This is a pioneering study of the finances and financiers of the Vatican between 1850 and 1950. Dr Pollard, a leading historian of the modern papacy, shows how until 1929 the papacy was largely funded by 'Peter's Pence' collected from the faithful, and from the residue the Vatican made its first capitalistic investments, especially in the ill-fated Banco di Roma. After 1929, the Vatican received much of its income from the investments made by the banker Bernadino Nogara in world markets and commercial enterprises. This process of coming to terms with capitalism was arguably in conflict both with Church law and Catholic social teaching and becoming a major financial power led the Vatican into conflict with the Allies during the Second World War. In broader terms, the ways in which the papacy financed itself helped shape the overall development of the modern papacy.

A bestseller in its original Argentinian, Francis: Life and Revolution paints an intimate portrait of Jorge Bergoglio by Elisabetta Pique, a journalist who is also a close friend of the man who became the 266th and current Pope. The warm, personal narrative is rich in character and evocation of the subject and biographer's shared Argentinian heritage, making this unique among books about Bergoglio. Pique tells the story of his upbringing, and journey through priesthood to the Vatican, the Curia and ultimately to his election as Pope. Her text includes her phone conversations with Bergoglio in the days preceding the announcement, his fears and modest denials when she told him she believed it would be him, and a fascinating never-before-reported account of the deliberations of the Conclave that elected him. Before analysing the innovations and the polemic changes driven by the new Pope, the book tells of a good natured and kind man with a wonderful sense of humour married to strong convictions who risked his own life to help the victims of illegal repression in Argentina.

In this book one of the world's foremost legal historians draws upon the evidence of the canon law, court records and the English common-law system to demonstrate the extent to which, contrary to received wisdom, Roman canon law survived in England after the upheavals of the Protestant Reformation. Clearly and elegantly written, this study is both a companion to and development of Maitland's celebrated Roman Canon Law in Medieval England. It will be of great interest not only to legal and ecclesiastical specialists but to any reader seeking a wider understanding of the constitutional and intellectual context in which the English Reformation developed.

Christianity Today 2020 Book of the Year Award, Missions/Global Church Women have advanced God's mission throughout history and around the world. But women often face particular obstacles in ministry. What do we need to know about how women thrive? Mission researcher Mary Lederleitner interviewed and surveyed ninety-five respected women in mission leadership from thirty countries to gather their insights, expertise, and best practices. She unveils how women serve in distinctive ways and identifies key traits of faithful connected leaders. When women face opposition based on their gender, they employ various strategies to carry on with resilience and hope. Real-life stories and case studies shed light on dynamics that inhibit women and also give testimony to God's grace and empowerment in the midst of challenges. Women and men will find resources here for partnering together in effective ministry and mission. Organizations can help women flourish through advocacy, mentoring, and addressing structural issues. Wherever God has invited you to serve and lead, discover that you are not alone as you answer the call.

This book assembles a knowledge base of the cross-cultural congregation-to-congregation relationship of two local churches: Madison square Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the Providence Baptist Church in Monrovia, Liberia.

. For Individual use . Group training Photocopyable resources include: job descriptions, caregiver interview form, staff evaluation survey, guidelines for nursery use, information card, and incident report form A well-run nursery is a tremendous asset to a church. The responsibilities are demanding, but with prayer, patience, and commitment, you can minimize the frustrations and maximize the difference you make in the lives of children ages three and under and their parents. Whether you re leading your church s nursery ministry, serving in it, or just thinking of getting involved, you will welcome the expert insights, encouragement, and resources this book offers. Serving in Your Church Nursery sheds light on .Developing a vision .Gathering a team .Evaluating and setting goals .Setting up the nursery environment .Policies, procedures, and job descriptions .Recruiting, screening, training, and safety issues .Age groups, insights on learning, separation anxiety, and more Zondervan Practical Ministry Guides provide you with simple, practical insights for serving in today s churches. Written by experienced pastors and church workers, these easy-to-read, to-the-point booklets address the fundamentals of different ministries as practiced effectively in real life. You ll find biblical insight and wise, field-tested advice you can apply today, as well as discussion questions to help you think through and integrate what you read."

