Pastoral Helps
Showing 2401–2500 of 3227 results
-
No Deed Greater Than A Word
$16.95Add to cartThis book is written for preachers who suspect that the way they were taught to preach (and for the most part are still being taught to preach) simply does not work.
The author’s objective is to bring the Bible to life in the sermon in all of its dimensions. To do that the preacher must understand his listeners as well as his message. Those who explore Shepherd’s message will find themselves thinking about the sermon and preaching in an entirely new way.Shepherd presents his position with a firm grounding in biblical studies, literary criticism, and theology.
The book is for those preachers who are dissatisfied with the way they were taught to preach, but are not sure why. Using practical examples from real sermons, the book uncovers many of the faults of traditional preaching styles and inspires a new approach to the sermon that unites preacher, congregation, and scripture under the powerful Word of God’s grace.
-
Hoof N Mouth Disease
$20.95Add to cartStorytelling is older than the Bible, as much of the Old Testament consists of stories that arose out of an oral tradition, and Jesus was a master storyteller. So it makes sense that monologues capture the eyes, ears, and brains of the congregation. Stories captivate audiences – mention any character in the Bible and people recall a favorite story, not the theme of a moralistic three-point sermon. This book of creative monologues will help pastors connect with their listeners in a vital and vibrant way.
-
Let The Children Come
$12.95Add to cartThe Children’s Sermon during the worship hour is one of the strongest attractions for young families in choosing a church to attend.
Robert Lantz understands how to talk to children. He brings the meaning and message of the scripture text to their level of understanding. When members of his congregation began asking for copies of his children’s sermons so they could use them as bedtime stories for their children, he decided it was time to put them into print.
-
Joy Songs Trumpet Blasts And Hallelujah Shouts
$15.95Add to cartThis compelling sermons collection explores the art and uniqueness of African-American preaching. Readers will discover the ritual drama and the processes, form and substance of black storytelling that are pivotal elements coloring African-American culture. This is an intriguing, in-depth look into a unique art form.
To fully appreciate the empowering nature inherent in black sermons, Stewart explores the four distinguishing elements that make this genre “a four-cornered universe.” They are:
Poetic recitation
Imaginative insight
Spiritual pharmacology
Spiritual and social transformationStewart presents readers with some of his most captivating sermons, including:
Let It Shine
Advent’s “Invisible” Man
Take Off the Grave Clothes
African-American Spirituality: The African Gift to America -
Cosmic Witness
$20.95Add to cartHow have preachers handled questions about science and religion? Largely by ignoring them. But many people are asking questions about the significance of the Christian message in an age of technology.
Cosmic Witness will help…
Preachers by revealing those scriptural texts where faith intersects with science and technology.
Teachers who are looking for modern illustrations to help students understand the relationship between faith and science.
All who are interested in learning more about how the Bible addresses questions about technology and religion. -
Life Injections 1
$15.95Add to cartWritten by a priest and hospital chaplain with many years of experience, this series of inspirational messages confronts a wide range of human emotions. Zajac not only connects scripture to the human experience, but he nudges the reader/listener to change his thinking or to alter her lifestyle. He injects hope and peace into lives wearied by pain and suffering and heartache. Heavy doses of captivating illustrations make this a book for inspiration and enjoyment.
This book will be a useful resource for …
the preacher who wishes to sensitively address difficult issues
the counselor who seeks to help the distressed
any individual who seeks answers and comfort and solaceTitles include:
Bad Habits
Tears
Antidotes For Perfectionism
One Day At A Time
Maalox Moments
What To Do About The Loss Of Someone Special -
Angels We Have Heard
$7.95Add to cartIf you’re looking for a fresh new approach to telling the old, old story — what better way to celebrate the Christmas message than to do it from the viewpoint of the angels? From the promise to Abraham to its fulfillment in Bethlehem, angels are a vital part of the story. Angels We Have Heard is a beautiful service that combines many of the traditional elements of Christmas worship with brief dialogues between angels and a number of characters relating to the Christmas narrative. Along with candlelight, an optional communion celebration, and many of the favorite carols we all love to sing, the encounters described in the scriptures between angels and Abraham, Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds are paraphrased. There’s also a short closing exchange between an angel and a contemporary person that sheds light on the meaning of Christ’s birth for our modern times.
This easy-to-use service is adaptable for any size congregation — while a number of speaking parts are specified, it’s easy to combine parts and use just two readers, allowing the participation of as many or as few as you wish. There’s also a convenient order of service for use in bulletin preparation. And while designed for worship use, the drama of the angels speaking with and to different people through the ages can be used in other settings such as youth meetings or church school. Very little (if any) rehearsal is required — this is a simple and versatile way to make the pageantry and drama of the biblical story come alive in your Christmas worship.
-
Community Ministry : New Challenges Proven Steps To Faith Based Initiatives
$29.00Add to cartIn this era of “faith-based initiatives,” congregations increasingly find themselves in the business of establishing and supporting community ministries-daycare for infants and toddlers, respite care for elders, and programs for housing rehab and home repair, tutoring, and social justice advocacy. In this volume, Carl S. Dudley revises and updates his earlier book, Basic Steps toward Community Ministry, which Loren Mead called “the most valuable book on parish ministry I’ve seen in a decade.”
Once again, Dudley offers guidance for congregational leaders who need to create tools, get started, and take next steps to respond to God’s call to extraordinary ministry in their community. With thought-provoking discussions about congregations as learning organizations, the relationship between ongoing faith formation and social action, examples from outstanding new ministries, and an updated resource list, Dudley rounds out this essential, practical, and readable manual. Foreword by James P. Wind, President of the Alban Institute.
