From 1807, when the first Protestant missionary arrived in China, to the 1920s, when a new phase of growth began, thousands of missionaries and Chinese Christians laboured, often under very adverse conditions, to lay the groundwork for a solid, healthy, and self-sustaining Chinese church. Following an Introduction that sets the scene and surveys the entire period, 'Builders of the Chinese Church' contains the stories of nine leading pioneers: seven Western missionaries and two Chinese. Here we meet Robert Morrison, the heroic translator; Liang Fa, the first Chinese evangelist; missionary-scholar James Legge; J. Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission; converted opium addict Pastor Hsi, Overcomer of Demons; Griffith John and Jonathan Goforth, both indefatigable preachers; and the idealistic advocates of education and reform, W.A.P. Martin and Timothy Richard. Readers will be inspired by their courage, devotion, and sheer perseverance in arduous work, and will gain a better understanding of the origins of the two 'branches' of today's Chinese Protestantism.

This book explores the endeavors and activities of one of the most prominent early modern Irishmen in exile, the Franciscan Luke Wadding. Born in Ireland, educated in the Iberian Peninsula, Wadding arrived in Rome in 1618, where he would die in 1657. In the "Eternal City," the Franciscan emerged as an outstanding theologian, a learned scholar, a diplomat, and a college founder. This innovative collection of chapters brings together a group of international scholars who provide a ground-breaking analysis of the many cultural, political, and religious facets of Wadding's life. They illustrate the challenges and changes faced by an Irishman who emerged as one of the most outstanding global figures of the Catholic Reformation. The volume will attract scholars of the early modern period, early modern Catholicism, and Irish emigration.

Some churches grow rapidly, only to hit a ceiling. Other churches have experienced declining or static attendance--many of them for decades. Frustrated pastors and church leaders want growth methods that work, but without adding to pastoral fatigue. How to Break Growth Barriers argues that growth comes when effective leadership and lay-empowerment skills work hand in hand. This requires a shift of focus from the shepherd as the primary caregiver to shepherd as developer and coach of many caregivers. The authors show pastors how to communicate a vision for the future and then how to lead the congregation into the paradigms necessary for potentially limitless growth. The strategies found in this book are not only tried and true, and taken from a biblical perspective of a "harvest" vision. They're also newly updated to reflect our changing culture, including helpful charts and checklists for self-evaluation.

This vital revised and expanded update to How to Thrive in Associate Staff Ministry (Alban, 2000) provides guidance to the growing population of staff members employed by churches. Churches are expanding their staffs, but the turnover rate remains high, often due to stress, isolation, and conflict on the job. Lawson and Boersma address what it takes to thrive personally, professionally, and relationally within associate staff ministry. Based on updated research and interviews with over 600 veteran associate staff members from many different denominations, Lawson and Boersma describe the priorities, attitudes, and practices that can help associate staff members thrive in their ministry roles. They present, explain, and illustrate a four-part Model for Thriving in Associate Staff Ministry, a concrete framework that readers can use to help achieve satisfaction and balance in their own lives. In addition to addressing those in associate staff roles, the book also includes chapters to help supervising pastors and church boards support their associate staff members. Each chapter includes questions for personal reflection or discussion with others to help readers engage with the material and determine what steps they might take to improve their own experience in associate staff ministry."

This book provides an exploration of Christian experiences of ordaining women from theological, sociological, historical and anthropological perspectives, by leading contributors from both academic and church contexts.The growth of women's ordained ministry is one of the most remarkable and significant developments in the recent history of Christianity. This collection of essays brings together leading contributors from both academic and church contexts to explore Christian experiences of ordaining women in theological, sociological, historical and anthropological perspective. The key questions include: How have national, denominational and ecclesial cultures shaped the different ways in which women's ordination is debated and/or enacted? What differences have women's ordained ministry, and debates on women's ordination, made in various church contexts? What 'unfinished business' remains (in both congregational and wider ministry)? How have Christians variously conceived ordained ministry which includes both women and men? How do ordained women and men work together in practice? What have been the particular implications for female clergy?And for male clergy? What distinctive issues are raised by women's entry into senior ordained/leadership positions? And how do Episcopal and non-Episcopal traditions differ in this?