For: .Individual use .Group training Includes diagrams, checklists, and resource lists Church ought to be the safest place on earth. Here s how to fulfill that goal in practical ways, from developing a security structure and team, to assessing interior and exterior building security, training ushers and greeters to be sensitive to security, forming an emergency reaction team, establishing financial accountability, and much more. Serving by Safeguarding Your Church takes you through the ins and outs of .Building for Security .Organizing for Security .Taking Actions to Improve Security .Dealing with Keys, Alarms, and Security Systems Zondervan Practical Ministry Guides provide you with simple, practical insights for serving in today s churches. Written by experienced pastors and church workers, these easy-to-read, to-the-point booklets address the fundamentals of different ministries as practiced effectively in real life. You ll find biblical insight and wise, field-tested advice you can apply today, as well as discussion questions to help you think through and integrate what you read."

For: *Individual use *Group training Includes self-assessment and do s and don ts for various special-needs situations. Whether visiting people in their homes, in the hospital, or in a restaurant over a cup of coffee, the simple act of connecting with others is filled with powerful possibilities. The act of friendship is an inroad to hearts and lives that creates trust, value, and incredible potential for ministry. Serving in Church Visitation helps you to *Be Motivated: How Does the Bible Model the Importance of Visitation? *Be Prepared: What Kind of Person Makes a Good Visitor? *Be Informed: What Kind of Visits Are Possible? *Be Involved: What Kind of Inreach Visits Can Be Made? *Be Equipped: How Should Scripture and Prayer Be Used? Zondervan Practical Ministry Guides provide you with simple, practical insights for serving in today s churches. Written by experienced pastors and church workers, these easy-to-read, to-the-point booklets address the fundamentals of different ministries as practiced effectively in real life. You ll find biblical insight and wise, field-tested advice you can apply today, as well as discussion questions to help you think through and integrate what you read."

For: *Individual use *Group training Includes instrumentalist survey and worship planning checklist Worship is a slice of eternity that Christians can participate in on earth, and nothing can facilitate our experience of worship like music. This wise, concise guidebook will help you harness your God-given musical talent as a gift to the body of Christ, in a way that brings joy to both God s heart and yours. Serving in Your Church Music Ministry discusses *Words on Worship *Planning for Worship *Serving at the Keyboard *Serving with Your Voice *Serving with an Instrument *Serving in the Pew Zondervan Practical Ministry Guides provide you with simple, practical insights for serving in today s churches. Written by experienced pastors and church workers, these easy-to-read, to-the-point booklets address the fundamentals of different ministries as practiced effectively in real life. You ll find biblical insight and wise, field-tested advice you can apply today, as well as discussion questions to help you think through and integrate what you read."

Practical help for volunteer, part-time, and full-time youth workers in small churchesEighty-five percent of the churches in America are classified as small. This book provides youth workers with processes and ideas that enable them to address their particular needs as part of small churches.

All Christian leaders face challenges. But God works in us, with us and through us to accomplish his eternal purposes. Here is practical wisdom from a much-respected leader speaking personally on: discouragement - how to persevere under pressure self-discipline - how to maintain spiritual freshness relationships - how to treat people with respect youth - how to lead when still comparatively young. Complementing the above are two examples of 'Timothys', in the form of personal tributes from former study assistants who worked side by side with the author.

Modern ecclesiology is too concerned with the ideal church, and pays too little attention to its sinful everyday life. Pluralism and postmodernism are discussed, and the argument made that well-meaning attempts to affirm non-Christian religions make it difficult for them or the church to argue that its convictions are true. The book shows that one can talk about the church and other religious communities in ways that acknowledge their uniqueness and truth claims, but also their problems and mistakes. New disciplines are proposed: theological history, theological sociology and ecclesiological ethnography.

