This book offers portraits of twenty of the secondary theologians of the Reformation period. In addition to describing a particular theologian, each portrait explores one problem in 16th-century Christian thought. Catholic, Lutheran, Reformed, and Radical thinkers are all represented in this volume, which serves as both an introduction to the field and a handy reference for scholars.

This one-volume edition of Simon Walker's trilogy of books on 'undefended' leadership addresses leaders in all walks of life: from the home or pre-school to the corporate, academic, political or church offices. It combines the contents from his books: Leading out of Who You Are; Leading with Nothing to Lose; Leading with Everything to Give. In the first book he examines the formation of the leadership ego and shows how maintaining a front and back stage derails leaders. In the second book Simon looks at how power is used in leadership, based on eight case studies from history, and draws powerful guidelines for leaders today. In the final book he focuses on the leader's vision and examines what has caused the current failure of leadership in the West. He points out the direction in which we need to move if life is to flourish in the coming decades.

Liturgy is concerned with the worship of God. Yet in spite of that - some might say because of that - it is necessary to have rules. It is sometimes mistakenly thought that these rules are archaic and therefore irrevelant; in fact the rules and their interpretation have changed considerably in recent years, so much so that there is now widespread concern among the clergy and church administrators about the degree to which Liturgical Law is being correctly understood and applied. This book has a straight forward aim which is to describe and analyse a wide range of Ecclesiastical Law topics which are scarcely dealt with in other books on Church Law and Ecclesiastical Law. As such it provides not merely a statement of legal principles but also a discussion in-depth of the relevant law and its developments. The style is precise and easy to read. The authorities and foot-notes are comprehensive. Arguably it presents the most comprehensive coverage of Ecclesiastical Law published in modern times.

There's a ticking time bomb in your ministry. Is it you? The pressures of pastoring are endless, leading many to burnout and depression, sexual misconduct, or substance abuse. But moral failures can be averted and shipwrecked ministries can be repaired. Counselor Michael MacKenzie, a longtime expert in helping pastors at risk, deals with the issues beneath the issues, such as shame, fear, and pain. If we don't address our own weakness and brokenness, we will hurt ourselves and those around us. With vivid pictures of both self-destructive patterns and reconstructive grace, MacKenzie shows how to lay the groundwork for restored identity and service. God can use those exact areas of vulnerability as a catalyst to you becoming the pastor and person he intends you to be. Defuse the bomb before it goes off. Find hope for healing and recovery.

It is nine hundred years since the death at Canterbury of the great mediaeval Archbishop and thinker Anselm. This meticulously researched and immensely engaging book brings to life the man and his times, the depth of Anselm's thought, and his career in the arena of politics in church and state. It explores his place among the saints, in his life and after his death, especially in the light of his profound understanding of heaven which was a central theme throughout his life from childhood onwards. Accounts from Anselm's friends and enemies, his own letters, prayers and meditations are combined with the author's in-depth knowledge of the times to present a rounded picture of a unique Christian figure who speaks to us today, challenging many of our assumptions about his world and ours.

This fully updated second edition of Growing Young Leaders offers practical guidance for all those mentoring 13- to 18-year-olds in a faith context, with a view to nurturing them towards leadership roles. Linked to CPAS Growing Leaders - Youth Edition course, it also works as a stand-alone resource. It defines mentoring, analyses the necessary skills and attributes of a mentor today, encourages good practice, considers safeguarding issues and, above all, considers how to help young people identify their gifts and grow as Christian disciples. 'I hope and pray that this book will help release the potential of our young people so that they become even greater disciples of Jesus Christ.' John Sentamu, former Archbishop of York

Adultery, fornication, breach of marriage contract, sexual slander - these, along with religious offences of various kinds, were typical of the cases dealt with by the ecclesiastical courts in Elizabethan and early Stuart England. What was it like to live in a society in which personal morality was regulated by law in this fashion? How far-reaching was such surveillance in actual practice? How did ordinary people view the courts - as useful institutions upholding accepted standards, or as an alien system purveying unwanted values? How effective were the church courts in influencing attitudes and behaviour? Previous assessments of ecclesiastical justice, coloured by contemporary puritan and common law criticisms, have mostly been unfavourable. This in-depth, richly documented study of the sex and marriage business dealt with under church law, based on the records of the courts in Wiltshire, Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire and West Sussex in the period 1570-1640, presents a more balanced and more positive view.

