cartFervently committed to God, gifted preachers have left us a priceless legacy in their proclamation of the Word. Old explores a thousand years of medieval preaching, from sixth-century Byzantium to Renaissance Italy. His in-depth analyses of medieval sermons illuminate the rich diversity of faith in this golden age of church history.
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Reclaiming Your Story
$24.00Add to cart“Healing you inner child” is common cliche for one of the imperatives of popular psychology: overcoming childhood patterns of relationship and self-understanding in order to become an independent, mature adult. Taking this thinking deeper, Jordan argues that we must examine the dynamics in our families of origin in order to rid our psyches of hurtful assumptions about our spiritual selves and about the nature of God’s love for us.
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32 Ways To Become A Great Sunday School Teacher
$25.99Add to cartSo you finally volunteered to teach Sunday school. Don’t panic! This resource will teach you how to effectively study a Bible passage, use questions in teaching, create a positive classroom atmosphere, and much more. Whether you’re a first-time teacher or a seasoned veteran, this invaluable guide will help you find your way!
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Imagining A Church In The Spirit A Print On Demand Title
$23.99Add to cartEveryone has an opinion about why mainline churches are declining, but few provide concrete, workable ideas to help stem the tide. As an academic, Johnson effectively couples his suggestions with McDonald’s pastoral experience. Together, they seek to re-energize the body of Christ with new vision.
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1 Church Many Congregations
$22.99Add to cartDoes your church struggle to reach your surrounding neighborhoods because of social boundaries? The Key Church Strategy presents the Christian message in a way that respects the indigenous concerns of different cultural groups. Discover how 300 churches in 27 states have used this outreach plan to link traditional and nontraditional congregations under a single sponsoring church!.
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Gods Wisdom
$33.00Add to cartAn understanding of the educational process in theological terms. Hodgson argues that God’s Wisdom, which is incarnate in paradigmatic teachers like Jesus, forms and transforms humans by evoking critical thinking, heightened imagination, and liberating practice. Sheds new light on liberal education.
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How To Meet In Homes
$11.95Add to cartThis book is an invitation to revolution!
Warning: Do not read this book if you enjoy Sunday morning church services!
This book is for those believers, be they Catholic, Protestant, Conservatives, Fundamentalists, or Pentecostal/Charismatics who want to utterly abandon it all, from top to bottom, and start over in a way that is a revolutionary, radical departure from all present-day church practices. -
Practical Theology A Print On Demand Title
$48.99Add to cartThough the field of practical theology has developed rapidly in recent years, little work has been done to build a solid theoretical foundation for the discipline. This erudite work by a leading international figure in the field offers one of the first attempts to formulate a complete theory of practical theology for scholars, teachers, students, and those directly involved in pastoral ministry.
Designed to serve as a reference tool, this volume provides the necessary theoretical discussion for work in the entire discipline of practical theology. Gerben Heitink first surveys the historical development of practical theology from the thought of Schleiermacher to the present. He then outlines the theoretical aspects of practical theology, looking especially at the hermeneutical, empirical, and strategical points of view. Finally Heitink discusses the various contexts in which practical theology takes place.
Conversant with ministerial practices worldwide and sensitive to all church traditions, Heitink’s Practical Theology is the best one-volume work available on the subject.
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Catch The Age Wave
$19.99Add to cart1. The Church Of Tomorrow
2. The Senior Surge
3. Developing A Christian View Of Life And Aging
4. Ageism – Is It Real In The Church?
5. New Beginnings For Your Senior Adult Group
6. Target-Group Evangelism
7. Practice Oikos Evangelism
8. Incorporate Newcomers
9. Establish A Small-Group Network
10. Stimulate Spiritual Growth
11. Provide Recreational, Social, And Physical Activities
12. Stimulate Intellectual Development
13. Make It Happen
184 PagesAdditional Info
Senior adult ministry isn’t what it used to be. The comfortable assumptions and recycled programs that were the basis for local church ministry are being challenged. Baby boomers are hitting middle age and retirement. And their own parents are living longer. Authors Win and Charles Arn have updated and supplemented Catch The Age Wave with ideas, examples, and advice to help the local church leader start and maintain a senior adult program. In addition, they have added practical program ideas to use in any local church setting. New challenges for a new day. Catch the Age Wave won’t let you miss the boat. -
Waking To Gods Dream
$20.99Add to cartBone-weary pastors can easily slip into survival mode, leading to spiritual stagnation for themselves and their flock. Relating his own brush with burnout, Wills shares how his large church went from decline to dynamic growth. Learn how the personal commitment of his leaders—more than mere innovation—helped infect the congregation with a vision for outreach.
