We become what we say. How do you grow your church in its health and mission? Sometimes our communities lack focus or vision. We lose sight of our ministry priorities, or our people don't have concrete reminders of why we do what we do. We need concise, memorable tools for cultivating culture, communicating ministry vision, and developing leaders. The language we use shapes our communities. Pastors J.R. Briggs and Bob Hyatt share seventy-five short and memorable mantras they use to cast vision, inspire ministry, and create a healthy church culture. These brief chapters provide a wealth of practical wisdom for leadership, discipleship, community, and witness, embodying best practices with vivid stories of on-the-ground ministry. These bite-sized ministry insights are ideal for church leaders to discuss with their teams and implement in their communities. They provide accessible handles for growing the health of your local church, for the sake of the kingdom.

This is a collection of 25 meditations for use in public worship. Covering a range of personal, pastoral and biblical themes, these meditations can be used as part of congregational worship, with smaller assemblies (such as a prayer group) or in a house group or youth fellowship. Notes accompanying each meditation suggest appropriate situations for its use.

There is a wide and growing gap in the Catholic Church in the United States between the clergy, who are mostly of European descent, and the large percentages of Catholics who identify as Latinos. While the US Church has made a concerted effort to build Hispanic ministries, many clergy and lay ministers are still ill-equipped to understand the cultural background of their parishioners, especially the large numbers who are foreign born. Because of this disconnect, the Church risks missing ""the Hispanic Moment"" in the US Church, in which the faith and traditions of these newest waves of US immigration could not just exist in parallel to English-language congregations, but enrich and enliven the faith of the whole community while passing on the faith to subsequent generations. Learning Spanish--while helpful--is not enough. There are intercultural competencies that can only be developed through practice, but it also helps already-busy clergy to have a concise guide. In addition to knowing the scholarly literature on cross-cultural preaching and Hispanic culture, Father Michael Kueber has twenty years of experience serving first generation Hispanic immigrants and their second generation children. In Preaching to Latinos, Kueber provides the readers with best practices for preaching to and leading their churches. As a member of an ecumenical community, he is able to speak to members of all Christian denominations.

Help! I'm Married to My Pastor is written for ministry wives who feel alone, afraid, and stressed to the limit, reminding them that God will work out his good purposes through even the hardest moments of ministry and marriage.

In the past, clergy malfeasance was mentioned only in passing by group members or adherents. The subject was invisible and those who studied it were often stigmatized as hostile to religion itself. Today clergy misconduct is acknowledged as a social problem with growing conceptual and theoretical implications.

In Pastoral Misconduct, Anson Shupe and Janelle M. Eliasson-Nannini argue that the history and traditions of black pastoral leadership, coupled with the close identity of many black congregants with their pastor, congregation, and racial subculture, creates opportunity structures that facilitate predatory behavior. Familiarity and mutual identity frequently leads victims to drop their normal levels of wariness.

Major denominations and minor sects have been studied, but this unique study by Shupe and Eliasson-Nannini pursues nuances of pastoral bad behavior in a new context. This book is not a tabloid treatment of the American black church. In fact, the black church becomes the vehicle for a major new sociological development: a theory of clergy misconduct in any minority religion.

The key issues facing rural life and the rural church today are worth serious thought, serious theological reflection, and serious empirical evidence. The twenty-eight articles drawn together for the first time in this reader illustrate the significant contribution made to these debates over the past decade by the journal Rural Theology. The articles concentrate on the themes of perspectives from the Bible, perspectives from ordinary theology, theological and sociological perspectives, historical perspectives listening to visitors, listening to the community, listening to churchgoers, listening to church leaders and satisfaction and stress in ministry. The authors include voices from the Anglican, Baptist, Methodist and Pentecostal Churches, from England, Scotland and Wales. Rural Life and Rural Church provides an invaluable resource for clergy and lay Christians involved in rural ministry initial and continuing ministerial education and formation Christian men and women living in the countryside.

