Pastor and author N. Graham Standish describes how a church that is open to God’s purpose, presence, and power can claim God’s blessing. Standish shares the story of Calvin Presbyterian Church in Zelienople, Pennsylvania, and its journey to become a spiritually deep congregation, one that is inwardly and outwardly healthy: spiritually, psychologically, physically, and relationally. […]
Today the Christian faith is moving through one of the greatest sea changes in its two thousand year history, and we can no longer assume we know exactly what kind of animal preaching is or ought to be. Choosing the Kingdom is both a work of theology and a how-to guide for preachers who want to rethink […]
Thomas Bandy continues his exploration of congregational life by arguing that the organization of a congregation – its boards and committees – constitutes a crucial ingredient in its vitality and mission. The way in which a church is organized will make all the difference in whether it becomes what Bandy has named elsewhere a thriving […]
For decades the accepted wisdom has been that America’s mainline Protestant churches are in decline, eclipsed by evangelical mega-churches. Church and religion expert Diana Butler Bass wondered if this was true, and this book is the result of her extensive, three-year study of centrist and progressive churches across the country. Her surprising findings reveal just […]
Coming Clean is a study guide that explores the issues of church transformation described in the groundbreaking book, Kicking Habits. Using a series of Bible studies, group discussions, and group exercises, participants can customize and apply the insights on thriving church life to their own congregational context. – Coming Clean means honest discernment of the […]
Pastors and church leaders often assert that we can save our society and our churches if we restore family values in our culture. Think again! In this provacative book, Janet Fishburn challenges the church’s conventional practice of idolizing and revolving around the needs of the family unit. Fishburn asserts that the ‘family’ is not the […]
This booklet is about Congregational Redevelopment and is one in a series of how-to booklets produced by the Evangelism and Church Development Program Area of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). To redevelop a congregation is to redirect its ministry in response to significant changes that may have taken place either among its membership or in the […]
The Church has a choice: To die as a result of its resistance to change, or to die in order to live. Change pervades today’s world. Change has always been part of the social landscape: predictable, rhythmic, and generational change. But today another kind of change upsets all our predictions and securities: chaotic and unpredictable […]
Lead the kind of ministry you’ve always dreamed of… Many congregations are declining due to an inward focus, and see their pastor as someone who should only minister to their needs. But pastors must anticipate a better future. Direct Hit offers hope to leasers of congreagations that have lost their outward focus. By preparing for […]
This is a rare book – combining practical tools for parish planning with equally practical help for the spiritual dimension of what parishes are all about. It can be a revolutionary book for congregational leaders who are serious about wanting to become an effective religious force in the future of their communities. The real surprise […]