books by Alban Institute     books:       Claiming the Beatitudes: Nine Stories from a New Generation Anne Sutherland Howard, Anne Howard, ... The Alban Institute, 2009             Reframing Hope: Vital Ministry in a New Generation Carol Howard Merritt The Alban Institute, 2010 Much has been written about the changing landscape the church finds itself in, and even more about the church's waning influence in our culture. From her vantage point as an under-40 pastor, Carol Howard Merritt, author of Tribal Church , moves away from the handwringing toward a discovery of what ministry in, with, and by a new generation might look like. What does the substance of hope look like right now? What does hope look like when it is ...             Temporary Shepherds: A Congregational Handbook for Interim Ministry The Alban Institute, 1998 Effective interim ministry depends on strong partnership between the interim minster and congregation. Lay leaders of congregations preparing for such a transition will value the expert guidance provided by over a dozen experienced interim pastors. What is interim ministry all about? What needs to happen during the interim? What should leaders and members expect from the interim pastor and themselves during this transition? What other resources ...             Hopes and Fears: Everyday Theology for New Parents and Other Tired, Anxious People The Alban Institute, 2012 Bromleigh McCleneghan and Lee Hull Moses have written a book about being not-perfect parents in a not-perfect world. The result, Hopes and Fears: Everyday Theology for New Parents and Other Tired, Anxious People, is a joyous celebration of child-rearing in which any parent—no matter how perfect—can share. "I want to have a happy and healthy marriage, and I want to have happy, faithful kids," proclaims co-author McCleneghan in the ...             Governance and Ministry: Rethinking Board Leadership Dan Hotchkiss The Alban Institute, 2009 In Governance and Ministry , Alban Institute senior consultant Dan Hotchkiss offers congregational leaders a roadmap and tools for changing the way boards and clergy work together to lead congregations. Hotchkiss demonstrates that the right governance model is the one that best enables a congregation to fulfill its mission--to achieve both the outward results and the inward quality of life to which it is called. Resources on governance for the ...             Memories, Hopes, and Conversations: Appreciative Inquiry and Congregational Change Mark Lau Branson Alban Institute, 2004 When First Presbyterian Church in Altadena, California, was asked to provide a mission study report for its pastor nominating committee, the congregation was afraid they would find themselves engaging in busy work and producing a report that would wind up in a file gathering dust. They then asked professor Mark Lau Branson to consult with them on writing this report. He invited them to join in a process of Appreciative Inquiry--a ...             Holy Conversations: Strategic Planning as a Spiritual Practice for Congregations Gil Rendle, Alice Mann Alban Institute, 2003 Planning can be challenging in the contemporary congregation, where people share a common faith and values but may have very different preferences and needs. Much of the literature on congregational planning presents it as a technical process: the leader serves as the chief problem solver, and the goal is finding ?the solution to the problem.? Popular Alban consultants and authors Gil Rendle and Alice Mann cast planning as a "holy ...             How Your Church Family Works: Understanding Congregations as Emotional Systems Peter L. Steinke The Alban Institute, 2006 Drawing on the work of Bowen, Friedman, and his own many years' counseling experience, Peter Steinke shows how to recognize and deal with the emotional roots of such issues as church conflict, leadership roles, congregational change, irresponsible behavior, and the effect of family of origin on current relationships. Discover why working relationships may be "stuck" in certain behaviors. Psychologically sound, theologically grounded, and ...             Congregational Leadership in Anxious Times: Being Calm and Courageous No Matter What The Alban Institute, 2006 Anxious times call for steady leadership. When tensions emerge in a congregation, its leaders cannot be as anxious as the people they serve. To remain effective, congregational leaders must control their own uneasiness. This takes self-awareness and confidence to manage relationships and influence behaviors. Knowing how to deal with anxiety and how to work through complex challenges can lead a congregation to new insights, growth, and vitality. ...             Managing Polarities in Congregations: Eight Keys for Thriving Faith Communities Roy M. Oswald and Barry Johnson The Alban Institute, 2009 Congregations often find themselves in power struggles over two opposing views. People on both sides believe strongly that they are right. They also assume that if they are right, their opposition must be wrong--classic 'either/or' thinking. A polarity is a pair of truths that need each other over time. When an argument is about two poles of a polarity, both sides are right and need each other to experience the whole truth. This phenomenon has ...             Gifts of an Uncommon Life: The Practice of Contemplative Activism Howard E. Friend Jr. The Alban Institute, 2008 This book of ten essays is a breath of fresh air, a source of inspiration, a wake-up call, and a bold challenge for pastors, congregational leaders, and church members--both active and lapsed--who long for a new perspective, even a touch of creative irreverence. With an invitation to quietness and stillness, inner strength and resilience, audacious hope and insistent confidence, it welcomes those among the people of God who do not belong to a ...             40 Days and 40 Bytes: Making Computers Work for Your Congregation Aaron Spiegel, Nancy Armstrong, ... Alban Institute, 2004 "Today we are awash in computerized Bible games, pastoral care software, and church management systems with members’ personal information and giving records," observe authors Spiegel, Armstrong, and Bill, but "too often we blindly accept and use technology without asking the big questions. Questions like, is it appropriate to our mission and ministry?" 40 Days and 40 Bytes will help your congregation explore technology so you can decide, from ...             Ministry Greenhouse: Cultivating Environments for Practical Learning George M. Hillman Jr. The Alban Institute, 2008 Known as "the internship guy" at Dallas Theological Seminary where he teaches, George Hillman talks daily with students about God's movement in their lives. The goal of Ministry Greenhouse is to help seminary and Bible college students, their supervisors, and the lay leaders who work with them create the best environment for leadership development through a beneficial internship. An internship is not busy work or cheap labor but is instead ...             Learning While Leading: Increasing Your Effectiveness in Ministry Anita Farber-Robertson The Alban Institute, 2000 As the world changes, so do people's expectations of their faith community and clergy. This book uses three case studies to speak to religious professionals about the challenges they face, to provide readers with specific, user-friendly techniques to become more aware of how they function, and to learn new ways to lead. Clergy will find real-life examples of how more effective leadership enhances the life of the community and promotes the ...             Scattering Seeds: Cultivating Church Vitality Stephen Chapin Garner, Jerry Thornell The Alban Institute, 2012 In Scattering Seeds: Cultivating Church Vitality , Stephen Chapin Garner and Jerry Thornell share the story of their home congregation, the United Church of Christ in Norwell, MA. This average congregation has approached congregational life in a not-so-average way. Each congregant is seen as a minister, bringing the good news of Christ to the community; the church has moved away from boards and committees, instead utilizing the people to form ...             Reaching Out in a Networked World: Expressing Your Congregation's Heart and Soul Lynne M. Baab The Alban Institute, 2008 A congregation communicates its heart and soul through words, photos, actions, programs, architecture, decor, the arts, and countless other aspects of congregational life. In Reaching Out in a Networked World , communications expert and pastor Lynne Baab examines technologies such as websites, blogs, online communities, and desktop publishing. She demonstrates how a congregation can evaluate these tools and appropriately use them to communicate ...              search for books appreciative, beatitudes, communities, computers, congregation, congregational, congregations, contemplative, conversations, courageous, cultivating, effectiveness, emotional, environments, expressing, generation, governance, greenhouse, increasing, leadership, networked, polarities, practical, reframing, rethinking, scattering, shepherds, strategic, temporary, understanding books:    Kindle - Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device This is the future of book reading. 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