| | | | | | | | | | | | PRACTICAL WISDOM FOR LEADING CONGREGATIONS |
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| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The top five stories of 2018 |
Whether your church is trying to achieve escape velocity from its comfortable size zone or struggling to stay within it, you need to know what growth requires. Unfortunately, we often soothe each other by ignoring well-established facts about church growth and telling reassuring lies. Here are five of the most common.
Read more from Dan Hotchkiss» |
Clergy often try to change their congregations, and as rule their efforts meet resistance. It hurts to be seen as a threat by the very people you are trying to serve, but when a leader's first move is to advocate for change, that's generally what happens.
Read more from Dan Hotchkiss » |
Beset by grief at the imminent death of a beloved former pastor, a minister and her congregation let liturgy lead them amid death and dying.
Read more from Ashley Goff » |
The positions that dominated church staffs in the 20th century don't necessarily work in the 21st century. The ministry needs of congregations today are, in many instances, significantly different from the past.
Read more from John Wimberly» |
Tangier Island is losing up to 16 feet of coastline every year and will be uninhabitable within 50 years. How many congregations find themselves similarly watching the sea rise, and why aren't we doing more for them?
Read more from Nathan Kirkpatrick » |
| | NEW IN THE ALBAN LIBRARY IN 2018 |
Climate Church, Climate World: How People of Faith Must Work for Change by Jim Antal
Climate Church, Climate World argues that climate change is the greatest moral challenge humanity has ever faced. Hunger, refugees, poverty, inequality, deadly viruses, war-climate change multiplies all forms of global social injustice. Environmental leader Reverend Jim Antal presents a compelling case that it's time for the church to meet this moral challenge, just as the church addressed previous moral challenges. Antal calls for the church to embrace a new vocation so that future generations might live in harmony with God's creation. After describing how we have created the dangers our planet now faces, Antal urges the church to embrace a new vocation, one focused on collective salvation and an expanded understanding of the Golden Rule (Golden Rule 2.0). He suggests ways people of faith can reorient what they prize through new approaches to worship, preaching, witnessing and other spiritual practices that honor creation and cultivate hope.
Learn more and order the book » |
Interim Ministry in Action: A Handbook for Churches in Transition by Norman B. Bendroth
Many churches today find themselves in frequent transition, whether due to the changing culture, the struggles of mainline churches, or the changing nature of mission. Interim Ministry in Action helps guide churches and their leadership through these times of change. The book will guide readers step-by-step through the process of how and why to decide to call an interim minister, the process for deciding what's next, and more. Each chapter concludes with exercises for readers, search committees, or boards to illustrate key themes and help them determine the best path forward.
Learn more and order the book » |
Emotional Intelligence for Religious Leaders by John Lee West, Roy M. Oswald, and Nadine Guzmán
Religious leaders require tremendous skill in emotional intelligence, yet their training very rarely addresses how to develop the practical skills needed-from self-awareness to resilience. Emotional Intelligence for Religious Leaders draws on the latest research in business, psychology, and theology to offer religious leaders the information and tools they need to increase their emotional intelligence and enhance their relationships, communication and conflict management skills, spirituality, and overall well-being. The book offers both a deep understanding of how to develop emotional intelligence and also prescriptive insights about how to practice it that will be helpful for religious leaders in many settings, including congregational ministry, lay ministry, spiritual direction, pastoral counseling, and more.
Learn more and order the book » |
A Guide to Ministry Self-Care: Negotiating Today's Challenges with Resilience & Grace by Richard P. Olson, Ruth Lofgren Rosell, Nathan S. Marsh, and Angela Barker Jackson
Ministry has never been an easy path, and the challenges of today's changing church landscape only heighten the stress and burn-out of congregational leaders. A Guide to Ministry Self-Care offers a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of both the causes of stress and strategies for effective self-care. Written for both new and long-time ministers, the book draws on current research and offers practical and spiritual insights into building and maintaining personal health and sustaining ministry long term. The book addresses a wide range of life situations and explores many forms of self-care, from physical and financial to relational and spiritual.
Learn more and order the book » |
From all of us at Alban at Duke Divinity School, we wish you a very happy holiday season. Your ministries inspire everything that we do here. So, we thank you for the leadership and ministry you offer through communities of faith around the world. We look forward to serving you in 2019.
The Alban Weekly will return on Monday, January 7, 2019.
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