Elsie Chamberlain was a leading figure in British broadcasting and religious life. She was a pioneer in many areas: the first woman chaplain to the armed forces; the first nonconformist minister to marry an Anglican clergyman; the first woman producer in the religious broadcasting department of the BBC and the first woman to present the daily service on the radio. Her broadcasting accustomed many listeners to the idea of a woman leading public worship. And she became the first woman to occupy the chair of the Congregational Union of England and Wales and almost certainly the first woman anywhere in the world to head a major denomination. Elsie Chamberlain is the first full biography and a critical appreciation of this exceptional woman. Using original church and BBC archive sources, the book tells the story of a woman who did more than any other to change the way Christian women ministers are viewed.

Don't sacrifice readability for portability with this KJV Giant Print Thinline Bible. The extra-large Bible text features Thomas Nelson's exclusive KJV Comfort Print, which was designed to be the easiest to read at any size. Crafted with a highly durable Smyth-sewn binding, each of the Bibles in this Vintage Series has an elegant cover with rich colors and ornate design paying tribute to the legacy of the King James Version. Features include: Presentation page Words of Christ in red One-year reading plan Full-color maps Satin ribbon markers Clear and readable 12-point KJV Comfort Print More than 400 years after its initial publication, the bestselling King James Version Bible continues to inspire, encourage, and strengthen people from all walks of life. The KJV is considered one of the most influential and beautiful works of literature in the English language and the favorite, trusted translation for millions of Christians worldwide.

Fifty-two stories about the large themes of life, nature and faith. Positive and life-affirming, 52 Original Wisdom Stories follows the liturgical year and is an ideal resource for public worship. Sid and Rosie are an older married couple, with several children and grandchildren. Through a series of short, engaging narratives, we learn about their faith, their feelings for one another, their hopes and dreams, and their perception of how God speaks to them through the events of their lives. Each story stands on its own; their sequence follows the rhythm of the church's year from Advent through Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, and Harvest Thanksgiving. With an open tone of wonder and reflection, author Penelope Wilcock explores the ordinary and extraordinary topics of daily life: falling in love, marriage, birth, education, illness, woodlands, farming, meeting adversity, hospitality, home-making, work. This beautiful book is ideal for personal reflection and growth and as a refreshing resource for church and small group discussions.

Practical theology has outgrown its traditional pastoral paradigm. The articles in this handbook recognize that faith, spirituality, and lived religion, within and beyond institutional communities, refer to realms of cultures, ritual practices, and symbolic orders, whose boundaries are not clearly defined and whose contents are shifting. The International Handbook of Practical Theology offers insightful transcultural conceptions of religion and religious matters gathered from various cultures and traditions of faith. The first section presents 'concepts of religion'. Chapters have to do with considerations of the conceptualizing of religion in the fields of 'anthropology', 'community', 'family', 'institution', 'law', 'media', and 'politics' among others. The second section is dedicated to case studies of 'religious practices' from the perspective of their actors. The third section presents major theoretical discourses that explore the globally significant diversity and multiplicity of religion. Altogether, sixty-one authors from different parts of the world encourage a rethinking of religious practice in an expanded, transcultural, globalized, and postcolonial world.

"I believe that the Bible speaks not merely to personal, family, and church issues, but to national, community, and governmental issues if we would take the time to listen." -James L. Garlow Conservative Christians admit that they do not speak out on political or cultural issues because they do not know how to support their beliefs from a biblical basis, according to a recent poll. Instead, they remain silent on critical issues like marriage, racism, and transgender issues because they feel uninformed and ill-equipped to defend their beliefs. New York Times bestselling author and pastor James L. Garlow offers the solution-a practical, biblical guide for the 21st century Christian. Well Versed: Biblical Answers to Today's Tough Issues (ISBN: 978-1-62157-550-4; $14.99; June 2016) informs and prepares readers to tackle the important issues of the day and engage with those around them in a loving, Scripturally-based manner. In Well Versed, readers will learn Biblical responses to: Religion in the Public Square - Purpose of Government, the First Amendment, and Political Correctness Family and Life Issues - Marriage, School Choice, Abortion, Sexual Orientation, and Healthcare Economics - Capitalism vs. Socialism, Taxes, Debt, Welfare, and Minimum Wage Law and Society - Judiciary, Hate Crimes, Social Justice, and Racism Foreign Policy and World Issues - National Defense, Immigration, Israel, the Environment, Islam, and Terrorism Political Participation - Media and Civil Disobedience

