This definitive handbook can help church leaders to understand the powerful tools available that lead to continuous improvement in ministry. Charts, diagrams, statistics, and ‘quality jargon’ are kept to a minimum. An appendix on Total Quality Management will aid leaders who wish to explore more carefully the literature on the quality movement.
William Easum argues that a radical shift in culture makes it necessary for the church to change the way it proclaims the gospel, accounting for the anti-Christian climate in which we live while maintaining the and integrity of the Christian message.
Pastors are often taught the finer points of preaching and counseling and the intricacies of theological thinking – and this is assumed to be enough – but rarely are they taught the principles of leadership. Two few leaders are identified and nurtured in seminary. Alan Nelson makes a case for that need and seeks to […]
Ordained ministry, says Willimon, is a gift of God to the church–but that doesn’t mean that it is easy. Always a difficult vocation, changes in society and the church in recent years have made the ordained life all the more complex and challenging. Is the pastor primarily a preacher, a professional caregiver, an administrator? Given […]
Carolyn Weese and J. Russell Crabtree – experts in the field of church leadership – have written a nuts-and-bolts guide to developing a succession plan for smoothing pastoral transitions. Filled with strategies and solid advice, this handy resource is based in solid research and the authors’ many years of experience working with churches in a […]
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 […]
Occasional Paper #13 reprints two significant essays that are no longer readily available. “The Maceration of the Minister” by the late Lutheran theologian Joseph Sittler is an incisive, sympathetic analysis of the plight of ministers. “The Teaching Authority of the Minister in the Reformed Tradition: A Contemporary Proposal” by Richard R. Osmer, the Thomas W. […]