New England theologian Jonathan Edwards came to prominence at the culmination of a dramatic paradigm shift in millennialism that had begun in the sixteenth century, declaring that a thousand-year earthly kingdom would arrive in the future. For Edwards, the land of Israel would be the ideal location of the millennial kingdom, and the people of Israel, after their restoration, would play critical and decisive roles in the millennium's commencement. Edwards's millennial vision was also cosmic, however, and included both Europe and China. Unlike his Protestant predecessors and his Puritan contemporaries, Edwards's millennialism de-centralized England and New England. Contrary to what many have argued, Edwards neither originated nor advocated the notion of the American redeemer nation. In America's Theologian Beyond America, Victor Zhu establishes the coherence of Edwards's Judeo-centric and cosmic vision of the millennial kingdom and argues that this vision is an indispensable part of Edwards's theological system. He highlights three theological loci in Edwards's millennialism: the greatness of God's divine sovereignty, the magnificence of His glory, and the capaciousness of His kingdom. Zhu demonstrates Edwards's conviction of the progressive realization of the kingdom, refuting the prevailing misinterpretation that Edwards thought the millennium was imminent. He explores Edwards's cosmic vision of the millennial kingdom, which extended from New England and Israel to China and other parts of the "heathen" world. In conclusion, Zhu examines the contemporary relevance of Edwards's millennialism in Chinese millennial movements.

Jeff Tacklind, pastor of Church by the Sea-a quirky, diverse congregation in Laguna Beach, California-knows from decades of ministry experience that sometimes effective leadership looks like standing in the middle of conflict, holding the tension. In The Winding Path of Transformation, Tacklind describes spiritual transformation as an invitation to paradox. By entering into suffering, he says, we find joy. By embracing the downward path of humility, we find glory. And by remaining small, sometimes we grow to great heights. Any leaders who have wondered if God really called them to lead a congregation will resonate with Tacklind's vulnerability in this honest and meditative account. So will readers who have found their own spiritual journey to be winding and halting rather than a constant ascent of growth. Tacklind draws from the natural world-trees, waves, mountains, and canyons-to bring to life the lessons that he has picked up along the way. C. S. Lewis, Henri Nouwen, Soren Kierkegaard and others all serve as guides who light the way on the winding path of following God.

Despite its physical comforts, Jennie's life under the critical eye of her tyrannical mother is hard, and she grows up desperate for a love she has been denied. As she blossoms into a young woman World War II breaks out. Life is turned upside down by the vagaries of war, and the charming, urbane Charles comes into her life - and he loves her ... doesn't he? ... On the other side of the scarred mountain, in the wake of a disaster that tears through his family and their tight-knit mining community, Harry finds the burden of manhood abruptly thrust upon his young shoulders. He bears it through the turmoil of the Depression years, sustained only by his love for Megan. But his life too takes many unexpected turns, and the onset of war brings unimaginable changes. ... Nothing is as it was, or as it seems ... Blaenavon and Abergavenny surge to life in this vibrant, haunting, joyful masterpiece - a celebration of the Welsh people from the 1920s to the 1940s. It's the saga of two families and their communities, and the story of two young people who should have found each other much sooner. It's the story of the people of the mountains and the valleys who formed the beating heart of Wales. The Mountains Between immediately became a regional best-seller. Now in its 3rd edition, it was author Julie McGowan's first book, and is based in her much-loved homeland of Wales. Her second book, Just One More Summer, is a wonderfully intricate read based in Cornwall, while her newly-released third book, Don't Pass Me By, is also a Welsh spectacular.

