The Practicing Congregation
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Author | : Diana Butler Bass |
Publisher | : Rowman & Littlefield |
Total Pages | : 171 |
Release | : 2004-09-01 |
Genre | : Religion |
ISBN | : 1566996716 |
The conventional wisdom about mainline Protestantism maintains that it is a dying tradition, irrelevant to a postmodern society, unresponsive to change, and increasingly disconnected from its core faith tenets. In her provocative new book, historian and researcher Diana Butler Bass argues that there are signs that mainline Protestant churches are indeed changing, finding a new vitality intentionally grounded in Christian practices and laying the groundwork for a new type of congregation. The Practicing Congregation tracks these changes by looking at the overall history of American congregations, noting the cultural trends that have sparked change, and providing evidence of how mainline churches are reappropriating traditional Christian practices. The signs of life that Bass identifies lead the reader beyond the crumbling "liberal vs. conservative" dualities to a more nuanced and fluid understanding of the shape of contemporary ecclesiology and faithfulness. In so doing, she helps readers understand tradition in new ways and creates an alternative path through the culture wars that today arrest the energies of most denominations. Invigorated by stories from Bass’s own experience, The Practicing Congregation provides a hopeful and exciting vision for the church. The imaginative "retraditioning" she identifies and celebrates will guide pastors and other leaders on this "pilgrimage of creating church" and convincingly counter the naysayers that long ago gave up on the viability of the mainline church.
Author | : Jane E. Vennard |
Publisher | : Rowman & Littlefield |
Total Pages | : 167 |
Release | : 2005-06-30 |
Genre | : Religion |
ISBN | : 1566994616 |
Pastors and others who want to develop their skills as teachers of prayer and spiritual practices will find in this book not only wisdom for themselves but easily accessible lesson plans, enabling them to share Vennard's insights with others while infusing the activities with their own spirit and creative ideas. Through this book, readers' hearts are made ready to explore the wonder of strengthening their relationship with God through prayer.
Author | : Susan Beaumont |
Publisher | : Rowman & Littlefield |
Total Pages | : 265 |
Release | : 2011-10-25 |
Genre | : Religion |
ISBN | : 1566995612 |
For five years, Alban Institute senior consultant Susan Beaumont has been giving voice to the organizational and leadership demands of large congregations. Through her work, she has identified five basic leadership systems that need to stay in alignment for the large church to function well for its size: clergy leadership roles, staff team design and function, governance and board function, acculturation and the role of laity, and forming and executing strategy. She has also learned that these five systems operate with some important but subtle distinctions in what Beaumont calls the professional church (400-800 in worship attendance), the strategic church (800-1,200), and the matrix church (1,200-2,000). Often, she has discovered, problems in a large congregation are related to the fact that one or more of the five systems is inappropriately structured for the size of the congregation. In other words, the church isn't acting its size. Beaumont is invested in helping large congregations 'rightsize' their leadership systems to better serve their ministry context. This book articulates why size matters and how it matters in the world of large congregations. It is written for anyone who wants to better understand the leadership and organizational dynamics of the large church anyone seeking to understand the challenges of leading from inside the large congregation.
Author | : Kenda Creasy Dean |
Publisher | : Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing |
Total Pages | : 280 |
Release | : 2004-04-26 |
Genre | : Religion |
ISBN | : 9780802847126 |
Youth and the Quest for a Passionate Church.
Author | : Nancy Tatom Ammerman |
Publisher | : Rutgers University Press |
Total Pages | : 460 |
Release | : 1997 |
Genre | : Religion |
ISBN | : 9780813523354 |
Why do some religious institutions decline in the face of racial integration whilst others grow? How do congregations deal with economic distress? This study of congregations in the face of community transformation includes stories of over 20 congregations in nine communities across America.
Author | : Gil Rendle |
Publisher | : Rowman & Littlefield |
Total Pages | : 321 |
Release | : 2003-11-01 |
Genre | : Religion |
ISBN | : 1566995469 |
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." Rendle and Mann equip congregational leaders with a broad and creative range of ideas, pathways, processes, and tools for planning. By choosing the resources that best suit their needs and context, congregations will shape their own strengthening, transforming, holy conversation. They will find a path that is faithful to their identity and their relationship with God. Resource materials are available to purchasers of the book. E-mail [email protected] for more information.
Author | : Elizabeth Drescher |
Publisher | : Church Publishing, Inc. |
Total Pages | : 209 |
Release | : 2011-05 |
Genre | : Religion |
ISBN | : 0819224235 |
Social media has ushered in a dramatic global shift in the nature of faith, social consciousness, and relationships. How do churches navigate the Digital Reformation? Tweet If You Heart Jesus brings the wisdom of ancient and medieval Christianity into conversation with contemporary theories of cultural change and the realities of social media, all to help churches navigate a landscape where faith, leadership, and community have taken on new meanings.
Author | : Roger Heuser |
Publisher | : Abingdon Press |
Total Pages | : 510 |
Release | : 2010 |
Genre | : Religion |
ISBN | : 1426711395 |
A complete and definitive guide to the practice of church leadership--newly revised
Author | : David R. McMahill |
Publisher | : Rowman & Littlefield |
Total Pages | : 113 |
Release | : 2003-01-01 |
Genre | : Religion |
ISBN | : 1566994918 |
On his second day as association minister for the United Church of Christ, David McMahill received three phone calls from lay leaders who were looking for resources on "how to evaluate our minister." He knew of several churches in which a poorly constructed process for evaluating the ministers had spun out of control, however, and had gradually come to believe it is probably better for a church not to attempt an evaluation process at all than to do one carelessly or to naively use a design intended for a secular organization. Based on the needs he saw, McMahill began to work with numerous congregations looking for ways to review both leaders and ministries and developed the feedback/reflection process he lays out in this book. Based on sound principles of effective communication, this simple system of asking for descriptive feedback about various aspects of a congregation's life together takes into account the specific setting and the unique relationship between minister and congregation.
Author | : Diana Butler Bass |
Publisher | : Alban Books |
Total Pages | : 0 |
Release | : 2006 |
Genre | : Religion |
ISBN | : 9781566993234 |
"Collection of stories from pastors and congregations that have been on a pilgrimage to vitality, retrieving and reworking Christian pratice, tradition and narrative. In these pages, readers are invited to ... listen as these ministers share their pilgrimage tales. ... Against the steady flow of stories highlighting 'mainline decline' these stories tell us that a new and often overlooked renaissance is occuring in mainline Protestant churches" -- Back cover.