In The Unbelievable Gospel pastor Jonathan Dodson diagnoses the evangelistic paralysis of the modern church, pinpointing the reasons people don't share their faith today and offering a desperately needed solution. Showing readers how to utilize the rich gospel metaphors found in Scripture and how to communicate a gospel worth believing--one that speaks to the heart-felt needs of diverse individuals--Dodson connects the gospel to the real issues people face each day by speaking to both the head and the heart. Filled with stories that reveal the long road of relational evangelism and guidance on how to listen to others well, The Unbelievable Gospel is a much-needed resource that will benefit both individuals and churches. Included are study questions for training and group discussion.

One of the most consistent features of Christian life has been the extensive use of the biblical texts in sermons; to evangelise, to educate, to edify, to exhort, and even to terrify those who heard them. Yet, surprisingly little scholarly attention has focused on the dynamics at work as these texts were taken by preachers and transformed into the largely aural experience encountered by their audience. Pre-formed and performed thus, scripture was communicated and made relevant through the use of the sermonic form to audiences inhabiting a broad range of socio-historical settings, including those whose social status or illiteracy might otherwise have completely precluded any access to biblical texts. In this volume, case-studies of biblical reception within and through preaching have been taken from two millennia of homilies, with each being examined to see how the text-preacher-audience dynamic has influenced the interpretation, understanding and impact of the Bible. Examples include Paul, Origen, Chrysostom, Augustine, Hildegard of Bingen, Jonathan Edwards, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Aimee Semple McPherson and Chris Brain.

Using Jesus' words in John 15, "I am the vine; you are the branches," Andrew Murray explores how the believer abides in Christ. In a message as timely today as when first published in 1895, he urges readers to yield themselves to Jesus, in order that they may know the "rich and full experience of the blessedness of abiding in Christ."

Many pastors today see themselves primarily as counselors, leaders, and motivators. Yet this often comes at the expense of the fundamental reality of the pastorate as a theological office. The most important role is to be a theologian mediating God to the people. The church needs pastors who can contextualize biblical wisdom in Christian living to help their congregations think theologically about all aspects of their lives, such as work, end-of-life decisions, political involvement, and entertainment choices. Drawing on the Bible, key figures from church history, and Christian theology, this book offers a clarion call for pastors to serve as public theologians in their congregations and communities. It is designed to be engaging reading for busy pastors and includes pastoral reflections on the theological task from twelve working pastors, including Kevin DeYoung and Cornelius Plantinga.

Equipping your Messy team to pray and encourage others to do so, both within and outside the Messy Church context - Communicating prayer as a concept - Praying as a team in advance and on the day - Prayer ideas for the activity time, celebration time, and at home as a family - Ways of praying the Lord's Prayer - Ways to reimagine other traditional prayers - Creating a prayer space - A Messy Quiet Day outline

Soul Mentoring draws upon the wisdom of Gregory the Great from his Pastoral Care, one of the most widely read books on mentoring from the ancient world. Those who walk in Gregory's steps will discover practical guidance for the journey into mentoring, including the formation of a mentor's soul, and wisdom in learning to care for others. Gregory describes mentoring as the "art of arts", the highest creative endeavour we share together. Gregory has ancient wisdom applicable to mentoring in our time, both for mentors and mentees, friends and family, coaches and teachers, clergy and spiritual directors, among other people looking for guidance in the ancient art of caring for souls.