Sailboat Church

Sailboat Church
Author: Joan S. Gray
Publisher: Presbyterian Publishing Corp
Total Pages: 176
Release: 2014-03-05
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 161164383X

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Is your church a rowboat church or a sailboat church? Rowboat churches depend largely on human effort. When church budgets shrink and membership declines, rowboat churches frantically row harder against a current, often frustrated and disappointed at their efforts. Sailboat churches, on the other hand, take up the oars, hoist sails, and rely on the Holy Spirit to guide them. Arguing that churches should be "sailboats," Joan S. Gray encourages readers to shift concern from the many daily, practical concerns of their local church to fresh ideas that can be found using the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The book includes forty days of sailing prayers, quotes from Scripture, brief reflection questions, and an extensive bibliography that is arranged by theme. Perfect for groups to read together, this book will help leaders reframe their church's mission and practice with the Holy Spirit as their guide.

Sailboat Church

Sailboat Church
Author: Joan S. Gray
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
Total Pages: 174
Release: 2014-01-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0664259588

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Is your church a rowboat church or a sailboat church? Rowboat churches depend largely on human effort. In a time of often shrinking budgets and membership, rowboat churches frantically row harder against a current, often frustrated and disappointed at their efforts. Sailboat churches, on the other hand, take up the oars, hoist sales, and rely on the Holy Spirit to guide them. Arguing that churches should be “sailboats,” author Joan S. Gray encourages readers to shift concern from the many daily, practical concerns of their local church to consider how new directions might be found by allowing the Holy Spirit to provide fresh ideas. The book includes four days of sailing prayers, quotes from Scripture, brief reflection questions, and an extensive bibliography that is arranged by theme. Perfect for groups to read together, this book will help leaders reframe their church’s mission and practice with the Holy Spirit as their guide.

Spiritual Leadership for Church Officers

Spiritual Leadership for Church Officers
Author: Joan S. Gray
Publisher: Presbyterian Publishing Corp
Total Pages: 136
Release: 2009-01-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0664503055

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This timely new leadership guide for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is written for church officers who are looking for a deepened relationship with God. Joan Gray challenges elders and deacons to see themselves as spiritual leaders and equips them to lead alongside their pastors. Gray lays out a variety of leadership styles and helps leaders understand when each is appropriate. She also provides resources for dealing with relationships in the church and identifies ways churches can be supportive of the spiritual leadership of elders and deacons.

Neighborhood Church

Neighborhood Church
Author: Krin Van Tatenhove
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
Total Pages: 157
Release: 2019-02-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1611649161

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How can we embody the values of love, grace, and justice? As faith communities, how can our collective embodiment of these values shine even brighter? The answers to these questions must always unfold right here, right now, exactly where God has planted us. Neighborhood Churchacts as a resource to inspire churches to become a vibrant and engaging community partner with the families and neighborhoods living around them. The need for transformation is acute. Congregational decline continues across all mainline denominations. The abandonment of the church by the millennial generation is ubiquitous; no denomination is escaping it. This is, in part, a consequence of disconnection from our communities. Van Tatenhove and Mueller believe that, parish by parish, we can reverse this trend. They dare to have an audacious hope for local congregations not only as signs of Gods kingdom but as life-giving institutions that anchor their neighborhoods. Drawing on their combined sixty years of parish experience, wisdom from Asset-Based Community Development, and compelling case stories, Van Tatenhove and Mueller do more than just call us to incarnational ministry. They give practical, essential tools that lead to communal conversion, develop the DNA of listening, spur fruitful partnerships, promote integrated space, and sustain long-term visions. They believe these tools will spark true revival and unleash the power of incarnational ministry.

Rich Church, Poor Church

Rich Church, Poor Church
Author: J. Clif Christopher
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Total Pages: 122
Release: 2012
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 142674336X

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What is the bottom line at your church?

