The Indispensable Guide for Smaller Churches is filled with solid theology on the one hand and practical applications on the other. Ray shares the best of his discoveries during more than 30 years as pastor, denominational leader, and consultant to small churches.
This revised edition of Alan Gripe’s book on the responsibilities of interim pastors is a guide through the problems and possibilities of interim ministry in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Full of biblical and theological insight as well as practical wisdom, this book is built on personal experience and grounded in the theology and polity of […]
Thomas Hawkins proposes a fresh and highly practical model for congregational leadership, providing practical strategies for understanding the relationship between leadership, learning, and ministry. The Learning Congregation is must reading for all pastors, church leaders, and church members.
In this new volume in the popular For Today series, Ron Allen provides an exciting introduction to the life of Jesus and an engaging discussion of what Jesus life means for modern-day believers. Setting Jesus in his ancient context, Allen examines many stories about Jesus life, including those that present Jesus as a teacher, a […]
The meaning of declining membership in mainline Protestant denominations has been hotly contested since the 1960s. Drawing on statistical analysis of membership trends, congregational surveys, individual interviews, research on disaffiliation, and case studies of congregations and presbyteries, this volume examines patterns and causes of congregational growth and decline in the Presbyterian church.
What happens when a congregation loses its minister? What are the best ways of finding a new one? This book consists of the stories of 14 different congregations which made use of professional consultation in the course of their search process.
Mead takes a broad look at past and present changes in the church, and postulates a future to which those changes are calling us. Denominations, once structured to deliver resources to far-off lands of foreign mission, now encounter the mission field in the layperson’s workplace and the community surrounding the local congregation. Thus, the church […]
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 […]
This book addresses the organizational character of American religious history, which points to a tentative but significant conclusion: The Presbyterian church has been undergoing an organizational revolution, and membership decline that began in the mid-1960s.
This valuable book examines the results of research on theological education in the twentieth century, spiritual formation among seminarians, and the changing nature of Presbyterian-related colleges. Several essays review Christian education among Presbyterians, focusing on the forming of curricula for church schools, the use of scripture in Presbyterian curricula, and the publications from denominational presses. […]