-
Moving Beyond Church Growth
$18.00Add to cartAre unrealistic expectations for church growth sapping your morale and putting you at risk of burnout? Do you sense dissension within your congregation? Issuing a clarion call to church leaders for bold new thinking, Olson envisions faith communities that are radically centered on God, profoundly compassionate and engaged, and sustained in relationship.
-
Educating In Faith
$23.95Add to cartMary Boys offers a new way of thinking about what it means to educate religiously. Utilizing the method of map-making to broaden the context of American religious education, Boys defines a process that incorporates each instructor’s own experiences, perspectives, and analytical insights to develop more compelling teaching methods.
By placing both Protestant and Catholic religious education in both a historical and conceptual framework, Boys establishes a theological and educational basis for providing answers to central questions: What does it mean to educate in faith? What is the teacher’s role? How much emphasis should be given to psychology, anthropology, and sociology? Toward what view of society is a theory of religious education oriented?
-
Best Funeral Meditations
$10.95Add to cartThis collection of best funeral meditations provides a wide range of messages that address almost every death situation from the anticipated to the tragic. These classic meditations have been gathered from the writings and contributions of pastors, church leaders, and teachers of many denominations.
Among the situations addressed are:
For the nominal church member
For a little child
For a non-Christian
For the death of a child shortly after birth
For a college student killed in an auto accident
For a sixteen-year-old shot to death
For a woman who committed suicide
For a church member who served others
For a 40-year-old cancer patient
For a man who loved the outdoors
For a Sunday morning worship service following a death
and many more! -
Be All That You Can Be
$12.95Add to cartThough the title sounds like a promotional campaign for the U.S. Army, that’s not its intent. Instead, what is contained in this book are road marks for the journey into a new and stronger sense of what it means to be fully alive. All people are created with inherent purpose, promise and potential. All are endowed with abilities to do more and be more than we sometimes dare imagine. Herein are sermons intended to help readers and listeners discover their own powers and possibilities, to own them, to cultivate them and to live within them.
The chapters do not form an exhaustive list of human potentials. They do, however, provide an important inventory of what we all were created to become and can become, if we choose.
Chapter titles include:
You Can Be Articulate — Based upon Mark 7:31-37
You Can Be Intelligent — Based upon 2 Chronicles 1-11
You Can Be Like Children — Based upon Mark 10:13-16
You Can Be Beautiful — Based upon Hosea 14:1-7
You Can Be Well Fed — Based upon 1 Corinthians
You Can Be Eternal — Based upon 2 CorinthiansReaders will sense their own calls to be more than they have been thus far and the extraordinary power of One who promises to make the journey with them.
-
Chrismons They Point To Jesus
$8.95Add to cartThis book provides patterns, instructions and background information for twenty different Chrismons, or “monograms of Christ.” It also includes a church program for presenting and explaining the meanings of these Christian symbols. The program includes children and adults and incoorporates the singing of the Christmas hymns.
-
Multigenerational Congregation : Meeting The Leadership Challenge
$26.00Add to cartCongregations need to learn new cultural languages and practices in order to speak to and be heard by new generations of people. But how do congregations enter the wilderness of ministry with these new generations when many of those in the entourage do not appreciate the trip?
In contrast to many writers about church growth, Rendle works with three important observations:
Most congregations are not “pure markets,” discrete groups with uniform values and behaviors, that can be targeted to the exclusion of all other audiences;
Some of the differences and discomforts experienced in the congregation are based on the members’ tenure, or length of membership, rather than their age;
Leadership in congregations is not a matter of marketplace savvy but of spiritual authenticity in which we continue to shape our faith tradition to be heard and understood by a changing culture.
Rendle shows us how to talk with and really understand one generational cohort while another cohort is present “looking over one’s shoulder.” Foreword by Lovett H. Weems, Jr., President, Saint Paul School of Theology. -
Faith Under Fire
$16.95Add to cartDaniel Simundson shows how the Bible can speak to the universal human experience of suffering. He examines various biblical responses to suffering and explains what the New Testament can add to the thought of such classic works as the books of Job, Ecclesiastes, and the prophets.
This book, written for the general reader, is full of wisdom also for caregivers, including clergy, counselors, and laypersons.
Contents:
1.The Basic Biblical View of Suffering
2.The Power of Negative Thinking
3.Suffering for Others
4.God, Job, and the Counselors
5.Is There Any Hope?
6.What Is New in the New Testament?
7.Comfort and Hope -
Honey Bee Dance
$10.95Add to cartJulia Bland’s children’s messages are popular with pastors, Sunday school teachers, and parents all across the country. That’s because children love them and learn from the stories, drawings, and activity pages. Her work has been translated into Spanish and used by churches in Mexico and South America. The six lessons in this booklet, all based on Ephesians 4:32-5:2a, provide a perfect series for Vacation Bible School, a retreat, or a summer series for children. Using the busy, productive life of a honey bee as a metaphor for the life of a Christian, Bland offers charming lessons.
-
He Took A Towel
$8.95Add to cartAppropriate for Maundy Thursday or any time throughout the year, this resource contains several sermons and a full-blown service of Holy Communion, Feetwashing, and Agape Meal (or Love Feast). Detailed bread recipes and instructions for all the preparations are included along with bulletin texts.
