The biblical Jubilee that was celebrated once every fifty years is referred to in Leviticus 25 as the ‘Sabbath of Sabbaths.’ Its requirements included that the land lie fallow, all debts be forgiven, captives be freed, and a celebration held. Maria Harris considers the implications of a living Jubilee for today and for the next […]
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 […]
The singing of psalms in meter – once so vital to Presbyterian worship – has all but disppeared from our tradition. In this psalter, church organist Michael Morgan has reclaimed the pslams for congregational worship with new texts set to familiar hymn tunes. This collection, for worship leaders, musicians and congregations, will inspire both corporate […]
Small churches trying to live up to ‘big church’ standards frequently suffer from low self-esteem. Steven Burt, educator, consultant, and former small church pastor (UCC/UMC), and Hazel Roper, an American Baptist judicatory executive and former small church pastor, team up to provide clergy, lay leaders, denominational leaders, and seminary educators associated with small churches a […]
Pastoral-to-program size change is frequently described as the most challenging of growth transitions for congregations. Now Alban senior consultant Alice Mann, author of The In-Between Church: Navigating Size Transitions in Congregations, addresses the difficulties of that transition in this resource designed specifically for a congregational learning team. Conceptualized and developed by Mann for an Alban online […]
Our world has changed dramatically in the past quarter century. People are losing faith in technology. Our society has lost consensus and is dividing into competing tribes. There are “new realities” and new values. We are passing into an unprecedented situation with few familiar landmarks to guide us. In Reaching a New Generation, a working pastor […]
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 […]
Seeking to help local churches think more thoroughly about worship and culture so that they can function effectively in contemporary society, Dawn roots her discussion of worship issues in a careful assessment of significant aspects of the present technological, postmodern society and names criteria by which to judge various cultural influences. She also sketches the […]
For Presbyterians, Holy Scripture and the Book of Confessions are the primary sources of authority and guidance. However, authorities are helpful only if they are interpreted correctly. While much has been written about biblical interpretation, this is the first book to apply the principles of biblical interpretation to understanding the Book of Confessions.
Except from the Introduction: Reconciling the Broken Silence … is an invitation for congregations to engage in dialogue with gay, lesbian, and bisexual Presbyterians. This resource has been prepared for those congregations in the PC(USA) who seek to engage in honest and open dialogue with gay men and lesbians at a table that does not condemn […]