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4 Pages Of The Sermon
$30.99Add to cartDiscover a new method of organizing both the preparation and content of your sermons! Wilson focuses on what he calls the “four pages” of a sermon, each addressing a different theological and creative component. Amply illustrated with examples from contemporary sermons, this guide provides a fresh approach to the sustained discipline of sermon preparation..
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Uncommon Minister 1
$5.00Add to cart“Power Principles for Hitting Your Target for Success in Ministry”
Volume 1When God wants to touch a nation, He raises up a preacher.It is uncommon men and Women of God who have driven back the darkness and shielded the unlearned and rebellious from devastation by satanic forces. An Uncommon Minister is prepared through season of pain, encounters with God, and mentors. Having sat at the feet of uncommon mentors his entire life, Dr. Murdock shares practical but personal keys to increase the excellence and productivity of your ministry “The Uncommon Minister” is handy, convenient and easy to read. Your load will be lighter, your journey happier,and your effectiveness increased in “doing the will of the Father”.
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Stewardship Scrapbook
$24.00Add to cartThis remarkable book represents the very best of William Phillippe’s lifelong stewardship files: materials he has used in four decades of training, talks, and sermons about giving to the church. It includes biblical texts, sermons, sermon ideas, inspiring stories, quotations, and other miscellaneous suggestions and aids for ministers, lay leaders, and others interested in the many facets of stewardship.
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Praising God : The Trinity In Christian Worship
$26.00Add to cartExplores ways to enrich the language of Christian worship while remaining faithful to the church’s affirmation of God as Trinity. The authors encourage gender-inclusive language for the Trinity, and offer pastoral and theological suggestions about trinitarian language in the worship service.
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Seeing Through Our Tears
$16.00Add to cartHere is a book that will enlighten and encourage all who struggle to understand and come to terms with their own tears-as well as those people who care for them. In a style that is at once engaging, psychologiclaly sound, and wonderfully faith-filled, Bagby presents a journey to understanding and wholeness.
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5 Star Church (Reprinted)
$18.00Add to cartEver wonder how a restaurant or hotel earns a five-star rating? Is it the people? The location? The service? In most cases, it is all of this and more. Why should your church be any different? The Five Star Church reveals how you can pursue Christian excellence and uphold the Lord’s command to “honor one another above yourselves” (Romans 12:10). It contains tips, tools, and the inspiration you need to build a top-quality church that people will flock to and participate in. Now matter how small your ministry or budget, God can use your church effectively to make everyone there feel welcome and cared for–the marks of a five-star church!
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1 Bible Many Voices
$30.50Add to cartNo single approach to reading the Bible can do justice to its complex history and content. Gillingham, provides one of the most accessible and helpful introductions to the Bible. This volume clearly outlines the main issues in understanding Scripture and demonstrates, using Psalm 8 as an example, the best method for reading the Bible today.
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Preaching While The Church Is Under Reconstruction
$22.99Add to cartIn this book the author constructs a framework for how to preach in this time of transition and failing certainties. He demonstrtes that, enlivened by the work of God’s Spirit, it is possible to preach with vision and insight, and help God’s people perceive their place in the world which God is creating anew
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Pastor As Moral Guide
$25.00Add to cartAdultery, divorce, racism, teen pregnancy, white-collar crime, living wills — these are among the many complex moral issues that Christians face and for which they often seek guidance from their pastors. This book is designed to assist pastors in developing their skills in providing moral guidance to their parishioners in a culture characterized by both ethical confusion and increasingly complex moral choices. Rebekah Miles, a gifted thinker and writer, guides the reader through the landscape of the moral life and offers a simple but profound map of the moral terrain along with practical tools to enable pastoral caregivers to serve more effectively as moral guides.