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Anything that presents itself as a force to hurt the souls of men is fair game for the pastor according to the author. An introduction by Dr. Douglas Kelly to the issues of Statism, and Milton's own concern for the pastoral-prophetic voice on matters of public morality and "bringing every thought captive" to the Gospel, make this a particularly relevant book in this season of thinking through politics and faith. The volume is complete with a bibliography on the matter of Christian voices in the public square and an index. It is profitable reading for the classroom, in the office or study, on the back porch, or on a plane.
Endorsements
"God bless Dr. Mike Milton for challenging the conventional wisdom that Christians need to mind their own business and stay out of the public square. He correctly diagnoses the root of our society's problems as spiritual and calls on the church to step up to the plate in an effort to save our culture. There is no inconsistency between spreading the Gospel and being engaged in the culture and in politics in a Christlike way." David Limbaugh, NYT bestselling author, syndicated columnist, constitutional attorney, contributor, FoxNews

Silent No More "is a must read if we are to save our nation. The Church must take the lead in this effort." Michael Reagan, national Radio Talk Show Host, Author, columnist, son of U.S. President Ronald Reagan.

"Dr. Michael Milton s book is, among other things, a tribute to the martyrs of atheistic communism, of which there were countless millions. Christians in America today face their own unique challenges. The threats to religious freedom are not as deadly as what Christians endured under communism, but they are serious, and they seem to get worse year by year and they often stem from the same statist impulse. We must, above all, not remain silent. It is indeed true that all it takes for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing." Paul Kengor, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science, Grove City College; Executive Director, The Center for Vision & Values; Fellow, The Hoover Institute, NY Times best-selling author, and nationally syndicated columnist, contributor to FoxNews, and frequent speaker and recognized leading scholar on the history of the Cold War and Presidential studies of Ronald Reagan.

"In a culture where biblical standards are routinely being ignored or marginalized God's voice needs to be heard loud and clear, however unwelcome it may be. Old Testament prophets provide a powerful paradigm of this, and while biblical prophets have no like-for-like successors today, Christian pastors have a similar responsibility to 'reprove, rebuke and exhort', directly challenging what seems to be the relentless drive towards framing a totally secular society. Michael Milton's book is an urgent, relevant and powerful wake-up call. Every pastor should read it--and encourage his church members to do so." John Blanchard, Internationally known Christian preacher, teacher, apologist, and author
Biographical Information

Michael A. Milton and his family live in Charlotte, North Carolina and is the host of the national Bible teaching television program Faith for Living, a songwriter and recording artist, and the author of numerous books and articles. Previously he was the senior minister of the historic First Presbyterian Church of Chattanooga, Tennessee and is currently Chancellor and CEO elect of Reformed Theological Seminary and the James M. Baird Jr. Professor of Pastoral Theology, there.

In this revised and expanded edition of "Brothers, We Are Not Professionals" that includes a new introduction and select all-new chapters, best-selling author John Piper pleads through a series of thoughtful essays with fellow pastors to abandon the professionalization of the pastorate and pursue the prophetic call of the Bible for radical ministry.
"We pastors are being killed by the professionalizing of the pastoral ministry," he writes. "The mentality of the professional is not the mentality of the prophet. It is not the mentality of the slave of Christ. Professionalism has nothing to do with the essence and heart of the Christian ministry. The more professional we long to be, the more spiritual death we will leave in our wake. For there is no professional childlikeness, there is no professional tenderheartedness, there is no professional panting after God.
"Brothers, we are not professionals. We are outcasts. We are aliens and exiles in the world. Our citizenship is in Heaven, and we wait with eager expectation for the Lord (Phil. 3:20). You cannot professionalize the love for His appearing without killing it. And it is being killed.
"The world sets the agenda of the professional man; God sets the agenda of the spiritual man. The strong wine of Jesus Christ explodes the wine- skins of professionalism."