Examination Service And Feetwashing Service
Meditation: “Broken For You”
Service: The Lords Supper
Sermons Include:
“Seeing A Familiar Friend All Over Again For The First Time”
“Peter Asks A Question”
“No Forks Or Napkins” -
Many Faces Of Evil Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$12.95Add to cartEvil and suffering are a part of everyone’s experience. Kenneth Cauthen breaks new ground in exploring the torments and terrors of this life. Some of his positions may be considered daring and controversial. But his approach, while creative, is rooted in a deeply biblical faith as he interprets the meaning of suffering and the relationship of God to human anguish.
This book will be a useful resource for counselors, pastors, teachers and others who are called upon to help people cope with tragedy. It will be helpful to individuals who are attempting to understand the torment or suffering in their own lives.
The author addresses many difficult questions and illustrates his answers with fascinating real-life examples:
* How is evil related to suffering?
* What is God’s responsibility in causing and overcoming evil?
* How does faith provide a basis for hope in the midst of suffering?
* Why is evil a part of our world? -
Literary Companion To The Lectionary
$29.00Add to cartThis beautiful book offers poems and literary pieces for Sundays and principal feasts throughout the liturgical year. Each selection relates to an aspect of the Scripture readings for the Eucharist in the Revised Common Lectionary, the Roman Catholic lectionary, and the Book of Common Prayer. Drawn from many centuries and many countries including Britain, Ireland, North America, Africa, and Australia, these readings bridging literature and liturgy can prompt private prayer or public worship through imaginative engagement. A short note before each passage connects with an idea, image, or story found in one of the biblical readings or the seasonal theme. From Robert Herrick to Brendan Kennelly, from Christina Rossetti to Emily Dickinson, from Dante to Monica Furlong, the poets, novelists, and playwrights gathered here bring an added dimension that graces the life of the church.
-
Raising The Roof
$26.00Add to cartPastoral-to-program size change is frequently described as the most challenging of growth transitions for congregations. Now Alban senior consultant Alice Mann, author of The In-Between Church: Navigating Size Transitions in Congregations, addresses the difficulties of that transition in this resource designed specifically for a congregational learning team.
Conceptualized and developed by Mann for an Alban on-line seminar program test event conducted with 12 congregations in transition, her newest book features a five-step process enabling the learning team to engage a wider circle of congregational leaders and members in study, discernment, and planning. Never-before published resources include discussion of a major new concept-passive barriers to growth-plus Mann’s “System Change Index” tool to help congregations measure their progress from pastoral-size to program-size ways of operating.
From preparing the congregation’s board and members, selecting the person to guide the learning process, and recruiting the learning team, to creating and celebrating a plan for congregational learning and action, Mann provides all the resources a congregation needs to address this significant size transition period.
-
Dont Forget The Child
$13.95Add to cartAlex Gondola says that in our modern culture we sometimes “experience Christmas at its worst: overcommercialized, expensive, exhausting, nearly devoid of spiritual significance.” In this collection of twenty cogent and inspiring sermons for Advent and Christmas, he reminds us of the key to putting the season in its proper perspective — “Don’t forget the child!” For it is only when we are drawn nearer to the child of Bethlehem, celebrating the simple beauties of the stable, that we can escape from the rush of the season into the divine light of saving grace heralded by the birth of God’s Son. This volume is an exceptional source of inspiration for sermon preparation, but it’s also excellent for personal devotions exploring the meaning of Advent and Christmas. It’s a great Christmas gift!
-
Lectionary Preaching Workbook Series 7 Cycle A (Workbook)
$41.95Add to cartProviding a fresh, timely reflection every week on assigned scripture passages can be one of a pastor’s most daunting tasks. But when time or inspiration is flagging and you need the jump-start of creative ideas, the latest edition of the classic CSS resource Lectionary Preaching Workbook is just what the doctor ordered! Prominent pastor, former seminary president, and prolific author Jerry Schmalenberger draws upon the experiences of a lifetime in the ministry to help readers effectively share God’s Word with crisply written insights. He’s created an outstanding set of practical aids to help preachers with their weekly sermons. Each chapter includes a listing of the applicable Revised Common, Roman Catholic, and Episcopal lectionary texts; a theme for the day’s service; commentary on the Old Testament, New Testament, and Gospel lessons; suggestions on preaching possibilities; an outline of possible sermon moves; and additional illustrations to flesh out the message.
-
Curious Commercials
$14.95Add to cartCurious Commercials approaches the Christmas event from a different perspective. Daniel Weitner doesn’t treat the nativity as a kind of warm and fuzzy feeling of longing for universal peace that envelops the earth around the end of the year or as a sign pointing to something greater in our lives. In trenchant messages that are liberally sprinkled with contemporary illustrations, he reminds us that to know what Christmas is all about, we don’t have to look outside Bethlehem…beyond the manger…or past the baby Jesus. Instead we should focus on the birth of Jesus the Redeemer – it is the wonderful event!
-
2 Tenebrae Readings And Services
$7.95Add to cartTwo Tenebrae Readings And Services provides pastors and congregations with dramatic ways to remember the Passion of the Lord.
Tenebrae I – 9 reading parts
Tenebrae II – 12 reading partsParts are simple enough for both young people and adults. They are creatively drawn from the Bible narratives and present realistic human responses from those who would be his disciples.
These resources require very little preparation. They were conducted in the author’s congregation by calling the readers together an hour before the service.
-
Speaking With Signs
$7.95Add to cartSpeaking With Signs is a unique series of six object lessons for children during the Lenten season … making worship more meaningful for them (and for adults). Each lesson brings them a story from scripture by focusing upon a symbol related to the Easter story. Lessons are based on texts from Matthew and John.