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52 Arrival Activities For Childrens Choirs
$15.99Add to cartA collection of reproducible activities designed for use by children’s choir directors in the pre-rehearsal time when chilren are coming into choir rehearsal. Includes paper-and-pencil activities such as music word searches, music mazes, “find the picture,” musical symbols matching games, and other similar activities.
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Nailing Down A Board
$15.99Add to cartBased on his many years of experience serving on boards of churches, ministries, and charities, noted theologian Charles Ryrie offers practical advice applicable to a wide variety of organizations and ministries. Learn how to secure board members, train others to serve effectively, and make the most of meeting times
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Leading The Team Based Church
$36.00Add to cartTHE BIBLICAL CASE FOR TEAM-BASED MINISTRY: REFLECTING THE GOD WE SERVE.
Learning The Circle Dance Of God.Building On A Receptive Cultural Environment.
THE DANCE OF LEADERSHIP: BUILDING GRACEFUL MINISTRY TEAMS.
The Covenanting Team.
The Visionary Team.
The Culture-Creating Team.
The Collaborative Team.
The Trusting Team.
The Empowering Team.
The Learning Team.
Epilogue: A Word Of Encouragement.
Resource: Two Examples Of Staff Covenants.
References.
Index.
Additional Info
In Leading the Team-Based Church, George Cladis issues a clarion call for ministry teams to embrace a fresh leadership model that is not based on hierarchy, but on a process of collaboration that mirrors the relationship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He reminds us that today’s cultural environment–where authority has basis in trust, innovation reaps rewards, and spirituality takes root in life and work–has matured past the need for the hierarchy of traditional church leadership where the pastor had the final say. Through down-to-earth stories from his own experience and those of clergy in both mainline and evangelical churches, Cladis offers an exciting alternative to the traditional forms of church leadership, enabling pastors, congregational leaders, and staff to breathe new life into their ministries and unleash the full potential of the entire ministry team.Cladis, pastor of a fast-growing mainline congregation, demonstrates how cultural changes affecting all our institutions–not just the church–are making it easier to adopt this new model of leadership. Cladis’s practical advice will enable ministry teams to work together in ways that both embody the Christian message and call forth the full creativity and love of the entire team.
“Just when it seems that all that can be said has been said on the subject of ‘teams’, just when one has tired of the gumming of the label ‘team’ on everything in sight, along comes perhaps the most significant religious book on teams yet published. Cladis juxtaposes the theological and cultural context for team-based ministry in a model presentation of what a conversation between Bible, theology, and culture should look like.”–Leonard Sweet, dean, The Theological School and vice president, Drew University
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Beyond Silence And Denial
$38.00Add to cartIn the past two decades, most of the literature on death and dying has been written from the perspective of psychology or New Age spirituality. This comparative silence on the part of Christian writers has meant that a renewed awareness of the “naturalness” of death has not brought with it a deepened appreciation of the place of death in biblical faith. Bregman re-connects these strands of thought by bringing a biblically informed mode of spiritual refection into conversation with the current literature on grieving, loss, and suffering.
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Pastoral Counseling
$32.00Add to cartIn this invaluable resource for pastors and seminars, James Dittes offers answers to some of a minister’s most basic counseling questions: How do I guide counseling conversations yet empower those who feel helpless? How do I negotiate relationships with people who I may counsel on one day and from whom I must seek housing allowance on the next? Can I be psychologically adept while remaining theologically faithful?
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Moving From Shame To Self Worth
$20.99Add to cartThis inspiring and practical book has three parts. Part 1 explores how Jesus came to grips with the shame and humiliation he faced in his own life and how we can imitate his manner of handling shame. Part 2 focuses on how Jesus dealt with the shame that others brought to him and the implications this has for how we can overcome shame by internalizing and reenacting Jesus’ stories in our lives. Part 3 explores the parables of Jesus and their implications for helping us live lives grounded in nonshame-based values
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Jesus And Personality Theory
$32.99Add to cartIn recent years researchers in human personality have come to a rarely achieved near unanimous conclusion: human personality is structured around a very few major traits, probably five in number, namely: openess to experience, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. How does this Five-Factor Model fit with a Christian understanding of human nature? How does it compare or contrast with the way Jesus lived, taught and counseled? James Beck looks at prominent themes in the teaching and ministry of Jesus and how they relate to the five personality factors. Here is a study of the Christian implications of the new model – a study that will offer fresh insights for students, pastors and therapists alike.
