What makes it possible for a church to reverse course from decline or stagnation into long-lasting vitality? How can a church immigrate from a congealing present into a compelling future? What can a congregation do to experience continuous, deep change rather than just temporary, surface improvement? How does a person lead redevelopment? The three authors […]
Projects That Matter introduces project leaders and teams to the five basic elements of project design and describes in detail a six-step process for designing and implementing a project evaluation and disseminating evaluation findings. Written for the nonexpert, leaders in religious settings will find Cahalan’s guidance clear and invaluable. Presenting evaluation as a form of collaborative […]
On his second day as association minister for the United Church of Christ, David McMahill received three phone calls from lay leaders who were looking for resources on “how to evaluate our minister.” He knew of several churches in which a poorly constructed process for evaluating the ministers had spun out of control, however, and […]
From the Introduction: …These pages also have the potential to release much needed conversations in our religious communities about very important issues surrounding and embedded within the worship of every congregation. America is the great worship smorgasbord – endless choices, endless competition. Increasingly, people come to any congregation, to any worship service, with a wide variety of […]
Every congregation has a certain “tone” or “feel,” because its members do things a particular way. How We Seek God Together identifies and explores congregational worship style, providing a unique resource for congregations seeking to answer the question “Why do we do things the way that we do?”How We Seek God Together was developed by three researchers who […]
Congregations need to learn new cultural languages and practices in order to speak to and be heard by new generations of people. But how do congregations enter the wilderness of ministry with these new generations when many of those in the entourage do not appreciate the trip? In contrast to many writers about church growth, […]
Hobgood examines new pressures on clergy that are emerging in the “post-Christendom era:” financial stresses, the effects of a conflicted and confrontational culture, the needs of an increasing number of people living broken or dependent lives, dysfunctional behavior on the part of pastors and parishioners, questions regarding clergy respect and job satisfaction. How is ministry […]
John and Sylvia Ronsvalle, with U. Milo Kaufmann, have ventured where angels fear to go – talking about money in Christian community. This is a ground-breaking, paradigm-shifting book. The authors cover the general foundations of what makes for good groups while uncovering the hidden secrets of why we won’t talk to each other about money. […]
“You have heard it said, ‘A method tried and true is like fine gold.’ But I say unto you, ‘A method that worked before is a heavy burden. Try something different!’ You have heard it said, ‘Do not make molehills out of mountains.’ But I also say unto you, ‘Do not make molehills out of […]
Alban Senior Consultant Alice Mann draws on her lengthy experience in helping congregations deal with the hurdles and anxieties of expansion or contraction in size. Often, congregations experiencing size change do not recognize the need to change culture and form as part of the successful adaptation process. Mann details the adjustments in attitude – as […]