W. M. Jacob examines the concept of 'profession' during the later Stuart and Georgian period, with special reference to the clergy of the Church of England. He describes their social backgrounds, how they were recruited, selected, and educated, and obtained jobs; how they were paid, and their lifestyles and family life, as well as examining the evidence for what they did as leaders of worship, pastors and teachers, how their parishioners responded to them, and how they were supervised. Jacob concludes that, contrary to popular views, the clerical profession was much better organized, educated, and supervised than the medical and legal professions during this period. During the 'age of reform' from the 1780s to the 1830s, all the professions were criticized: Jacob suggests that the modest regulation and professional training introduced in the other learned professions in the 1830s only slowly brought them to the standard already achieved by the clerical profession.

Published in 1998, these essays focus on Rome and the curia in the 11th and 12th centuries. Several relate to Cardinal Deusdedit and his canonical collection (1087) and to the pontificate of Paschal II (1099-1118). Both personalities and their ideas are presented within the larger setting of contemporary problems, highlighting divergent currents among ecclesiastical reformers at a time of the investiture controversies. A third common theme is formed by discussions of the organization and archival practices of the curia, which were of fundamental importance for the growth and codification of canon law, not to mention papal control of the Church.

Is it possible for church leaders to use biblical and secular leadership concepts in a way that keeps Christ not the marketplace at the center of their mission? Drawing on biblical material and business wisdom, In Pursuit of Great AND Godly Leadership explores the critical leadership decisions and practices that shape the success of Christian organizations. These decisions are illustrated in compelling interviews with over forty leaders of churches, universities, denominational bodies, and international ministries. Mike Bonem leverages his background as an MBA-trained manager and an experienced church leader to bridge the gap between the analytical and structured world of business and the faith-driven approach that is essential for healthy churches. Written to offer practical solutions for senior pastors, executive pastors, key laypeople, and leaders of other Christian entities, In Pursuit of Great AND Godly Leadership clearly shows the ways that secular practices can be imported into their organizations. Bonem addresses a variety of topics such as planning, finances, personnel management, measurement, team dynamics, and organizational change. In doing so, he points to the AND that every spiritual organization should strive to achieve.

Modern church leaders need to cultivate innovative and creative leadership skills, as they navigate today s post-Christian world, and as their congregations look to them for insight and guidance. Gil Stafford takes a fresh look at this vital need, drawing upon his experience as a college coach, university president, and parish priest, and interweaving them with ancient spiritual practices found within the discipline of spiritual direction. Personal anecdotes help the reader envision their own life-transforming pilgrimage, as they develop into the type of adaptive leader that churches need in today s rapidly changing world. This book challenges church leaders to foster sacred safe space, holy listening, silence, and wisdom storytelling, in order to create a discerning church community. These techniques of spiritual direction can be applied to every aspect of the church, from small group studies to conducting parish business. Gradually the leader will be able to delegate some of his responsibilities to the congregation, liberating them to be leaders, and rescuing him from trying to be all things to all people."

Why is it we do funerals so well but often balk at even recognizing the death of a congregation? Couldn t we do grief ministry and funerals as well for social groups as we do for individuals?" challenges Gilson Waldkoenig, in his seminary classes. Waldkoenig, associate professor of church in society at Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, contributes his special insights on the subject of church endings, in this unique and important book. Ending with Hope grows out of the understanding that although closing a congregation is in many ways about dying, it can also be about new life. Closing a congregation does not have to be about failure but can be about redirecting resources for new ministry. Contributors represent eight denominations and include more than a dozen pastors, lay leaders, judicatory staff, and others who have "been there" who have helped congregations through the painful closing process. Resources include models for assessing whether a congregation should close; reflections on members and pastors experiences during closing; case studies; guidance for deciding what to do with a building; suggestions for selecting and preserving documents and artifacts; rituals for healthy closings; a survey of historical trends regarding closings; and other helpful materials."