Objects include:
a lantern
a rope
a crown of thorns
dice and a robe
a stepladder and sponge
a spear
a picture of an empty tomb -
When Suffering Persists
$19.95Add to cartThe pain of loss may pass quickly, or suffering may go on and on. For people of faith, the resulting crisis may be deeper than the loss itself. We look for ways to comfort those who are hurting. But sometimes, in spite of our good intentions, the cliches and simplistic theology we offer only add to their pain and misery. In When Suffering Persists, Frederick W. Schmidt explores ways to understand suffering, and offers a theology that takes the devastating character of suffering seriously, one that truly allows us to help people in pain.
-
Inside The Small Church
$30.00Add to cartEven as so-called megachurches capture the attention of many church watchers, small congregations continue to dominate America’s religious landscape in both rural and urban settings. Although sometimes obscured by their larger siblings, these small churches play a prominent role and hold a unique place in both local and national cultures. How can leaders help to keep these often at-risk churches alive and to meet their potential for ministry?
Small-church expert Tony Pappas has gathered a cornucopia of essays into an indispensable book for anyone interested in the rich life of these small but significant congregations. Drawing on classic and updated articles by a variety of writers from his own small-church newsletter The Five Stones; from Alban journals Action Information and Congregations; and adding new pieces developed especially for this volume, Pappas provides timeless ideas on learning to value, pastor, develop, and lead the small church.
In addition to time-honored articles by the editor, other contributors to this volume include Sherry and Douglas Alan Walrath, Gary Farley, Lawrence W. Farris, Loren Mead, Caroline Westerhoff, Steven Burt, Carl Dudley, David Ray, James Lowery, and a host of others known for their work-and love-for the small church. Readers of Inside the Small Church will come away with a renewed love and appreciation for these vital congregations as well as with new skills for ministry.
-
Pastoral Theology In The Classical Tradition
$24.95Add to cartModern pastoral care, Andrew Purves believes, has been overly influenced by psychological theory and too often uninformed by historical practice. The result is a pastoral practice that has diminished the reality of God. In this book, Purves aims to reclaim pastoral theology as a theological discipline. He does this by examining classical texts from the tradition, texts that have the, and he argues that a thoughtful reading of these works–by Gregory of Nazianus, John Chrysostom, Gregory the Great, Martin Bucer, and Richard Baxter–will force a reevaluation of many of the assumptions that shape contemporary pastoral work. He includes a brief biography of each author, introduces the major themes in each writer’s pastoral theology, and discusses the issues relevant to pastoral work today.
-
Letting Go Of Worry And Anxiety
$13.99Add to cartAttention, chronic worriers: it is possible to reduce the intensity, frequency, and duration of painful episodes of anxiety without medication. Licensed counselor Pam Vredvelt draws from twenty years of clinical experience, scientific research, and scriptural insight to offer the reader tools for living a more peaceful and tranquil life. While worrying is for many a deeply embedded habit, because it was learned, it can be “unlearned,” and with compassion and sound advice, Pam shows how.
-
Letting Go Of Disappointments And Painful Losses
$13.99Add to cartProfessional counselor Pam Vredevelt constantly hears the question “How do I let go of the pain I feel?” Whether it’s a soured friendship or dissatisfying job, a wayward child, or unrealistic expectations, every person has to deal with lingering disappointment and its clouding effect on attitude and relationships. God does not intend that pain to cripple, distort, and consume his children. Getting “unstuck” is possible, Pam writes, through the use of a few simple and practical tools that lead to peace of mind and tranquility of heart. We’ve all heard the expression, “Let go and let God.” With compassion and warmth, Pam Vredevelt show how.
-
Preaching To Every Pew
$24.00Add to cartThe growing cultural diversity of American society is mirrored in the pews and parishes of mainline denominations and represents a dynamic challenge to the effective proclamation of the gospel on Sunday mornings. Preaching to Every Pew, based on extensive field research, takes on the challenge of preaching in such a context. The authors map an approach to culture from four signifigant perspectives: ethnicity, class, displacement, and religious beliefs. They describe the signifigant ways in which culture influences human beings, detail how cultural influences affect and complicate communication in general and preaching in particular, and then recommend practical strategies for improving communication in culturally diverse settings. Preaching to Every Pew is an invaluable aid to pastors and seminaries yearning for more effective ways to proclaim the gospel.
-
Truths That Build
$17.99Add to cartTruths That Build provides 14 foundational principles that Dick Everson calls the “Truths That Build A Premier Church.” Each principle explains what every Christian should focus on and gives practical insight to Christian living. These Truths That Build will encourage the reader who puts them into practice and ultimately strengthen the local church.
-
Scope Of Our Art A Print On Demand Title
$31.99Add to cartIn The Scope of Our Art a diverse group of theological teachers explores the spiritual dimensions of their vocation as religious educators. Drawing on a rich array of resources, including Scripture, The Rule of St.Benedict, medieval women mystics, the Methodist theologian Georgia Harkness, and Simone Weil, as well as their own teaching experiences, the contributors discuss the vital relationships between academic and spiritual formation, religious commitments and teaching practices, and individual and institutional vocation.
-
More Childrens Sermons To Go
$18.99Add to cartEver wonder if anybody remembers your children’s sermons? This idea book is for you! Each of the 52 messages features a scripted talk about God, his love, and his Word; materials list; related Bible verse; and suggestions for inexpensive take-home tokens to help youngsters better understand and recall the lesson. Great for family devotions, too.