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Standing On The Rock
$17.99Add to cart1. A Place To Stand
2. The Way God Speaks
3. Positive Evidence For The Bible
4. Underdstanding God’s Book
5. Alleged Problems In The Bible
6. The Most Useful Thing In The World
7. The Sufficiency Of Scripture
195 PagesAdditional Info
Do we have reason to believe, not only that the Bible is God’s Word, but that it it God’s unique revelation, without error and sufficient in every way for our salvation? Can we understand the Bible and defend it against the attacks of critics and skeptics?
Dr. James Montgomery Boice answers these questions with a resounding “Yes!” and presents overwhelming evidence that, not only has God spoken through His Word, but He has communicated a trustworthy and authoritative message. And it is a message that we can understand.
Throughout the ages, the Bible has stood as a rock of refuge for God’s people. This practical book will help readers discover anew the spiritual blessing of standing on the Rock. -
Drama Skits And Sketches 2
$24.99Add to cartHere are 62 brand-new, youth-group-tested scripts you can use to introduce a topic with flair . . . To retell a Bible story with humor . . . To apply your lessons with poignancy. And they’re flexible, too — have fun with them as informal, no-prep reader’s theater, or rehearse them seriously for polished performances. – Scripture Sketches . . . Don’t despair if your students can’t tell the difference between Beelzebub and Barnabas — the Bible will be brought to life for them as they act out scriptural episodes, stories, and passages. (And on page 6 is an index to all this book’s scripts by Bible reference. Teaching the Prodigal Son? 1 Corinthians? Exodus? We’ve got a script for you!) – Contemporary Sketches . . . Off with the togas, on with the tank tops. Here are right-now, real-life scripts for everything from event announcements (that you can tailor to your own events) to dealing with emotional scars. Thanks to the topical index on page 7, you can zip right to the script that fits your meeting. – TV Takeoffs . . . In a TV world of talk shows and sitcoms, sketches based on TV shows always kick off lively discussions. Since all these scripts are also humorous, they’re great as openers at camps and conferences, too. – Monologues . . . Does your youth group’s dramatic talent reside in only one or two students? Or do you want to raise interest in starting a drama ministry? A monologue is your ticket — one-person scripts that require little or no costumes or props, yet can be as powerful as a three-act play. – To the Tune of CCM (And More) . . . Take the music many of your students listen to, and use it for dramatic purposes! These scripts each use a song by a Christian artist (or a song whose lyrics encourage or challenge Christians).
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Breaking Free : Understanding Sexual Addiction And The Healing Power
$22.99Add to cartThe world is awash in sex. When this ever-present temptation mixes with human weaknesses and unmet needs, many get pulled into addiction to sexually sinful behavior. Is there any hope? Willingham speaks from his own experience and that of the many men he has counseled. His answer is, “Yes! There is hope.” True stories show how the principles in this book can be put into action. The essentials are spelled out in practical steps that can help people begin to break free. The author deals with such issues as: what all addicts have in common, the hunt of the malnourished heart, wrestling with shame and grace, and the healing effect of radical honesty.
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Dying For A Drink
$12.50Add to cartThis book recounts the powerful story of how a pastor successfully recovered from the disease of alcoholism. Alexander DeJohn talks openly about his long onetime struggle with alcoholism-his descent into heavy drinking, his shame and his fears of discovery, and his growing understanding of the disease through his family’s support group therapy, and the care of a Christian physician. More than just a moving story, this book also offers hope as it helps readers understand the social, medical, and psychological elements of this widespread disease.
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Pastoral Care Of Gays Lesbians And Their Families
$20.00Add to cartAdvisory: Some of the views put forth in this book challenge the traditionally accepted teachings on the issue of homosexuality and the Christian faith. Fills a gap in the Creative Pastoral Care and Counseling series, addresses the needs of both gays and lesbians and their families, and involves congregations in the pastoral ministry to gays, lesbians, and their families.
