books about: congregation     books:       Doing Justice: Congregations and Community Organizing2 reviews Dennis A. Jacobsen Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 2001 Food for Organized Thought and Action I think I speak for many people -- clergy and lay, organizers and the organized -- in decrying the dearth of good, digestible faith-focused written resources for organizing. We scrounge through magazines and periodicals; we "cut-and-paste" from other disciplines (theology, sociology, political science, history, psychology, etc.); we listen to big-name and not-so-big name speakers as they expound ...             A Field Guide for the Missional Congregation: Embarking on a Journey of Transformation Rick Rouse, Craig Van Gelder Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 2008 The roster of books on leadership is full of high theory and grand expositions of biblical principles. But there is precious little practical advice for regular people committed to releasing positive change within their local churches. Here one of the church's foremost theoreticians and one of its most accomplished transformational leaders combine strengths to clarify both how sound congregational transformation can be accomplished by regular ...             The Practicing Congregation: Imagining a New Old Church7 reviews Diana Butler Bass The Alban Institute, 2004 Thinking off the page I actually heard Dr. Butler Bass present this material at a clergy day in my diocese last year. Her work is both insightful and challenging. I especially appreciate her willingness to admit the shortcomings of her theories, not just gloss over them. The three-dimensional grid was particularly helpful, especially for those of us in the lower left quadrant -- progressive emergers. It can seem ...             Leading Change in the Congregation: Spiritual & Organizational Tools for Leaders4 reviews Gilbert R. Rendle Alban Institute, 1997 A Great Resouce Excellent insights for planning strategies to help congregations into and through change. A great guide for dealing with the dynamics of change -- spiritual, intellectual, and emotional. Helpful differentiation between "management" and "leadership" and the kinds of situations when each style is more appropriate. I use it as a handbook in doing interim ministry.             Studying Congregations: A New Handbook3 reviews Abingdon Press, 1998 Specific in focus, excellent in application The book is specific in focus and excellent in application. It is everything it is presented to be.             Cracking Your Congregation's Code: Mapping Your Spiritual DNA to Create Your Future7 reviews Robert Norton, Richard Southern Jossey-Bass, 2001 This is the one you've been searching for! Concise, easy to read, easy to understand. A good read for any pastor or church leader who wants to get some clarity on the strengths and uniqueness of his or her congregation. The REALLY good news is that this is NOT another "How I Did It" book. To be sure, "How I Did It" books are inspiring, and you can pick up a lot of good tips and tricks. The trouble is that most of them probably won't ...             Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations6 reviews Robert Schnase Abingdon Press, 2007 Thought Provoking and Insightful This book is very insightful and gives a lot of food for thought. I highly recommend it for anyone who is seeking a deeper, more obedient relationship with Christ for themselves and their church.             Five Practices Leader Manual and Media (Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations Program Resources) Robert Schnase Abingdon Press, 2008             Healthy Congregations: A Systems Approach17 reviews Peter L. Steinke The Alban Institute, 2006 A helpful way to look at parish life This book is a classic in its field and is an excellent summary of a family systems approach to congregations. Steinke uses the healing processes of the human body as a metaphor to show how congregations function like a body to heal wounds and to prevent illness. Based on my experience as a pastor, I'd say Steinke is right on the mark. Using family systems theory to describe a parish is very ...             The Hidden Lives of Congregations: Discerning Church Dynamics3 reviews Israel Galindo Alban Institute, 2004 Hidden Lives No Longer? Israel Galindo's "Hidden Lives of Congregations" affords an excellent overview of the Christian church and its followers, diagnosing the cause and effect of the life, growth and attrition of churches in America. Its in-depth analysis of the mindsets of the average churchgoer, the clergy and the infrastructure of the church provides us with an essential profile of the movers and shakers that make ...             Leading the Congregation: Caring for Yourself While Serving Others2 reviews Norman Shawchuck, Roger Heuser Abingdon Press, 1998 A supportive and practical book! The book states that this is a "complete and definitive guide to the practice of church leadership" and it is. It covers all aspects of guiding the flock and caring for yourself with spiritual integrity and service. Highly recommended!             