-
Preaching Mark
$21.00Add to cartThis new resource examines the major literary units and unique perspective of Mark’s Gospel to help the pastor in sermon preparation. Thurston guides the reader through each of the lectionary readings, attempting to answer the questions: Why did Mark preserve this story” Why was it important for his community? And what does it mean for us today? Included in each chapter are suggestions for further reading, and appendices provide a list of the lectionary readings and an annotated bibliography. This volume makes accessible the wealth of materials Mark’s Gospel offers for Christian life and reflection.
-
Equipping Church Guidebook
$29.99Add to cartThis is a hands-on ministry resource manual to help churches develop leaders and systems for lay mobilization. The approach is open-ended so that a variety of types and sizes of churches can use it. Charts and worksheets are included. The material has been tested through several years of use in churches that have received the privately distributed notebook format. Now updated and extensively revised, this volume serves as a practical companion to The Equipping Church. That book provides the philosophy and challenging vision for lay mobilization. This book provides the practical tools for implementation. Part 1 covers planning for lay mobilization. Part 2 covers building a lay ministry program. The markets include church staff members along with denominational leaders. It also is designed for use by lay leaders in churches who want hands-on help to mobilize the laity for ministry.
-
Word Among Us
$17.50Add to cartAn essential handbook for preachers and a lively, informed devotional companion for those who prepare for worship by reading the Scriptures, this commentary on the Principal Service readings for Year A offers: Variations in interpretation Background history Links between passages Theological significance Language sources Illustrative quotes
-
Young Lions : Chrisitian Rites Of Passage For African American Young Men
$34.99Add to cartThis resource introduces and supports a mentoring program that offers African American young men, Positive peer group involvement, Hands-on skill development, Knowledge of the African American culture, Relationship with Christian African American men as role models. This resource provides the tools and encouragement needed to help leaders of African American young men experience the joy of supporting and challenging youth to grow as Christ’s disciples. Includes practical tips for getting started, a comprehensive leadership recruitment and training plan, complete meeting outlines and directions, reproducible pages for participants, and an interaction oriented mentor guide.
-
Balance
$9.99Add to cart20/30 Bible Study for Young Adults targets adult learners in their 20’s and 30’s. Each volume in the series challenges you to examine a powerful biblical image that defines and shapes your life. The 20/30 volumes honor your experience and encourage you to look at your own questions, goals, and beliefs as you study the Scriptures that expand on the biblical images. You juggle multiple demands-school work, family, friends, church, day-to-day “stuff” like paying bills and dealing with junk mail-but do these activities each receive the proper priority at the proper time? Balance: Living With Life’s Demands will help you sort through various claims on your life and put your priorities into a healthy and manageablle perspective.
-
Creative Bible Lessons In Galatians And Philippians
$26.99Add to cartGrace, growth, freedom, and faith are the themes of these 12 dynamic lessons based on the letters from Paul to the Christians in Galatia and Philippi. As the next volume in the popular Creative Bible Lessons series, Creative Bible Lessons in Galatians & Philippians comes power-packed with the teachings of Paul. Six lessons from each book will guide you and your students through many of the Gospel’s central truths, including:
-
True Happiness : Psalm 1 And 107
$21.99Add to cartThe purpose and the theme of the Psalms, as it is of the entire Bible, is to reflect on humanity’s relationship with their Creator and what He has done for them and their salvation. Here Martyn Lloyd-Jones takes an in-depth look at two psalms that are sure to cause readers to pause and consider their own lives. Psalm 1 addresses our need for the elusive feeling of happiness and reveals the true secret for finding it. As readers understand God’s righteousness and loving-kindness, they sing the song of the redeemed, which is the focus of Psalm 107. In these expository sermons on a life of happiness and praise, this renowned preacher applies his ability to faithfully bring forth God’s Word while speaking directly to the hearts of listners. They are lessons that are as necessary today as they were decades ago, now available to a broad audience.
-
Cherry Log Sermons
$22.00Add to cartInternationally recognized preacher and accomplished teacher Fred Caddock pastors a small country church in the mountains of north Georgia-Cherry Log Christian Church. These sermons on a variety of topics and texts show the homiletical variety and skill long associated with Craddock, including his deft use of storytelling, an astounding ability to interpret the biblical text for our day, and a keen pastoral sensitivity to the everyday needs of listeners.
Craddock’s insights collected here are great for laypersons seeking honest spiritual direction and are suitable for pastors and preachers looking for models for their own sermons and for all those readers who delight in the Christian gospel phrased in imaginative and challenging ways.
-
Preaching From Luke Acts
$17.99Add to cartThe context for this book is rooted in the life of the local church. We desire to integrate biblical scholarship and homiletical theory with the task of preaching Luke/Acts. Our prayer is that the responsible integration of these resources will increase the ability of the Holy Spirit to empower preachers for faithful proclamation of God’s word. To that end we give God the glory
-
More Junior High And Middle School Talksheets Updated
$16.99Add to cartIn an hour (or less!) your kids are gonna look at you with that “OK, so what are you gonna make us do” look. You’ve exhausted the first 50 TalkSheets for middle schoolers and now you’re scrambling for more. Yup, you’ve got them here?50 more updated TalkSheets to get your youth thinking about real-life issues–on everything from pornography to spiritual growth. Get your kids out of the church gymnasium and into some hardcore discussion. These TalkSheets have been working for leaders like you for over a decade. And, hey, they’re hardly any work for you! Just pick one, make copies, and see your kids get real with themselves and each other. It’s the best thing since, well – the first 50 TalkSheets! So get going!