Frank, straightforward guidance for clergy seeking to develop a sound theology of money and skills for church administration, Ministry and Money also puts forth a new strategy for self-care, and a confident approach to managing both personal and congregational finances. Dan Hotchkiss wants to help clergy overcome their own anxieties about money matters so they can help others address the personal, social, and congregational aspects of this challenging and often difficult topic.

As spiritual guides, clergy and lay leaders alike often find themselves in need of direction about how to make changes in their personal life and ministry. Rarely, however, do they find a book that presents self-care as an integral part of being a spiritual leaders. The Spiritual Leader s Guide to Self-Care gives readers the tools to discern God's intention for their lives and to be faithful to that vision through proper self-care. Arranged in 52 chapters, one for each week of the year, the guide addresses seven themes: Creating a Life Vision, Caring for Yourself at Work, Nurturing Your Relationships Caring for Your Spirit and Body, Caring for Your Finances, Caring for Your Intellect, and Sustaining a Life Vision. Included are journal writing suggestions, personal reflection questions and activities, guidance for sharing the discovery process with another person, an activity for the coming week, and suggested further resources, such as novels, videos, and Web sites"

Altars are powerful symbols, fraught with meaning, but during the early modern period they became a religious battleground. Attacked by reformers in the mid-sixteenth century because of their allegedly idolatrous associations with the Catholic sacrifice of the mass, a hundred years later they served to divide Protestants due to their re-introduction by Archbishop Laud and his associates as part of a counter-reforming program. Moreover, having subsequently been removed by the victorious puritans, they gradually came back after the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. This book explores these developments, over a 150 year period, and recaptures the experience of the ordinary parishioner in this crucial period of religious change. Far from being the passive recipients of changes imposed from above, the laity are revealed as actively engaged from the early days of the Reformation, as zealous iconoclasts or their Catholic opponents -- a division later translated into competing protestant views.
Altars Restored integrates the worlds of theological debate, church politics and government, and parish practice and belief, which are often studied in isolation from one another. It draws from hitherto largely untapped sources, notably the surviving artefactual evidence comprising communion tables and rails, fonts, images in stained glass, paintings and plates, and examines the riches of local parish records -- especially churchwardens' accounts. The result is a richly textured study of religious change at both local and national level.

The managing editor of Christianity Today and founder of the popular Her.meneutics blog encourages women to find joy in vocation in this game-changing look at the importance of women and work.Women today inhabit and excel in every profession, yet many Christian women wonder about the value of work outside the home. And in circles where the traditional family model is highly regarded, many working women who sense a call to work find little church or peer support. In A Woman's Place, Katelyn Beaty, print managing editor of Christianity Today and cofounder of Her.meneutics, insists it's time to reconsider women's work. She challenges us to explore new ways to live out the Scriptural call to rule over creation--in the office, the home, in ministry, and beyond. Starting with the Bible's approach to work--including the creation story, the Proverbs 31 woman, and New Testament models--Beaty shows how women's roles in Western society have changed; how the work-home divide came to exist; and how the Bible offers models of women in leadership. Readers will be inspired by stories of women effecting dynamic cultural change, leading institutions, and living out grand and beautiful vocations. Far from insisting that women must work outside the home, Beaty urges all believers into a better framework for imagining career, ambition, and calling. Whether caring for children, running a home, business, or working full-time, all readers will be inspired to live in a way that glorifies God. Sure to spark discussion, A Woman's Place is a game-changing look at the importance of work for women and men alike.

Hands-on answers to the crises of urban homes. The problems urban families face--low income, drug abuse, divorce, gang involvement, domestic violence, and more--are devastating. But solutions exist in the local church that can transform troubled homes into places of love, security, hope, and growth. In Reclaiming the Urban Family, Dr. Willie Richardson gives pastors and leaders methods that can make inner-city churches a powerful force for restoring, training, and strengthening families, single-parent homes, and individuals. Using the principles and strategies described, the family training ministry of Dr. Richardson's own Christian Stronghold Baptist Church in Philadelphia has - Brought about a near-zero divorce rate - Produced strong marriages built on deep love bonds between couples - Helped numerous low- and moderate-income families become debt-free - Trained men to be competent husbands and fathers--and raised adult male membership in church to as high as 48 percent - Lowered the number of teenage pregnancies - Helped win to Christ those who have seen transformation in their loved ones. Reclaiming the Urban Family covers concerns as diverse as lay biblical counseling, singles and youth ministry, marriage preparation, occupational enrichment, single-parent households, evangelizing families, and more. Complete with a section of resources for African-American family ministries, it shows how local churches can become dynamic agents for building thriving homes and individuals and for evangelizing the unsaved.

