Author : Cynthia Woolever, Deborah Bruce
Publisher : Westminster John Knox Press
Page : 146 pages
File Size : 28,95 MB
Release :
Category :
ISBN : 0664236707
Author : Dr. Richard Rouse
Publisher : Fortress Press
Page : 214 pages
File Size : 35,79 MB
Release : 2016-05-19
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1506410278
Pastoral care has been traditionally understood as pastoral acts administered to individuals or small groups by an ordained or lay religious practitioner. As congregations in the twenty-first century begin to reclaim the missional nature of church, this view must be broadened to include care and concern for the needs of the larger community. A missional perspective of pastoral care embraces the notion that all of Gods peoplenot just trained professionalsare called to partner in the healing and redemption of the world. In Beyond Church Walls, Rick Rouse sets out to articulate precisely what such an approach to pastoral care looks likeand the substantial impact it can have on congregations and communities. A skilled teacher and pastor with deep experience in real communities, Rouse leads readers through the changing realities of the twenty-first century and to new ways for missional churches to succeed in offering pastoral care for the whole community.
Author : Larry L. McSwain
Publisher : Chalice Press
Page : 180 pages
File Size : 17,93 MB
Release : 2013-05-30
Category : Religion
ISBN : 0827205317
Leading is a calling from God, but that doesn't mean it is easy. There are choices to be made about what your congregation believes, how your church organizes for effective ministry, and how your church serves the settings of which you are a part. The good news is that others have gone before you. Author Larry L. McSwain's forty years of experience can help guide you through these choices. Rooted in research, The Calling of Congregational Leadership teaches a three-pronged approach to congregational leadership: being a good leader, the knowledge needed by the leader, and the managing of ministry leadership. By using this practical, holistic approach to leading congregations, McSwain shows you how to use your church's potential for conveying the power of God in the lives you touch. The Calling of Congregational Leadership is for those who seek to enlarge the understanding of their leadership to make their communities of faith more vital and more reflective of the mission of God in the world.
Author : Cynthia Woolever
Publisher : Westminster John Knox Press
Page : 162 pages
File Size : 48,28 MB
Release : 2010-01-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 066423514X
Based on the results of a major Congregational Life Survey, this book is the first comprehensive portrait of congregational life in the United States at the start of the 21st century. Charts and graphs.
Author : Ian G. Duncum
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
Page : 245 pages
File Size : 50,23 MB
Release : 2019-01-14
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1532667930
This book follows the journey of ten churches who underwent church consultancies, and explores in depth both the consultancy and its outcomes. Pre-consultancy and post-consultancy “snapshots,” four to five years apart, of vitality indicators and attendance figures (using National Church Life Survey and other data) are used to compare these with churches that have not undertaken church consultancies. Theologies of church consultancy, church health, and church growth are also developed and examined, intersecting with a wide body of literature, including contemporary ecclesiologies. Consultancy outcomes are examined in detail. This includes interviews with pastors of some of those churches, reflecting on their perceptions of whether and how the church consultancy impacted the health and growth of their church. Conclusions are drawn about the efficacy of church consultancy in influencing the health and growth of churches, as well as contexts for the best use of church consultancy. This is a significant book for denominational leaders, theological lecturers, pastors, and church leaders as they encounter lack of health in churches and seek ways forward for greater health and impact in their local communities.
Author : H. B. Cavalcanti
Publisher : Lexington Books
Page : 172 pages
File Size : 46,49 MB
Release : 2010-08-20
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 0739147706
While congregational studies have expanded our understanding of American religion, little is known about the local practices of a single denomination at its smallest jurisdiction. This book explores how national denominational commitments are affecting the practices of local United Church of Christ congregations inside a single association in the Shenandoah Valley. Nationally, the UCC defines itself as a united and uniting church in its ecumenical work; as multiracial and multicultural in its diversity; as accessible to all in welcoming those with disabilities; as open and affirming for its LGBT members; and as a just peace church in its support of social justice. So, how fully have local congregations embraced these commitments? Might congregations be more attached to their older identities, particularly in areas where the church's predecessors were strongly rooted? Or are the national church's commitments being lived out at the grassroots level? The book measures congregational life in one of the UCC's oldest and smallest associations. Books on congregational studies either focus on a case study of a particular congregation, or large-scale surveys of U.S. congregations that explore aggregate data to explain their work. This book looks instead at a group of local congregations inside a small judicatory (the Shenandoah Association) of the United Church of Christ to explain religious life at the grassroots level.