-
More High School Talksheets Upcated
$22.99Add to cartIn an hour (or less!) your kids are gonna walk in, sit down, and give you that “OK, entertain us” look. Resist the urge to play Bible Pictionary again for the fifth time! You’ve hit it off with–and exhausted–the first 50 TalkSheets for high schoolers and now you’re looking for more. Look no further. Inside are 50 more revised and updated TalkSheets to get your kids talking about real-life issues–on everything from pornography to spiritual growth. These TalkSheets have been working for leaders like you for over a decade. And, hey, they’re hardly any work for you! Just pick one, make copies, and sit back to see your youth get real with themselves and each other. It’s the best thing since, well – the first 50 High School TalkSheets! So get going!
-
High School Talksheets Psalms And Proverbs Updated
$22.99Add to cartKing David and Solomon knew a thing or two about God–in fact, what they wrote still applies to teenagers today. And, it’s no secret that teenagers learn more from conversing among themselves than from having somebody talk at them. High School TalkSheets Psalms and Proverbs–Updated! contains 50 discussion starters on topics of perennial relevance and high interest to teenagers such as?
* trusting God
* freedom from fear
* staying spiritually healthy
* dealing with evil in the world
* sharing Christ with others
* and many, many moreThese TalkSheets spring from the wisdom books of the Old Testament and are more relevant and helpful to your youth than you may think! They are designed in one-page reproducible handouts with provocative questions and compelling design–useful ammo to get bored church kids and unchurched kids alike talking and thinking about what the Bible says about issues that matter to them.
High School TalkSheets Psalms and Proverbs–Updated! can stand alone as simple and effective discussion starters. Or youth workers can unwrap the topic into a full-blown Bible study, thanks to leaders’ instructions that come with each TalkSheet – detailed suggestions for further group exploration, Bible references galore, Internet resources, and activities to pursue in and out of the meeting.
TalkSheets are versatile! Youth leaders can use a TalkSheet to enhance an existing lesson (each TalkSheet is identified by topic, so youth leaders can quickly find a TalkSheet on the topic they’re teaching on) – or they can use a TalkSheet as an entire lesson in itself (if the youth leader is a good facilitator, and if the students enjoy exploring a topic in a directed discussion) – and TalkSheets are perfect for student leaders to use with small groups
High School TalkSheets Psalms and Proverbs–Updated! is the perfect small-group discussion-starting resource for youth meetings, small groups and cell groups, Sunday school, and camps and retreats.
-
High School Talksheets Updated
$24.99Add to cartIt’s meeting time again and your high schoolers have spent the last twenty minutes talking about spring break and prom dates. A handful of guys are shooting hoops in the church gym while three girls in the corner are swooning over the homecoming king. And you think you’re gonna get them talking about peer pressure or popular music?! Good luck. They’d rather be doing their geometry homework.
But then again, maybe you’ve found a solution! TalkSheets have been working for leaders like you for over a decade. And now they’re Updated–ready to help you get a hardcore discussion going to hit home on real issues–everything from drinking to social injustice. And, there’s hardly any work for you! Just pick one, make copies, and let the questions and activities get them thinking about their world and their lives. So get them thinking (if you dare)! Too bad everything isn’t this easy!
-
Junior High And Middle School Talksheets Psalms And Proverbs
$22.99Add to cartThis volume of TalkSheets is a newly revised and updated version that contains 50 one-page reproducible handouts to help youth workers jumpstart and lead discussions on relevant topics and interests to junior high and middle school youth of the millennium.
-
Listening To God
$23.00Add to cartPeople today are less interested in thinking about God while being much more interested in knowing God, observes spiritual director and author John Ackerman, who served as a parish pastor for four decades. In this insightful book, Ackerman outlines ways congregations can promote members’ spiritual growth toward a greater intimacy with God. This book is about the whole system-individuals and small groups, lay leaders and clergy, worship and education-everything we do in a congregation to form us more fully into the body of Christ and to become aware of Christ in us. Ackerman offers two basic, four-step models and several additional tools that can be used to create a more encompassing process. And it all begins with learning to listen as a community, and to notice what God is doing in our life together. Foreword by Alice Mann, author of Can Our Church Live? and The In-Between Church.
-
Craddock Stories
$23.99Add to cart“Those who have heard Craddock preach know that the stories he weaves are a “secret weapon” of his preaching. Now Mike Graves and Richard Ward have complied Craddock Stories, a collection of more than 200 stories that Craddock tells, based on his own life and ministry. Even those who don’t follow Craddock’s preaching model will thoroughly enjoy the winsome and insightful stories in this collection.”
-
Size Transitions In Congregations
$23.00Add to cartCongregations that seek growth are often frustrated at hitting a plateau-caught in a transition zone between sizes. The Alban Institute has long been recognized as a leader in size transition research and learning, and this anthology offers an in-depth collection of resources, through new articles developed for the book as well as previously published and highly regarded pieces that inform and provoke.
In a new essay, Arlin Rothauge, director of the Seabury Institute and author of Sizing Up a Congregation for New Member Ministry, a classic on the subject, offers his reflections on the state of the research and the models that have been used to frame discussion about size transitions. Alban senior consultant Alice Mann describes key findings from her current research on the pastoral-to-program size transition, perhaps the most common and most difficult to address. Other new material focuses on size transition in synagogues; the program-to-corporate transition; and the “awkward size” congregation with the resources of a pastor-centered congregation, but the desire to be program size.
-
Counseling Women : A Narrative Pastoral Approach
$34.00Add to cartIn this signal volume, Christie Neuger offers a new feminist paradigm for radical, effective, empowering counseling for women. She contends that pastors must take up the challenge of pastoral counseling, especially in lgith of the revolutionary pastoral implications of gender studies and feminist theology, as well as the continuing personal and social effects of sexism. Neuger’s work promises to aid counselors “to help women resist and transform the negative effects of a woman-unfriendly culture” and so to reclaim their stories, their strength, and their lives.