The Missional Church and Denominations: Helping Congregations Develop a Missional Identity (Missional Church) Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2008             How Your Church Family Works: Understanding Congregations as Emotional Systems11 reviews Peter L. Steinke The Alban Institute, 2006 Helpful for understanding congregational dynamics Peter Steinke is a Lutheran pastor and director of the Interfaith Pastoral Counseling Center in suburban Chicago. His career has been one of studying and advising the dynamics of disfunctional churches and counseling pastors who have been hurt by said churches. "How Your Church Family Works" is an introduction to systems theory as it relates to interpersonal dynamics within a church and has ...             Multigenerational Congregations: Meeting the Leadership Challenge1 review Gilbert R. Rendle Alban Institute, 2001 An important book for church leaders who find themselves caught in the middle "It is no easy task to build up the faith of one generation, and not destroy the supports of the religion of the other," wrote Reinhold Niebuhr in 1921. Yep! Generational dynamics in local congregations are huge. Rendle argues that, by and large, persons born after before 1946 have a fundamentally different value system than persons born after 1946. The former group is comfortable with deferred ...             When A Congregation Is Betrayed: Responding to Clergy Misconduct1 review Beth Ann Gaede (editor) The Alban Institute, 2005 A Guide for Afterpastors Deborah Pope-Lance in her introduction to When a Congregation is Betrayed clearly defined afterpastors as "clergy who serve a congregation or organization after a predecessor's misconduct". She then listed a wide range of misconduct including sexual exploitation, abuse of authority and financial malfeasance. Her discussion of the impact of secrets on the afterpastor and his/her congregation was ...             Small Congregation, Big Potential: Ministry in the Small Membership Church1 review Lyle E. Schaller Abingdon Press, 2003 Buy the Book Only If You Buy the Assumption Small Congregation, Big Potential is Lyle Schaller's latest examination of the world of the small church. His previous works on the subject include The Small Church is Different! (1982) and The Small Membership Church: Scenarios for Tomorrow (1994). Schaller bills himself as "the country's leading interpreter of congregational systems and their vitality," and I see no grounds to quibble with ...             Discerning Your Congregation's Future: A Strategic and Spiritual Approach3 reviews Roy M. Oswald, Robert E., Jr. Friedrich Alban Inst, 1996 A Prescription For Growth This book lays out a most indepth, step-by-step guide to uncovering what God has in store for your church. If followed in it's entirety without skipping any of the process, it will be an experience of spiritual growth for your congregation as well as a tool for understanding the direction that Christ is moving your church. It is an easy to read, challenging prescription for growth.             United by Faith: The Multiracial Congregation As an Answer to the Problem of Race4 reviews Curtiss Paul DeYoung, Michael O. Emerson, ... Oxford University Press, USA, 2004 Must Read for Christians A multiethnic group of authors (white, black, asian) tackle the topic of multiethnic Christian congregations (defined as congregations where no race makes up more the 80% of the congregation). These churches are rare today, and the authors lay out the argument for the need and benefit of multiracial congregations. From the sound theological basis the authors lay out to vignettes about successful ...             The Learning Congregation: A New Vision of Leadership1 review Thomas R. Hawkins Westminster John Knox Press, 1997 Lifelong Learning Hawkins' book places current thought on leadership within the context of a congregation or parish. He uses multiple references from scripture to illustrate the model of the Learning Congregation. Anyone in a leadership role would benefite from reading this book. Although not a quick read, Hawkins' style is not pedantic or overly scholarly. Many thought-provoking insights and ideas for personal ...             People of the Dream: Multiracial Congregations in the United States2 reviews Michael O. Emerson Princeton University Press, 2008 Must read information This book may be the most extensive study of multiracial congregations in the USA, but we really need more insight. Perhaps in 20-30 years we will have a better idea about how to accomplish racial healing.              search for books challenge, community, congregation, congregations, denominations, discerning, embarking, emotional, fruitful, imagining, leadership, learning, membership, ministry, misconduct, missional, multigenerational, multiracial, organizational, organizing, potential, practices, practicing, resources, responding, spiritual, strategic, transformation, understanding, yourself books:    Kindle - Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device This is the future of book reading. I have used it and love it! randomly chosen book: Krameriaceae (Flora Neotropica Monograph No. 49) we recommend Helpful for understanding congregational dynamics leave a comment home  impressum - about us