Curation is a term usually used in the art world for the role of imagining and overseeing an exhibition or art experience. However the word is now being adopted by people in alternative worship, as it affords a very different and inventive way of thinking about how to lead a service or praise event. Rather than simply presiding over liturgy or fronting a band, curation involves negotiating between institutions and artists and making do with what is to hand to create something brilliant. The hope is that moments of epiphany will be experienced as God is invited to be and breathe in the space, and people make connections with their own lives and stories. Curating Worship is in two parts. The first considers the kind of thinking, skills and disciplines involved in good curation. The second consists of in depth interviews, which tease out from people who have curated amazing worship experiences around the world, the ideas and theories behind their approaches and the practical processes involved.

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.

Church health is measured by more than just numbers, but declining membership is often a key symptom of a church in crisis. The pastor of a dying church doesn't need to be told it is dying; he needs to find the way forward--and he needs hope. Author and pastor Andrew Davis offers readers the lessons he's learned in his own journey of leading church transformation, including - keeping Christ's ownership of the church central - being humble - choosing your battles wisely - empowering godly men to join in leadership - making prayer a priority - focusing on the Word - and more Church decline is not inevitable. Revitalize gives pastors the spiritual support they long for and the practical advice they need to turn their churches around and position them for greater health in the future.

To commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the restoration of the diaconate as a permanent and stable order of ministry in the United States, the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University undertook a contemporary study of the diaconate in the United States. Building on studies completed in 1981 and 1995 as well as annual research that CARA has conducted for the USCCB since 2005, CARA designed a comprehensive study of deacons, their wives, diaconate directors, and bishops to explore all aspects of this ministry. This book explores trends in the diaconate as well as current and emerging opportunities and challenges in the ministry. Deacons and their wives, diaconate directors, and bishops share insights about how those trends impact diaconal ministry today and into the future.

Ecclesiastical changes resulting from the Second Vatican Council inspired a revised approach to the issue of sharing the Eucharist with those who are not in full communion with the Catholic Church. In Sharing the Eucharist, Myriam Wijlen offers a detailed analysis of the Council's schemata, interventions, and texts in an effort to determine the theological values that inspired subsequent policies on the issue of communion. Wijlen bases her work on the notion that there ought to be an organic relationship between theological insights and the norms that govern the life of the Catholic community. Her rigorous approach allows her to identify areas where there is already organic unity between the insights of Vatican II and Church legislation. In the process, she also reveals several matters where additional work is needed and offers suggestions for the continued implementation of the Council's vision and intent. An unprecedented work that makes a genuine contribution to the ecumenical movement, Sharing the Eucharist has great significance for religious scholars and clergy who are concerned with the unity of Christian churches. Text also includes a foreword by Johannes Cardinal Willebrands, the former President of the Secretariat for Christian Unity of the Vatican.