Here is a summons to pray with twenty great women of faith_from Hildegard of Bingen to Dorothy Day. Brief biographies are followed by commentary, prayer experiences, questions for reflection, and suggestions for action. Meehan brings these women to life, allowing their example to inspire, encourage, and empower you. Meet women who will change your life and enrich your spiritual journey with new possibilities of self-discovery, wisdom, creativity, and friendship. Reminding us that abundance is all around us, and challenging us to make a difference, this book is filled with stories of visionary women with whom we can share the longings that lie deep within us for divine love, deep tranquility, and human intimacy.

Hobgood examines new pressures on clergy that are emerging in the "post-Christendom era:" financial stresses; the effects of a conflicted and confrontational culture; the needs of an increasing number of people living broken or dependent lives; dysfunctional behavior on the part of pastors and parishioners; questions regarding clergy respect and job satisfaction. How is ministry being affected by these changes? What skills will clergy need as they enter the new century? An invaluable resource thoroughly grounded in research and full of practical observations for clergy, judicatory executives, seminary professors, and long-range planners.

Humans are sexual creatures. Our sexuality can be a beautiful and mysterious expression of what it means to be human. But it can also become distorted and sinful. Perhaps no issue is as urgent for the church today, or confronts it with as many questions, as human sexuality: What does it mean to fulfill God's will through our sexuality? To what extent should our sexuality define who we are? How can we navigate cultural trends around sexuality while being faithful to Scripture? The Center for Pastor Theologians (CPT) seeks to assist pastors in the study and production of biblical and theological scholarship for the theological renewal of the church and the ecclesial renewal of theology. Based on the 2016 annual CPT conference, this volume brings together the reflections of church leaders and academic theologians who seek to answer the urgent questions concerning human sexuality. Contributors engage with Scripture, draw on examples from church history, and delve into current issues in contemporary culture, including embodiment, marriage, homosexuality, pornography, transgenderism, and gender dysphoria. Beauty, Order, and Mystery tackles difficult questions with discernment in order to offer a theological vision of faithful human sexuality for the church. Based on annual CPT conferences, the volumes in the Center for Pastor Theologians series bring together the reflections of pastors and theologians who desire to make ongoing contributions to the wider scholarly community for the renewal of both theology and the church.

What's working and not working in your congregation? You'll explore the factors that inspired and motivated changes to reverse decline as other congregations wrestled with the same issues you're facing: ministry to current members, ministry to the unchurched, worship, changing neighborhoods, and more.

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.

First published in 1996 this book examines the search for unity in the Church. For the previous thirty years pioneering conversations, between pairs of churches or communities, and multilaterally, put forward solutions to old disagreements and began to build a new ecumenical theology. But when it comes to taking actual steps towards unity there is often a drawing-back from the final commitment. G. R. Evans examines the methodology of ecumenical theory and the way it is being taken into the lives of the Churches, from the experience which has been reported so far. This is a necessary stocktaking exercise, as Dr Evans shows that discussions are now so developed that we can list topics which have become recurrent issues. By making judicious use of interdenominational archival material and secondary literature, the author provides a timely resource for all those interested in recent ecumenical progress.

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.

Pope John Paul II was a leader to millions of Catholics at a time of tremendous change. Promising a renewed church, he became a symbol of hope worldwide. Now, four years after his death, calls for his sainthood continue. But is this the whole truth? In "The Power and the Glory," David Yallop explores the myths and half truths of John Paul II's long reign, revealing everything from the mismanagement of Vatican finance and the child sexual abuse crisis to the Vatican's role in the fall of Communism and the rise of the Opus Dei. Including explosive revelations from the CIA, the KGB, and the Vatican itself, "The Power and the Glory" is a bold and unflinching account of a beloved leader.

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.

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