Research into the field of religious leadership in relation to Christian identity is highly complex. What is meant by religious leadership? What do we really mean if we talk about Christian identity? And most of all, what is the implied relationship between religious leadership and Christian identity? Is there a necessary substantial relation between both? If so, how has leadership contributed in the past to Christian identity and how will it in the contemporary context stimulate a Christian identity? This book explores and addresses such questions.
"Doris Nauer" teaches theology at the University of Tbingen, Germany. "Rein Nauta" is professor of psychology of religion at the Tilburg University, The Netherlands. "Henk Witte" teaches theology at the Tilburg University, The Netherlands.

A design-thinking book for planting or redesigning churches and incubating a new generation of leaders.

Written by Linda Bergquist and Allan Karr, two experienced church planters and mentors, the book is full of wisdom, practical advice, and creative counsel. Instead of a business-model-as-usual approach, the authors challenge readers to begin with the raw materials of beliefs, values, individuals, teams, and culture, and to then move outwards to draw from a rich palette of real and potential church paradigms. This book is meant to provoke church leaders to think outside of the box and to imagine how their churches might better reflect the image and the mission of God in the world. Contains a wealth of illustrative examples, charts, and other visual aidesOffers a creative practical perspective and a multi-disciplinary approach to establishing a new church or leading an existing oneShows how to honor a church's purpose while embracing its unique cultureIncludes important lessons for nurturing church leadership skills

Saint Gregory of Nazianzus, also known as Gregory the Theologian, lived an illustrious life as an orator, poet, priest, and bishop. Until his death, he wrote scores of letters to friends and colleagues, clergy members and philosophers, teachers of rhetoric and literature, and high-ranking officials at the provincial and imperial levels, many of which are preserved in his self-designed letter collection. Here, for the first time in English, Bradley K. Storin has translated the complete collection, offering readers a fresh view on Gregory's life, social and cultural engagement, leadership in the church, and literary talents. Accompanying the translation are an introduction, a prosopography, and annotations that situate Gregory's letters in their biographical, literary, and historical contexts. This translation is an essential resource for scholars and students of late antiquity and early Christianity.

In his nearly four decades of pastoral, parachurch and nonprofit ministry leadership Steve Macchia has come to understand his own brokenness. He writes: "I've experienced great success and a few embarrassing failures. . . . In essence, as much as I like to view myself as a good or even a very good leader, I'm more truthfully a blessed and broken leader, one who is daily in need of being . . . redeemed by the Spirit of God who resides in me." In these pages Steve offers the gifts of love found in 1 Corinthians 13 as the antidote to our brokenness. He writes with personal transparency from his own experience. Each chapter concludes with a powerful spiritual assessment tool to use in reflecting on our own leadership strengths and weaknesses. By embracing and befriending our own brokenness we can find true wholeness in God's strength. In these pages you will discover a new way to live in freedom and joy.

Called to Serve is for people with questions about creating and maintaining a successful nonprofit board. How can the board of a nonprofit organization work best? Now that I'm on such a board, what should I do? How can we find the best trustees? How should I think about my work for nonprofits? What kind of relationship between a board and the staff will work best? How can we organize and develop the service of busy, committed people? Internationally renowned CEO and best-selling author Max De Pree packs his many years of experience on nonprofit boards into these short letters directed to busy folks active in nonprofit life. Brief, clear, and -- above all -- useful, Called to Serve notes the marks of an effective board, lays out the proper work of boards, gives choices for structuring a nonprofit board, and covers the roles and relationships of board chairpersons, trustees, and presidents. Today there are more than 1.5 million nonprofit organizations in America, with 109 million people working in this important sector of society. In spite of this surprising fact, very little training exists for this kind of service. Called to Serve is valuable not only because it fills this need but also because it comes from the pen of one of America's most experienced and respected business leaders.

You Don't Have to Learn This the Hard Way...

Anyone involved in leadership knows that it's tough and mistakes are bound to happen. But some mistakes are more costly than others and can result in the end of effectiveness, the loss of important relationships, and disqualification from ministry.

Using the story of a fictitious church team to demonstrate the problems, principles, and practice of finding solutions, leadership expert Dave Kraft uncovers the top 10 critical mistakes leaders make and shows you how to avoid them so you can have ministry and relationships that last.