-
Postmodern Youth Ministry
$26.99Add to cartThe rules have changed. Everything you believe is suspect. The world is up for grabs. Welcome to the emerging postmodern culture. A “free zone” of rapid change that places high value on community, authenticity, and even God–but has little interest in modern, Western-tinged Christianity. Postmodern Youth Ministry addresses these enormous philosophical shifts and shows how they’re affecting teenagers.
-
Tree Of All Hearts
$15.00Add to cartThis collection of original contemporary parables and stories written by the authors for readers and hearers is presented with powerful wisdom and truths through the telling of stories.
Jesus was the master storyteller, and among his best-loved and most remembered words are the parables. Stories are essential for describing the Christian experience. The power of parables and stories lies in their ability to address matters of the heart in ways akin to poetry. As an aid to preaching and teaching, parables provide powerful windows to truths that can be grasped by the hearer on many levels.
The collection of parables and stories in this book addresses common themes of the Christian life: faith, fear, discipleship, discipline, death, life, salvation, and hope. Some are parables in the strict sense of the term; others are fables and genre stories. Like any good story, each will speak to the listeners at whatever level of readiness and understanding they bring to the story.
Each story includes corresponding Bible passages and a list of study questions for pondering various aspects of the story, either in personal reflection or group study.
-
Lecciones Biblicas Creativas P – (Spanish)
$14.99Add to cartThink of it as a lean, mean, Bible doctrine course_without the lecture; but it doew have lots of options, music and drama, small-group work, and reproducible, interactive worksheets with eye-catching designs and soul-searching content. In these 12 clear, complete sessions, author Chap Clark guides kids (and you) through the Big Ideas in this first-century letter to Christians trying their darndest to live godly lives in an ungodly culture. Here are topics made to order for teenagers living at the turn of the 21st century. Teach your way through Romans with these ready-to-go sessions. Or scanvege whatever you want of the creative scripts, handouts, and other options to customize a lesson of your own. Any way you use it, this book is your no-doze ticket to solid Bible doctrine.
-
Shaping The Spiritual Life Of Students
$24.99Add to cartJonathan’s drug use has come between him and Jesus. Rachel, trapped in an abusive relationship, is afraid to return to church. How can you help spiritually alienated teenagers? Offering practical insights, Dunn teaches you to be attuned to teens’ deepest needs so that you can help them pace their lives—physically, intellectually, emotionally, socially, and spiritually.
-
Care For The Soul
$39.99Add to cartNineteen psychologists and theologians look at the boundaries between science and religion, trying to find common ground in an area fraught with controversy. How does modern psychology’s approach differ from the age-old techniques used by clergy? What can each side learn from the other?
-
Reading The Bible In Faith A Print On Demand Title
$23.99Add to cartReading the Bible in Faith gathers the deepest reflections of leading pastor-theologians dealing with the heart of Holy Scripture – the restoration of the proper relationship between God and his people. Speaking ecumenically, pastor to pastor, the contributors to this very special book provide sound encouragement, rooted in both the Bible and experience, to other church leaders who are also called to stand as the theologians of their local congregations. Seeing the present “crisis of the church” more truly as a crisis of faith that compels too many pastors to major in the minors, this volume confidently reaffirms the Christian gospel as the trustworthy and dynamic basis for the church’s mission and ministry. Short, insightful writings by respected leaders of local congregations urge church renewal through scripturally grounded preaching, teaching, pastoral care, and church administration.
-
Excellent Protestant Congregations
$34.00Add to cart1. Lutheran Ministries Of Southwest Oklahoma
2. Seekers Church
3. Mountain Top Community Church
4. All Saints Episcopal Church
5. Riverside Baptist Church
6. First United Methodist Church
7. Chinese Christian Union Church
8. Full Gospel Church Of God In Christ
9. Warehouse 242Additional Info
Though it is popular for individuals to seek a variety of spiritual practices and approaches, the local congregation still remains the place where most Christians turn for religious education, nurture, ritual, and a sense of community. With the influx of new faces in the pews, many congregations are struggling to respond to their spiritual needs. In Excellent Protestant Congregations, respected religion journalist Paul Wilkes profiles nine dynamic, geographically and denominationally diverse congregations that have the ability to create a vibrant community of workshop. Wilkes draws out the “points of excellence” that lie beneath each congregation’s success and vitality. From hosting luncheons after funerals to organizing powerful life-changing retreats, from developing a capital campaign to getting volunteers to cheerfully do work for the church, Excellent Protestant Congregations provides real-world insights that are both inspiring and applicable in a local congregation. The geographic listing of over 300 excellent Protestant congregations and an index guiding readers to specific topics, such as stewardship, bereavement, and how to reach Gen Xers, make Excellent Protestant Congregations an invaluable resource for church life. -
Using Illustrations To Preach With Power
$22.50Add to cartPaul’s vivid metaphor of the “armor of God” still speaks to us today. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “dream” transformed an entire nation. Using illustrations in your sermon furthers your congregation’s understanding. Arguing that lively illustrations are vital to effective preaching, Chapell shows you how to choose, shape, and incorporate them into your sermons.
