"Ecclesiology: The Church as Communion and Mission "presents the basic information needed to have a clear understanding of nature of the Church.This book is a theological study of the Church, that is, an ecclesiology. There is a rhythm at work in the eucharistic Liturgy and thus in the Christian life as a whole that provides us with a key insight for understanding the Church. In this dynamic movement of coming together and going forth, symbolized in the rites of gathering and dismissal that frame the Mass, we have the basic elements for a theology of the Church. In theological categories, those basic elements may be termed "communion" and "mission." Reflection upon our ongoing experience of communion and mission can thus provide us with a vision of what it means to be the Church.
--From chapter 1 Catholic Basics: A Pastoral Series that offers an in-depth yet accessible understanding of the fundamentals of the Catholic faith for adults, both those active in pastoral ministry and those preparing for ministry. The series helps readers explore the Catholic tradition and apply what they have learned to their lives and ministry situations. Includes study questions and suggestions for further reading."Ecclesiology: The Church as Communion and Mission "addresses Standards #520.01 and 520.03-520.06.

Impressive...a significant contribution to the ecclesiastical history of Exeter and the English thirteenth century. CATHOLIC HISTORICAL REVIEW Third and final volume of early Exeter episcopal register; Introduction in Vol. I. The earliest of the Exeter episcopal registers to survive, Bronescombe's is a general register with a single chronological sequence of letters and memoranda on many aspects of diocesan administration. It also contains copies of charters by, among others, king Henry III and his brother Richard, King of the Romans, in his capacity as Earl of Cornwall. Volume one of this edition (which supersedes the unsatisfactory one of 1889) contains a substantial introduction and a full transcription of the Latin text of folios 2-26, with a modern translation on the facing pages; it will therefore be of value to students of medieval Latin as well as ecclesiastical and legal historians. O.F. ROBINSON is Douglas Professor of Roman Law at the University of Glasgow.

An introduction to missiological Christian leadership. The book's focus is on the need to empower and equip the people of God to carry out God's mission in the world. Exploring principles of leadership, it suggests practical skills and stimulates further discussion. The emphasis of the book is on theological engagement with practical issues, and each chapter gives concrete, applied illustrations of the theological approach.

This handy reference provides a compact overview of the most important canonical issues facing pastoral ministers today. Arranged by topic, this resource offers a thorough summary of church law along with helpful sections of "frequently asked questions" at the end of the chapters.

Paint[s] a dramatic picture of the impact of the Black Death. Appendices cover diocesan administrators and the religious houses and hospitals of Norfolk and Suffolk, This volume completes the Bateman register, the first of the Norwich registers to be published. Containing the later half of the calendar of institutions, it is unusual for the organisation, clarity and state of completeness of its records, which paint a dramatic picture of the impact of the Black Death on East Anglia. Scholars and students will also welcome the appendices dealing with diocesan administrators and the religious houses and hospitals of Norfolk and Suffolk, as well as indices for both volumes. PHYLLIS E. POBST is Assistant Professor of History at Arkansas State University.

A fresh look at the earliest Christian movement reveals what made the new faith so compelling...and what we need to change today to make it so again. Once upon a time there was a version of the Christian faith that was practically irresistible. After all, what could be more so than the gospel that Jesus ushered in? Why, then, isn't it the same with Christianity today? Author and pastor Andy Stanley is deeply concerned with the present-day church and its future. He believes that many of the solutions to our issues can be found by investigating our roots. In Irresistible, Andy chronicles what made the early Jesus Movement so compelling, resilient, and irresistible by answering these questions: What did first-century Christians know that we don't-about God's Word, about their lives, about love? What did they do that we're not doing? What makes Christianity so resistible in today's culture? What needs to change in order to repeat the growth our faith had at its beginning? Many people who leave or disparage the faith cite reasons that have less to do with Jesus than with the conduct of his followers. It's time to hit pause and consider the faith modeled by our first-century brothers and sisters who had no official Bible, no status, and little chance of survival. It's time to embrace the version of faith that initiated-against all human odds-a chain of events resulting in the most significant and extensive cultural transformation the world has ever seen. This is a version of Christianity we must remember and re-embrace if we want to be salt and light in an increasingly savorless and dark world.