This hugely controversial, bestselling history tells the story of Eugenio Pacelli, the man who was Pope Pius XII, and arguably the most dangerous churchman of modern times. As Vatican Secretary of State, Pacelli signed an agreement with Hitler in 1933 that protected the power of the Catholic Church in exchange for their complete withdrawal from politics. This act proved fatal. When he became Pope Pius XII, he continually refused to publicly condemn the Nazis - even though he was one of the first European leaders to be made aware of the Final Solution. And even when Italian Jews were rounded up under the walls of the Vatican and transported to the death camps. His failure to criticize Nazism, especially when seen in the light of his patent anti-Semitism, is one of the great scandals of wartime. Using a wealth of new material, including Vatican documents, John Cornwell makes a firm and final indictment of Hitler's Pope's silence.

The primacy of the bishop of Rome, the pope, as it was finally shaped in the Middle Ages and later defined by Vatican I and II has been one of the thorniest issues in the history of the Western and Eastern Churches. This issue was a primary cause of the division between the two Churches and the events that followed the schism of 1054: the sack of Constantinople by the crusaders in 1204, the appointment by Pope Innocent III of a Latin patriarch of Constantinople, and the establishment of Uniatism as a method and model of union. Always a topic in ecumenical dialogue, the issue of primacy has appeared to be an insurmountable obstacle to the realization of full unity between Roman Catholicism and the Orthodox Christianity. In this timely and comprehensive work, Maximos Vgenopoulos analyzes the response of major Orthodox thinkers to the Catholic understanding of the primary of the pope over the last two centuries, showing the strengths and weaknesses of these positions. Covering a broad range of primary and secondary sources and thinkers, Vgenopoulos approaches the issue of primacy with an open and ecumenical manner that looks forward to a way of resolving this most divisive issue between the two Churches. For the first time here the thought of Greek and Russian Orthodox theologians regarding primacy is brought together systematically and compared to demonstrate the emergence of a coherent view of primacy in accordance with the canonical principles of the Orthodox Church. In looking at crucial Greek-language sources Vgenopoulos makes a unique contribution by providing an account of the debate on primacy within the Greek Orthodox Church. Primacy in the Church from Vatican I to Vatican II is an invaluable resource on the official dialogue taking place between the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church today. This important book will be of broad interest to historians, theologians, seminarians, and all those interested in Orthodox-Catholic relations.

What does it mean to provide leadership for the church in an increasingly secular context? When religion is privatized and secularism reigns in the public square, Christians are often drawn toward either individualist escapism or constant cultural warfare. But might this context instead offer a fresh invitation for the church to adapt and thrive? Gordon Smith is passionate about the need for capable, mature leaders to navigate and respond to a changing society. In this book, he draws on his extensive experience as a university president, pastor, and international speaker to open a multidisciplinary conversation about the competencies and capacities essential for today's leaders. After analyzing the phenomenon of secularization in the West and charting common Christian responses, Smith introduces four sources of wisdom to help guide us through this new terrain: the people and prophets of Judah during the Babylonian exile, the early church in its pagan environment, contemporary churches across the Global South, and Christian thinkers in post-Christian Europe. From these resources he identifies practices and strategies-from liturgy and catechesis to mission and hospitality-that can give shape to faithful, alternative communities in such a time as this. In cultures fraught with fear and division, Smith calls for leaders who can effect change from the margins, promote unity and maturity among Christians, and provide a non-anxious presence grounded in the presence of Christ. Educators, church leaders, and those seeking to understand the times will find this book to be an indispensable resource for cultivating distinctively Christian leadership.

Leadership. What does it mean? How do I do it? Who is a leader and who is not? Relational Leadership will stimulate your thinking about leadership and management, causing you to both ask questions and find answers. Ultimately, this will enable you to invest yourself in people for the sake of the kingdom. Drawing on leadership theory, his own experience and insights from Jude, Philemon and Colossians, Walter Wright has written a book that will be valuable to anyone in a position of leadership. Leadership is not an assigned role but a way of living that suffuses everything we do and are. The goal of this book is to empower others to contribute to achieving the mission of the organizations with which they are involved. Wright not only presents an ideal but offers practical suggestions for handling such thorny issues as the management of volunteers and performance reviews.