When Lutheran church leaders came from Norway in the middle of the nineteenth century, educational plans for each gender were based on deeply held beliefs about what a man was and what a woman was. Teenage boys were to be educated at a school away from home--Luther College for those in the Norwegian Synod. Girls were to be educated in the parlors ......
Unraveling Religious Leadership considers various attributes related to the form and function of leadership within religious institutions in conversation with decolonial ideas and practices. Decoloniality, in negation of the ongoing legacies of colonialism, seeks ways of being and doing beyond white, eurowestern, modern ideals of who a leader is ......
Turning Ourselves Inside Out emerges from the Thriving Christian Communities Project started by the authors in 2015, as well as from a Facebook conversation where someone asked, "We always hear about the problems in our churches. When are we going to talk about the good news stories?" This got the authors thinking: How do we learn about what is ......
An Introduction to Luther's Life and Thought, Revised and Expanded Editi
True Faith in the True God meets the deep need for a clear and concise introduction to the life and teachings of the great church reformer, Martin Luther. After a brief overview of his life, the book devotes chapters to Luther's thoughts on key topics, including the knowledge of God, church and sacraments, the Scriptures, marriage, and vocation.
* A comprehensive, practical paradigm for nurturing congregational leadership * Tested in ten years of teaching, ministry, congregational research * Includes specific exercises for self-assessment and implementation
How do Israel's Scriptures inform the account of Jesus's cruciform death in the Gospel of John? What does it mean for John's portrayal of Jesus's death to be "according to the Scriptures"? The Use of the Jewish Scriptures in the Johannine Passion Narrative: That the Scripture May Be Perfected argues that they are the focal element of the Johannine ......
Sedgwick explores the role of the sacraments in shaping identity, the teaching vocation of the church, the discernment process in ordination, the main ethical questions facing clergy, and the ways in which the church deals with authority and conflict. The Making of Ministry is a book for both clergy and lay persons who are involved in the ......
In The Holy and the Hybrid: Navigating the Church's Digital Reformation, Ryan M. Panzer helps church leaders develop hybrid ministries through aligning the shared mission of the church with the shared values of our tech-shaped culture. The goal is to build communities that serve as the hands and feet of Christ simultaneously online and offline.
Reflects on all aspects of the clergy search process, from initial evaluation to final call, with suggestions for clergy and search committees for conducting a thorough and ethical search.
The Art of Leading Change is all about people. We can't do the work God has called us to do without people, but it's those very people that make change difficult and messy. The book offers ten vital perspectives for leading change in churches and ministries. The path to change is never easy, but learning the art of change can improve the journey.
Written by Mark Pierson, one of the pioneers in worship curation, this exciting new book explains why effective worship needs to be seen as an art form made up of a series of art works, rather than a mechanistic task of filling in the gaps in an order of service. At the heart of this new way of thinking about worship is the role of the worship ......
The Social Teaching of the Papal Encyclicals 1740-1989
Provides an analysis that concerns Roman Catholics, public officials, social ethicists, theologians, and students need. This title includes a review of Catholic social teaching in its historical development.
T D Jakes has emerged as one of the most prolific spiritual leaders of our time. In 2001, Time magazine featured Jakes on the cover and asked: Is Jakes the next Billy Graham? This work examines his rise to prominence. It frames Jakes' success as a metaphor for changes in the Black Church and American Protestantism more broadly.
Examines Jakes' rise to prominence and the proliferation of a faith industry bent on producing spiritual commodities for mass consumption. The author contends that Jakes' widespread success symbolizes a religious realignment in which mainline churches nationwide are in decline, while innovative churches are experiencing phenomenal growth.
In Sustaining While Disrupting: The Challenge of Congregational Innovation, Frederick Douglas Powe Jr. and Lovett H. Weems Jr. show church leaders how to sustain and strengthen the churches they serve while guiding the critical innovation required to address a context vastly different from the one that current assumptions and behaviors fit.
Why Clergy Are Alienated from Their Calling, Congregation, and Career ..
This book lets pastors who feel stuck know that they're not alone or crazy, and it's not their fault. It helps congregations better support their clergy. And it joins in the conversation about reshaping seminary training and professional development.
Pastoral leadership has always been challenging, but clergy and parish leaders today face unprecedented challenges, many of which simply didn't exist a generation ago. The author offers an introduction to the new context in which we lead, and the personal and congregational strategies that will offer a way forward.