Unleash your leadership by identifying and overcoming the limitations you place on yourself in the workplace. Women are called by God to flourish in areas of leadership. And for the first time in modern history, women are making their way into strategic positions of influence and leadership within the ministry, public, corporate, charity and voluntary sectors. Certainly, there are still external disadvantages that women leaders face in the professional world, and there's still a lot of work to do. But there are internal hinderances, too, and those you can take charge of today. In 7 Deadly Sins of Women in Leadership, Kate Coleman considers what lies at the root of the many challenges facing today's leaders-women and men-and proposes ways of dealing with them. Effective leadership starts with you. Based on her 35 years of leadership experience, Kate explains how you can: Overcome limiting self-perceptions Establish boundaries Develop a tailor-made personal vision Cultivate a healthy work/life rhythm Stop being a people-pleaser Learn to confront not collude Be intentional with your inner circle Written for every leader from any sector or gender (men could learn a few things from this book too), this proven and practical guidebook will enable you to identify and overcome self-defeating patterns of behavior, in ways that will radically transform your leadership.

This edition of the Bede roll of this London fraternity has been published in two volumes: the first volume contains the text of the roll and the second volume provides an index to the nearly 7000 names of those who were members of the fraternity between 1449 and 1521. These included not only the clerks themselves and their wives, but also members of the nobility and high-ranking clergy. The bulk of the membership consisted of middle-ranking Londoners whodecided the extra prayers and funeral ceremony which the parish clerks could provide. The editors have also supplied an account of the immensely popular Parish Clerks fraternity and of the ways in which it was governed and administered.

'Authority and rigour ... great generosity and gentleness. The authors diagnose a critical problem in the church and offer practical advice on how to fix it.' Andrew Graystone, theologian, broadcaster and communications consultant 'Every time he wanted me to do something, he would quote scripture... I couldn't argue with scripture, it was like arguing with God.' The term 'spiritual abuse' is widely used across the Christian community. But what is it? Sometimes spiritual abuse involves leaders misusing their position, but ministers can also be the victims. Common factors include control through misuse of scripture, claims to divine authority, pressure to conform, and enforced accountability. Individuals may be isolated, and compelled to secrecy and silence. Drawing on a combination of extensive research, individual testimonies, and years of hands-on experience, Lisa Oakley and Justin Humphreys describe clearly the nature of spiritual abuse, and the best ways of countering it. Recovery is possible. But - how do we prevent spiritual abuse in the first place? What can leaders do to create safer places? Is there a link between theological ideas and harmful behaviours? How can leaders create opportunities for spiritual and emotional flourishing? Dr Lisa Oakley has researched spiritual abuse in the Christian faith in the UK since 2003. Justin Humphreys is chief executive of the safeguarding charity thirtyone: eight.

"Lee probes far beyond the rags-to-riches tale, though Bishop Jakes'riches remain. He devotes much of the book to what he sees as Bishop Jakes' dual nature: businessman and preacher."--"Dallas Morning News"

"A clearly written, thoughtful interrogation of the financially successful, though morally suspect, merger of business and religion achieved by this African American preacher-millionaire."
--"Choice," recommended

"Shayne Lee, an assistant professor of Sociology at Tulane University, has provided us with the first critical examination of the most influential African American preacher of our time. A socio-cultural biography of sorts, the author examines T.D. Jakes rise to prominence from the hills of West Virginia to multimillion-dollar religious corporate enterprise. But this book does more than follow the development of T.D. Jakes and his ministry. As the author puts it, Jakes becomes 'a prism through which the reader may learn more about contemporary American religion.' Lee contends that Jakes is an embodiment of traditional American cultural ideals and the postmodern features that inform what it means to be American in this contemporary moment."
--"Pop Matters"

"Most of the public knows about the Bishop T. D. Jakes who graced the cover of "Time" magazine, preached "Woman, Thou Art Loosed!" and filled stadiums across the country with throngs of weeping fans. But how many know about the Jakes who boasted that he didn't have enough garage space for his luxury cars, said Jesus was rich, and once tried to evict the owners of a home he had just purchased though they only had a week to pay off their debts? That portrait of Jakes comes courtesy of "T. D. Jakes: America'sNew Preacher," Shayne Lee, a sociologist and professor at Tulane University in New Orleans, asks hard questions about Jakes' ministry."
--"Atlanta Journal-Constitution"

"Jakes has risen from poverty in the mining towns of West Virginia to a multimillion-dollar faith industry based in Dallas, benefiting from the controversial trend toward prosperity religion. Lee examines the rags-to-riches life of Jakes in the broader context of changes in how Americans view religion."
--"Booklist"

"Lee offers an intriguing exploration of Jakes's popularity. His entrepreneurial spirit and multimedia approach have endeared him to millions, while his lavish lifestyle and focus on Christians' right to material prosperity continue to spark criticism. Lee avoids heavy jargon and effectively pares his study down to the essentials, making this an accessible portrait."
--"Publishers Weekly"

"Places an important contemporary African American religious leader in the context of recent trends in American religion in general and also of certain traditions of the Black Church in the African American experience. Lee's description and analysis of the phenomenon that is T.D. Jakes helps us gain a greater understanding of contemporary American religion and of African American religion as at once patently distinct but also quintessentially American."
--Milmon Harrison, Ph.D., author of "Righteous Riches: The Word of Faith Movement in Contemporary African American Religion"

T.D. Jakes has emerged as one of the most prolific spiritual leaders of our time. He is pastor of one of the largest churches in the country, CEO of a multimillion dollar empire, the host of a television program, author of a dozenbestsellers, and the producer of two Grammy Award-nominated CDs and three critically acclaimed plays. In 2001 "Time" magazine featured Jakes on the cover and asked: Is Jakes the next Billy Graham?

