In northern California, there is fog in the morning. Slowly, it clears. We know that the mountains, the trees, the sky are there, behind the fog, but we cannot see them with our eyes. Instead, we know them in our bodies, we know them for having seen them, felt them, watched the fog lift again […]
This Manual is intended to give a quick overview of the major players in your community’s disaster response and recovery, help you look at some successful models for organizing for long-term recovery, and offer some tools and samples for you adaptation to your situation.
Lord, Teach Us to Pray is a resource designed for individuals and groups of all ages, for both public and personal settings. Dozens of methods of prayer are presented for practice and teaching, ranging from reading the Bible and creating art, to the Jesus prayer and acts of justice. This resource is intended for all […]
This book recounts the experience of a church that used appreciative inquiry to harness their energies, shift their congregational conversations, and renew their sense of hope. Branson first leads readers through the foundations of appreciative inquiry and bracingly explores biblical texts for understanding the practice in a faith context. He then outlines and illustrates a […]
In this profound yet practical book, Mary Sellon and Daniel Smith make the case that the health of churches and synagogues depends on congregations learning how to live out love in “right relationships.” The authors distill what they have learned from other researchers as well as their work with dozens of pastors and congregations. This […]
Are you ready to abuse-proof your congregation? If one child or adult is spared the confusing ordeal of unwanted touch, it will be worth your time to read this book. In this comprehensive resource, Methodist pastor and pastoral psychologist Karen McClintock demonstrates that sexual abuse in congregations is preventable and gives clergy and lay leaders […]
Untangling the day-to-day issues in our multifaceted lives can seem daunting. Time to sit quietly and reflect is rare. If we are fortunate, we have good friends or close family members with whom to talk things through and find clarity, but many times we feel isolated and lonely. As people of faith, we add another […]
In the spring of 2003, the Board of Directors of the Board of Pensions commissioned a Task Force of its Clergy-Directors to review literature, statistical studies, and other materials with respect to the recruitment and retention of clergy for the pastoral ministry, specifically ministry in and with the local congregation… We, along with other General Assembly agencies, are dedicated to helping build […]
The study is intended to help the church explore the complex issues regarding immigration and ministry to immigrants.
“Sealed in Christ is an excellent teaching tool for congregations. In a remarkably simple and interesting way, the author has interwoven central theological affirmations of our church by explaining the different symbols that make up the seal: the dove, the fish, the open bible, the cup, and the fire, forming the cross. The book will help […]