As an attorney, Joy Thornburg Melton understands the need to educate clergy concerning basics of ethical practice within their particular leadership role in the church. She also wants to help clergy become aware of the potential traps they face: isolation, improper self-care, and lack of accountability. Safe Sanctuaries for Ministers explores three large areas of special concern to clergy: Counseling and the potential improprieties within the counseling relationship Finances and the potenti...

Traducido por Julio R. Vargas Vidal. Los autores comparan seis etapas del desarrollo espiritual con la playa y el océano, las cuales son ilustradas con las enseñanzas y el proceso de hacer discípulos y discípulas de Jesucristo. Dichas etapas abarcan desde cuando la persona no ha tenido un encuentro personal con Jesucristo, hasta llegar a la madurez cristiana y, ¡boga cada vez mar adentro! El libro ofrece, además, un mapa estructural que incluye cada aspecto de la vida de la iglesia, el cual ...

Discover what it truly means to be an involved member of your church and grow in your faith. Unlike many books on church membership, Being a Christian in the Wesleyan Tradition does not spend a lot of time on bylaws or matters of organization. Instead, the author speaks to the heart of our participation: how we belong, what we believe, how we live, and the possibilities for our growth in faith. Christians belong to a community of faith, John Gooch stresses. Being a Christian in the Wesleyan...

Do no harm. Do good. Practice the spiritual disciplines. Watch over one another in love. ?John Wesley's General Rules Why is this so hard? Does being a part of the Wesleyan tradition make any difference in living out your faith? Does Methodism offer guidance as we look to the future and seek renewal? Methodist Christians sometimes exhibit the most unchristian attitudes and behavior. People notice. And it's reflecting badly on the church, but we can?individually and colle...

The story of how a church dying for more than two decades found its soul—and a new identity. In the foreword to this book, Tex Sample says: "The Christ who is Lord of the Church stands at the margins of the world. To forget either Christ as Lord or the Christ at the margins is to lose our ways as the church…In this faith-inspiring book, John Flowers and Karen Vannoy call the church again to the Christ who is Lord who appears at the margins of established, respectable life." Not Just a One-Nig...

Does Your Church Have a Prayer? presents a model of revitalization, transformation, and discipleship for congregations to fulfill Jesus' prayer in John 17. Your church can move from maintenance to mission, from defending current realities to living into a joyful future. The authors provide pastors and church leaders with a step-by-step planning guide that will equip them for the task of leading the church in a scripturally grounded visioning and strategic ministry planning process. "Every chu...

Finally! A resource that guides a congregation from settling for survival to embracing joyful service. This Participant's Workbook consists of 6 weeks of Bible studies that lead to adopting a collaborative 24-month congregational action plan. Each week's study offers a prayer to open the time together, questions to encourage scriptural reflection, and questions to facilitate feedback as the congregation makes intentional decisions about its mission and ministry. A Leader's Guide is also avail...

A distinguished historian, academic and occasional evangelist I know was hushed by his stunned wife after he said to a friend he was visiting in the hospital, "I hope you don't die." A sentiment delivered sincerely but oh-so-awkwardly. Expressing care to someone in need—whether within the community of faith or beyond—may seem the most natural thing in the world. For some, it is; for others, it's less so. All can improve. Learn to reach out with God's love and care for others as outlined in th...

"Who is missing?" Mark Stamm says this is a quesion the church should ask every time its members gather around the Lord's Table. Participation in the Lord's Supper is not a ritual action we perform as isolated individuals, Stamm points out. Instead, we partake of the sacrament with the whole church in mind, even those who cannot attend. In Extending the Table Stamm discusses historical, theological, and pastoral questions about home Communion demonstrates the central role Communion has play...

Completing the series, The Africana Worship Book (Year C) offers the same diversity as the 2 other volumes with all new material from new voices.