-
Uncovering Your Churchs Hidden Spirit
$23.00Add to cartParishioners today look to their congregations to feed their spiritual hunger. But many members and clergy are not sure how the words “congregation” and “spirituality” fit together. Author Celia Hahn interviewed 30 lay people and clergy from five Episcopal congregations to discover their stories of congregational spirituality and to help them identify the congregation’s gifts for spiritual development. Hahn becomes a spiritual companion and resource for the searching congregation, guiding the church as it begins to discover its gifts. How is God at work in our congregation? How do members empowered by the transforming Spirit minister in their workplaces, neighborhoods, and families? How do members move into a deeper relationship with one another and with God? Foreword by Tilden Edwards, executive director of the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Direction.
-
Its News To Me Messages Of Hope For Those Who Havent Heard Cycle A
$12.95Add to cartAll too often, many people find traditional worship dull and the sermons they hear impractical for living in today’s world. Yet Linda McCoy is convinced that the message of God’s unconditional love is the most vital word for life anyone can receive — especially those who have never heard or truly experienced it. Her inspiring sermons share that message of hope with modern Americans by bridging the gap between the sacred and the secular. As the fruit of her non-traditional ministry directed toward those who have never been part of a church or who have been “turned off” or “disenfranchised” by the established church, McCoy’s short, to-the-point messages effectively and relevantly communicate the good news to anyone who is searching for an experience of the Divine. Readers of these sermons will be connected to a deep sense of purpose and enriched by God’s amazing love and grace.
Sermon titles include:
* Prepare For Arrival — Matthew 3:1-12
* The Power Of A Dream — Matthew 2:13-23
* Positive Identification — John 1:29-42
* Building Bridges — Matthew 5:21-37
* It’s A Mystery — Matthew 17:1-9 -
Blueprints For Worship
$23.99Add to cart165 Pages
Additional Info
This book is intended to provide practical assistance for pastors, musicians, and others who plan and lead worship in local congregations. Based upon the 1989 United Methodist Hymnal, the 1992 United Methodist Book of Worship, and the 1992 Revised Common Lectionary, this book will enable you to create, design, build, and lead effective worship experiences in your local congregation. Through a worksheet format that culls information and references from the sources mentioned above, you’ll be able to more effectively integrate preaching, music, movement, and environment. -
How To Reach Secular People
$23.99Add to cartHOW TO REACH SECULAR PEOPLE
How do you communicate the Christian faith to the growing numbers of “secular” people in the western world? Pastors and Sunday school teachers who teach the faith week by week to professing Christians experience their assignment as increasingly difficult; so how do you communicate Christianity’s meaning to people who do not darken church doors, who have no church background, who possess no traditional Christian vocabulary, who do not know what we are talking about? The question presses us with greater intensity as we realize that the countries and populations of the western world have become “mission fields” once again.
The following pages contain a mere fraction of what we will one day know about effective mission in the western world. But they contain enough insight from communicators, congregations, and converts to help 99 percent of our churches to triple the number of new Christians they help into faith and thereby become contagious movements in their communities.
-
Teologia Practica Pastoral – (Spanish)
$14.99Add to cartWould you like to know how to prepare your vision and present it to writing to the church? How to give specific job functions to each of your collaborators? How many types of leaders there are? How to write thankful notes to thankful offerings? Which are the critical phases in the pastoral ministry? What place the pastor’s wife occupies? How many different ecclesiastic governments exist? How to celebrate different ceremonies, from funerals to dedicating babies? These and other topics are discussed in this practical guide for pastors.
-
Beyond The Ordinary A Print On Demand Title
$21.99Add to cartOver the past few decades mainline Protestant congregations have not easily embraced the notion of spirituality. As much as any aspect of church life, spirituality has been misunderstood, misused, and resisted by both clergy and laity. Yet times are changing. Today many people feel a deep spiritual hunger and are out looking for fulfillment in a wide variety of settings. In this new context, mainline congregations need to awaken to the presence of the Spirit in their midst and equip leaders to nurture both the personal and corporate spirituality of their congregations.
Beyond the Ordinary is explicitly written to help church leaders who have had no formal training in spiritual formation. Drawing from years of experience teaching Christian spirituality, Ben Campbell Johnson and Andrew Dreitcer explore the spiritual dimensions of leadership, looking in depth at the meaning of spirituality as it relates to the tasks of ministry. This friendly, inspiring book will enable readers to erase the negative stereotypes of spirituality and develop vital models and practices for the church today.
The book introduces a faithful understanding and practice of the spiritual life to those who have not yet dipped into the well that is Christian spirituality. For those who have already tasted this water and still thirst, it offers a way to dip even more deeply. Chapters discuss the issues surrounding a meaningful spirituality for our changing times, the importance of holding prayer and mission in tension, and the crucial role of Scripture in the formation of our lives. The authors also underscore the importance of vision, myth, and discernment in the spiritual life of the church. And they discuss the power of spiritual practices like discernment and visioning for enhancing the spirituality of congregations and for helping them become agents of social transformation.
Intended for personal and group use by pastors, elders, other church leaders, and those preparing for service in the church, the book includes suggestions for reflection and discussion as well as journaling exercises that encourage learning and growth.
-
Listening Ministry : Rethinking Pastoral Leadership
$17.00Add to cartListening Ministry is a timely and practical work that invites church leaders (professional and non-professional) to look at leadership in the church in a completely different way. It is also a valuable scholarly work that calls forth new learning through the reflection questions provided at the end of each chapter. The book helps readers rethink the dynamics of ministry from the perspective of listening, focusing on both its individual and communal dimensions. Hedahl’s work presents a unique blend of theological reflection on listening, new and tested research on listening as it relates to church leadership, and suggested forms of listening as education and skills assessment in a continual effort to locate and understand listening as the heart of effective and faithful ministry.