Meticulously researched and drawing on original source materials written in eight different languages, this study fills a lacuna in the historiography of Christianity in Japan, which up to now has paid little or no attention to the experience of women. Focusing on the century between the introduction of Christianity in Japan by Portuguese Jesuit missionaries in 1549 and the Japanese government's commitment to the eradication of Christianity in the mid-seventeenth century, this book outlines how women provided crucial leadership in the spread, nurture, and maintenance of the faith through various apostolic ministries. The author's research on the religious backgrounds of women from different schools of late medieval Japanese Shinto-Buddhism sheds light on individual women's choices to embrace or reject the Reformed Catholicism of the Jesuits, and explores the continuity and discontinuity of their religious expressions. The book is divided into four sections devoted to an in-depth study of different types of apostolates: nuns (women who took up monastic vocations), witches (the women leaders of the Shinto-Buddhist tradition who resisted Jesuit teachings), catechists (women who engaged in ministries of persuasion and conversion), and sisters (women devoted to missions of mercy). Analyzing primary sources including Jesuit histories, letters and reports, especially LuA s FrA(3)is' HistA(3)ria de JapAGBPo, hagiography and family chronicles, each section provides a broad understanding of how these women, in the context of misogynistic society and theology, utilized resources from their traditional religions to new Christian adaptations and specific religio-social issues, creating unique hybrids of Catholicism and Buddhism. The inclusion of Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Japanese texts, many available for the first time in English, and the dramatic conclusion that women were largely responsible for the trajectory of Christianity in early modern Japan, makes this book an essential reading for scholars of women's history, religious history, history of Christianity, and Asian history.

Becoming a Better Leader Starts with a Transformed Inner Life Do you feel too overwhelmed to enjoy life, unable to sort out the demands on your time? Are you doing your best work as a leader, yet not making an impact? Have you ever felt stuck, powerless to change your environment? In The Emotionally Healthy Leader, bestselling author Peter Scazzero shows leaders how to develop a deep, inner life with Christ, examining its profound implications for surviving stress, planning and decision making, building teams, creating healthy culture, influencing others, and much more. The Emotionally Healthy Leader contains: Concise assessments for leaders and teams to measure their leadership health Practical, proven strategies that have been developed over a 28-year period spent both in the local church and in equipping leaders around the world Helpful applications of how to face your shadow, lead out of your marriage or singleness, slow down, and embrace endings for new beginnings Going beyond simply offering a quick fix or new technique, The Emotionally Healthy Leader gets to the core, beneath-the-surface issues of uniquely Christian leadership. This book is more than just a book you will read; it is a resource you will come back to over and over again.

To commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the restoration of the diaconate as a permanent and stable order of ministry in the United States, the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University undertook a contemporary study of the diaconate in the United States. Building on studies completed in 1981 and 1995 as well as annual research that CARA has conducted for the USCCB since 2005, CARA designed a comprehensive study of deacons, their wives, diaconate directors, and bishops to explore all aspects of this ministry. This book explores trends in the diaconate as well as current and emerging opportunities and challenges in the ministry. Deacons and their wives, diaconate directors, and bishops share insights about how those trends impact diaconal ministry today and into the future.

The essays in this volume in honour of Martin Brett address issues relating to the compilation and transmission of canon law collections, the role of bishops in their dissemination, as well as the interpretation and use of law in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. The studies are grouped thematically under the headings 'Bishops and Their Texts', and 'Texts and the Use of Canon Law'. These reflect important areas of contention in the historiographical literature and hence will further the debates regarding not simply the compilation and dissemination of canonical collections in the earlier middle ages, but also the development of the practical application of canon law within Europe, especially after c. 1080.Individually, the contributors offer new viewpoints on key issues and questions relating to the creation of canonical texts, their transmission and use on both sides of the English Channel in the decades either side of the year 1100. Collectively, the essays explore the methods and motives of compilers, assess the use of law, find readers both in the compilation of texts and within their margins, and - perhaps most importantly - speculate where possible about the living communities in which these texts were compiled, copied and used.

Alexei Khomiakov (1804-1860), a great Russian thinker, one of the founders of the Slavophile school of thought, nowadays might be seen as one of the precursors of critical thought on the dangers of modern political ideas. The pathologies that Khomiakov attributes to Catholicism and Protestantism - authoritarianism, individualism, and fragmentation - are today the fundamental characteristics of modern states, of the societies in which we live, and to a large extent, of the alternatives that are brought forth in an attempt to counter them. Khomiakov's works therefore might help us take on the challenge of rescuing Christian thought from modern colonization and offer a true alternative, a space for love and truth, the living experience of the church. This book serves as a step on the path toward recovering the church's reflection on its own identity as sobornost', as the community that is the living body of Christ, and can be the next step forward toward recovering the capacity for thought from within the church.