Entering Wonderland

Entering Wonderland
Author: Robert A. Harris
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 235
Release: 2014-10-08
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1566997186

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The first year or so of a pastor's tenure in a new congregation is precarious; many pastors stay at a new congregation for fewer than five years. This handbook helps coach both experienced and new pastors to enter a new congregation effectively. Drawing from organizational systems leadership material in religious and secular worlds, it offers nearly fifty tips and tools designed to help new pastors analyze their congregation's system and then to lead leaders within the congregation to affect positive change. Using imagery from Alice in Wonderland to clarify various archetypal roles within the church community, Harris provides concrete suggestions for facilitating communication and dealing with difficult behaviors within the congregation. He provides a coaching approach to ministry, in which the pastor reframes issues and asks provocative questions—a powerful strategy to maximize a new pastor’s chances for success. Readers will find tools to help them uncover critical information about their new congregation regarding: congregational norms, particularly regarding the office of pastor, conflict, and holy objects; their history and sense of God's call; the true leaders among the congregation; mutual accountability.

The Pilgrim's Compass

The Pilgrim's Compass
Author: Paul H. Lang
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
Total Pages: 140
Release: 2019-02-19
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1611649196

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As we make our way into the twenty-first century, many Christians are looking for an expression of discipleship that speaks meaningfully to our time, a faith yearning that is at once personally intimate and relevant and that grows out of and nurtures authentic Christian community. The Pilgrim's Compass shepherds readers through a metaphorical pilgrimage to consider one's life a journey for faith formation. Using this book as a guide to help Christians consider their journey as they walk through the four stages of intentional faithfulness, disciples will encounter God, wrestle with God, be wounded as will God, and be reborn as a new person with a new name. The Pilgrim's Compass encourages individuals to embrace the ancient practice of pilgrimage both as metaphor for the daily walk of discipleship and as an intentional journey of faith, which uses prayerful travel to assist an inner transformation.

Making Disciples, Making Leaders--Leader Guide, Updated Second Edition

Making Disciples, Making Leaders--Leader Guide, Updated Second Edition
Author: Steven P. Eason
Publisher: Presbyterian Publishing Corp
Total Pages: 125
Release: 2022-03-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1646982398

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Updated 2022 EditionThe second edition of the widely-used Making Disciples, Making Leaders is a comprehensive guide for creating effective spiritual leaders in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A). With almost two decades of combined experience in training church leaders, Eason and Clemans have designed resources that can be customized to fit your church's unique needs. The book introduces biblical principles for leadership before describing the important task of the nominating committee. Pastors then receive a step-by-step curriculum for a four-session leadership training course. With updates for the revised Form of Government, Making Disciples, Making Leadersâ€"Leader Guide is the ultimate resource for PC(USA) leadership training. A participant workbook to the second edition, which includes worship aids, handouts, worksheets, quizzes, and study guides, is also available.

Exploring Church Growth

Exploring Church Growth
Author: Wilbert R. Shenk
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 321
Release: 2010-08-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 160899872X

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During the past twenty years the phenomenon of church growth--especially as it has been known under the dynamic leadership of Donald McGavran and the School of World Mission, Fuller Theological Seminary--has resulted in an impressive array of books, articles, reports, and theses. While freely acknowledging their debut to the church growth school, the contributors to this volume wish to explore further the premises, principles, and goals of church growth. Firmly convinced that church growth is more than empirical data and effective methods, and that there is nothing approaching a complete book of church growth, they aim not simply to offer definitive answers but rather to open up fresh lines of inquiry--historical, experiential, methodological, and theological. Thus, while interacting with previous studies, the authors view their work as a constructive contribution to the search for a more adequate understanding of church growth patterns. Contributors to this volume include Alfred C. Krass, Harvie M. Conn, Orlando E. Costas, John H. Yoder, Harry R. Boer, and C. RenŽ Padilla.

Confessing Our Faith

Confessing Our Faith
Author: John Burgess
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
Total Pages: 176
Release: 2018-02-02
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1611648440

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How can the Book of Confessions help elders and lay leaders when they face challenging situations within their congregations? John P. Burgess offers answers in Confessing Our Faith. Using the confessions as a framework, Burgess covers areas of ministry such as stewardship, evangelism, discipleship, and conflict resolution, offering in each case ways in which the lay leader can respond. A unique and practical reference, Confessing Our Faith is designed to aid church leaders in understanding how their work can be informed by the confessional documents.