‘The marketplace is not a place to be avoided [by Christians]; rather it is our assignment!’ So states this remarkable new book exploring how churches must help today’s Christians experience the God of their faith in the new realities and stresses of contemporary work. The authors, representing a wide range of vocations, provacatively challenge readers […]
Loren Mead presents five key challenges facing today’s church – and how they represent opportunities for the evolutionary, transfortmative changes he believes must take place in congregations if the church is to remain a viable institution into the twenty-first century.
“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 […]
In this sequel to How Your Church Family Works, Peter Steinke takes readers into a deeper exploration of the congregation as an emotional system. He outlines the factors that put congregations at risk for anxiety and conflict. Learn ten principles of health, how congregations can adopt new ways of dealing with stress and anxiety, as […]
Planning can be challenging in the contemporary congregation, where people share a common faith and values but may have very different preferences and needs. Much of the literature on congregational planning presents it as a technical process: the leader serves as the chief problem solver, and the goal is finding “the solution to the problem.” […]
Building communicate. Stained glass windows, high altars, multi-purpose worship/gymnasium spaces, Plexiglas pulpits, padded pews–these and all other architectural elements say something about a congregation’s theology and mission. They point to a faith community’s beliefs about worship, identity, purpose, and more. From the stark simplicity of a Quaker meetinghouse to the splendor of a Romanesque Revival […]
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 […]
Drawing on the work of Bowen, Friedman, and his own many years’ counseling experience, Peter Steinke shows how to recognize and deal with the emotional roots of such issues as church conflict, leadership roles, congregational change, irresponsible behavior, and the effect of family of origin on current relationships. Discover why working relationships may be “stuck” […]
In If This Is the Way the World Works William O. Avery and Beth Ann Gaede ask two primary questions: First, what principles from science are so broadly accepted that scientists themselves are willing to say, ‘This is the way the world works’? Second, how do congregations and their leaders behave when they operate in […]