T.D. Jakes draws on extensive research, including interviews with numerous friends and colleagues of Jakes, to examine both Jakes's rise to prominence and proliferation of a faith industry bent on producing spiritual commodities for mass consumption. Lee frames Jakes and his success as a metaphor for changes in the Black Church and American Protestantism more broadly, looking at the ramifications of his rise--and the rise of similar preachers--for the way in which religion is practiced in this country, how social issues are confronted or ignored, and what is distinctly "American" about Jakes's emergence. While offering elements of biography, the work also seeks to shed light on important aspects of the contemporary American and African American religious experience.

Lee contends that Jakes's widespread success symbolizes a religious realignment in which mainline churches nationwide are in decline, while innovative churches are experiencing phenomenal growth. He emphasizes the "American-ness" of Jakes's story and reveals how preachers like Jakes are drawing followers by delivering therapeutic and transformative messages and providing spiritual commodities that are more in tune with postmodern sensibilities.

As the first work to critically examine Bishop Jakes's life and message, T.D. Jakes is an important contribution to contemporary American religion as well as popular culture.

Have you ever wrestled with how to respond to a boss or leader when you disagree?

Do you ever wonder why you should listen to them in the first place?

In this newly revised and updated edition, bestselling author John Bevere reemphasizes for a new generation the protective boundaries God provides through authority figures. John reveals how the enemy tricks us into believing our true destinies can be found away from divine leadership by distorting our ability to recognize God's inherent authority and His delegated authority. By teaching us how to properly relate to leadership, John shows why living under authority provides a place where there is provision, protection, and hope for the future.

Under Cover will also help you discover: how to avoid being entirely right yet somehow wrong the biblical way to respond to and overcome unfair treatment Complete with a brand-new chapter, discussion questions, and highlighted themes, Under Cover is a practical, life-transforming book that reveals the importance of submission to God's authority and how to respond to the leaders in our lives.

A manual for securing a significant number of planned gifts for a church of any denomination or size. In order for churches and related religious institutions to advance their strategic growth initiatives, a variety of funding vehicles are required, and a planned gifts program can play an important part. A planned gifts program offers a systematic and sustainable implementation model that is formalized, progressive, and-most importantly-volunteer-based and -driven. Implementation of a planned gifts program should be centered upon the resolution of significant church needs and the advancement of God's work. The authors, both successful fundraisers, keep this motivation at the center of their implementation model.

Filled with discoveries, this is the dramatic story of Pope Pius XII's struggle to respond to the Second World War, the Holocaust, and the Nazi domination of Europe. The Pope at War is the third in a trilogy of books about the papacy's response to the rise of Fascism and Nazism. It tells the dramatic story of Pope Pius XII's struggle to respond to the Second World War, the Holocaust, and the ongoing Nazi attempts to exterminate the Jews of Europe. It is the first book dealing with the war to make extensive use of the newly opened Vatican archives for the war years. It is based, as well, on thousands of documents from the Italian, German, French, British, and American archives. Among the many new discoveries brought to light is the discovery that within weeks of becoming pope in 1939, Pius XII entered into secret negotiations with Hitler through Hitler's emissary, a Nazi Prince who was married to the daughter of the King of Italy and who was very close to Hitler. The negotiations were kept so secret that not even the German ambassador to the Holy See was informed of them. The book also offers new insight into the thinking behind Pius XII's decision to maintain good relations with the German government during the war, including keeping the Germans happy while they occupied Rome in 1943-1944. And throughout, David I. Kertzer shows the active role of the Italian Church hierarchy in promoting the Axis war while the pope, who as bishop of Rome was responsible for the Italian hierarchy, offered his silent blessings and cast his public speeches in such a way that both sides could claim support for their cause.

My gratitude to Kester Brewin for raising so helpfully the questions we must address if the aspiration of "Mission Shaped Church" is to go beyond rhetoric.' Richard Chartres, Bishop of London

Explore 11 common traits that mark successful leaders, and learn the keys to growth in wisdom and humility.

Have You Ever Met a Great Leader?

