Publication Date: 1998
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Selected Theological Statements Of The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assemblies (1956-1998)
General Assembly statements issued by the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. and its predecessor denominations guide the church in its life and ministry. Selected Theological Statements includes 32 significant texts that span a time frame from 1956 and “The Position of Women in the Church” through 1998 and “Just Peacemaking.” Available through PDS.
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Better Boundaries
Knowing when your personal boundaries are violated – and what to do about it when they are – isn’t a simple skill. It requires a surprising amount of self-awareness that only a firm sense of your own value and limits can provide. If you feel like you have trouble saying no to others, at work…
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The Once And Future Pastor
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…
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At Ease
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.…
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From Stuck To Unstuck
“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…
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The In-Between Church
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…
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Temporary Shepherds
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…
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Leading Change In The Congregation
Many books have been written about leadership and change, but until now none have come from the perspective of leading a community of faith through the kind of change that tears at the very fabric of the community. Senior Alban consultant Gil Rendle provides a respectful context to understanding change, especially the experiences and resistances…
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Discerning God’s Will Together
Imagine making decisions about your church based on the question, “God, is this your will?” This idea is the premise behind Discerning God’s Will Together. This contemporary book offers a fresh alternative to the often-rancorous parliamentary procedures many church groups use when making important decisions. Structured around church traditions and biblical examples of decision-making, this book…
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Sabbatical Journey
Priest and writer Nouwen went from teaching in American universities to serving severely handicapped people at L’Arche Daybreak in Canada. He kept this diary during a sabbatical that turned out to be the last year of his life. Some diaries seem a record of random events, but a remarkable unifying feature of Nouwen’s record is…
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Virtual Faith
Beaudoin, himself a member of Generation X, explores fashion, music videos, and cyber-space and concludes that his generation has fashioned a theology radically different from but no less potent or valid than that of their elders. Beaudoin’s investigation of popular culture uncovers four themes that underpin his generation’s theology. First, all institutions are suspect –…
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Moving Off The Map
In his book Kicking Habits: Welcome Relief for Addicted Churches, Thomas Bandy provided the ‘big picture’ of the five stages of congregational renewal and transformation. Similarly, in Growing Spiritual Redwoods, Bandy and Bill Easum provided new metaphors for change to help congregations break out of outmoded attitudes and assumptions, and described the nature of spiritual…