Author : Christopher B. James
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 369 pages
File Size : 11,61 MB
Release : 2018
Category : Religion
ISBN : 0190673648
Defying predictions of the inevitable decline of Christianity in the US, Church Planting in Post-Christian Soil presents the untold story of new churches springing up in Seattle, one of the most post-Christian cities in the nation.
Author : Scott Thumma
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
Page : 261 pages
File Size : 10,92 MB
Release : 2011-04-12
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1118025369
A research-based approach to developing more active and involved congregations In this practical resource, well-known and respected researcher Scott Thumma and professional co-writer Warren Bird draw upon new and heretofore unpublished research across a broad range of Protestant churches of all sizes and show how to create more active members. Offers solid information of what church leaders need to know about the factors and practices that create church members who are more actively and passionately involved in their congregations. Offers a first of its kind resource for developing engaged congregations Lead author Scott Thumma is a noted researcher and writer on congregational studies Warren Bird is coauthor of Culture Shift and Viral Churches This book offers advice for moving church members from being spectators to living a life of discipleship and faith.
Author : Johnny Hunt
Publisher : Thomas Nelson
Page : 337 pages
File Size : 11,29 MB
Release : 2016-11-08
Category : Religion
ISBN : 0718086465
The Gift of Jesus is a thoroughly trustworthy and inspiring devotional focused on the amazing gift of Jesus and what that means in our daily lives. It was created and written by General Editor Johnny Hunt, former president of the Southern Baptist Convention along with 51 Southern Baptist pastors and ministry leaders, including Dr. James Merritt, Dr. Ronnie Floyd, Dr. Steve Dighton, Dr. Don Wilton, Dr. Ted Traylor, and Dr. Michael Cloer. Each daily entry includes Scripture passages, a devotion, and a prayer. Explore such interesting themes as Jesus our Savior; Jesus, our companion for life; abiding in Christ; Jesus, our Rest; the basis of hope; God is with you; and how the Bible changes lives. This is the seventh book in the My Daily™series of devotionals with more than 500,000 units sold.
Author : Lucy Watani-Simiyu
Publisher : WestBow Press
Page : 256 pages
File Size : 42,53 MB
Release : 2021-07-30
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1664240675
Lucy Watani-Simiyu walks you through the raw and ugly moments in parenting that come when tragedy first strikes. She wrote this book after a season when nothing made sense and it felt like she’d been abandoned by God. It was a time filled with anxiety and heartbreak, and with many questions unanswered. As she shares her story,she gives you permission to not be a hero or be an unobtainable version of someone’s faithful Christian highlight reel. You can be right where you are ... moving toward freedom. As you read, In her parental journey and counselling sessions, the experiential learning from thousands of parents raised many questions and gives answers to questions such as: How can parents connect themselves to the very heart of God? What message does God have for you as a parent? Can children question their faith in God in a nerve-wracking way to parents and yet continue to function sanely? How can parents equip themselves with the truth of God’s Word to keep sane and fulfill their ambassadorial calling. What does it mean for a parent to have a well-planned journey for a child? You ask: what do I do when my child makes the wrong choices? How do I deal with contrary or counterculture? What about parenting guilt? Where is God in all this? Filled with verses from Scripture, examples from the Bible, and practical insights from the author’s own life experiences, this book will help you combine grace, truth, and God’s Word to find strength and help children overcome obstacles. This book points you to the source of joy in your journey by pointing you to God’s Word, the truth that sets you free when the journey gets weary. The blueprint still works—not to make you guilty but to liberate you. Maybe you are a parent who is paralyzed by fear of your child’s choices. You may be anxious, hopeless, and helpless about your child’s future. Perhaps you are weighed down by guilt and shame, caught in a slump, overwhelmed with regret trapped in a dead-end parenting, and numb from a child’s choice. You may be drowning in disappointment, anger, shame, and unfilled spiritually so that God and his promises do not make sense.Instead of tying our hope to specific outcomes, let us connect ourselves to the very heart of God. With compelling storytelling and sound scriptural backup, this book gives you the biblical pathway to help you as a parent move beyond the pain of the present to a hope-filled future.