It's incredible when someone uses their gifts to make you feel valued and inspire you to greatness. What does it take to develop that kind of heart and influence? How can you become a leader like Jesus?

Join Boyd Bailey as he shows you how to mirror Jesus's heart and make a positive difference in those around you. Explore 11 common traits that mark successful leaders, and learn the keys to growth in wisdom and humility. Through practical teaching, you will find that great leadership begins when you turn your focus to God and model Him in your attitude, conversations, and actions.

A faithful life and humble spirit make you a leader worth following. When you lean into the Lord and learn from His example of perfect leadership, you will see lives transformed—beginning with your own!

Once upon a time there existed a version of our faith worth living and dying for, something the world found irresistible. Men and women pursued it at the risk of persecution, job loss, and eviction from their homes, temples, and society. What if we actually followed their lead? Perhaps it would change how we read the Bible? Perhaps it would help us understand our own faith and what we believe? Perhaps we would change the world again? In Irresistible, pastor and author Andy Stanley shows how distortions of the gospel have left us with an anemic version of Christianity that undermines our credibility and our evangelistic effectiveness. He takes readers on a fascinating journey back in time to recover a faith so rich, so dynamic, so disruptive, that it could not be ignored, marginalized, or eradicated. Rather than working harder to make Christianity more interesting, we need to recover what once made faith in Jesus irresistible to the world.

The earliest extant register for Coventry and Lichfield reveals important detail on Langton, a key political figure, treasurer of Edward I and briefly of Edward II, suspended from episcopal office by Pope Boniface VIII and twice imprisoned. This book is volume one of a calendar of the episcopal register of Bishop Walter Langton (1296-1321). Langton's register is important for two reasons: it is the earliest extant register for the medieval diocese of Coventry and Lichfield, and it has shed new light on the life of one of the period's key political figures. The register contains some folios from an earlier working register, only some entries of which have been duplicated in the definitivecopy. These have been tabulated in the introduction, which discusses the arrangement of the whole register in detail. The register contains hitherto unknown information concerning both the local and central diocesan administration, including details of the work of the papal administrators when Langton was suspended from episcopal office by Pope Boniface VIII in 1302-3. Moreover, the register has confirmed that Langton was an efficient and conscientious bishop who conducted diocesan business himself whenever possible, despite his personal vicissitudes including two terms of imprisonment, and he successfully juxtaposed his episcopal and political duties when he was Treasurer of Edward I, and later briefly Treasurer of Edward II.JILL HUGHES is a Research Fellow at the University of St Andrews.

In 1869, some seven hundred Catholic bishops traveled to Rome to participate in the first church-wide council in three hundred years. The French Revolution had shaken the foundations of the church. Pope Pius IX was determined to set things right through a declaration by the council that the pope was infallible. John W. O'Malley brings to life the bitter, schism-threatening conflicts that erupted at Vatican I. The pope's zeal in pressing for infallibility raised questions about the legitimacy of the council, at the same time as Italian forces under Garibaldi seized the Papal States and were threatening to take control of Rome itself. Gladstone and Bismarck entered the fray. As its temporal dominion shrank, the Catholic Church became more pope-centered than ever before, with lasting consequences. "O'Malley's account of the debate over infallibility is masterful." -Commonweal "[O'Malley] excels in describing the ways in which the council initiated deep changes that still affect the everyday lives of Catholics." -First Things "An eminent scholar of modern Catholicism...O'Malley...invit[es] us to see Catholicism's recent history as profoundly shaped by and against the imposing legacy of Pius IX." -Wall Street Journal "Gripping...O'Malley continues to engage us with a past that remains vitally present." -The Tablet "The worldwide dean of church historians has completed his trinity of works on church councils...[A] masterclass in church history...telling us as much about the church now as then." -America

Lance Witt shows leaders how to build next-level teams that are spiritually, emotionally, and relationally healthy and productive and high-performing.

No matter how big an organization, we all do ministry with a team, whether paid or volunteer. Anyone who has been part of a great team knows it's something special. When there is good chemistry, everyone is operating from their sweet spot, the objectives are clear, and kingdom progress is being made, it is incredibly fulfilling and fun.

On the flip side, we're painfully aware what happens when there is dysfunction in the team--stress, tension, politics, and posturing. It's not much fun for anyone, and we end up squandering our divine assignment.

Lance Witt, founder of Replenish ministries and a former executive and teaching pastor at Saddleback Church, knows what it takes to keep teams functioning at the highest level of impact. He shows leaders how to build next-level teams that are spiritually, emotionally, and relationally healthy and productive and high-performing. Short, to-the-point chapters make the book easy to digest and the perfect resource for your team to read through together.