Author: Matt Bloom
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1538118971
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 149
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Book Description
Pastoral work can be stressful, tough, demanding, sometimes misunderstood, and often underappreciated and underpaid. Ministers devote themselves to caring for their congregations, often at the expense of caring for themselves. Studies consistently show that physical health among clergy is significantly worse than among adults who are not in ministry. Flourishing in Ministry offers clergy and those who support them practical advice for not just surviving this grueling profession, but thriving in it. Matt Bloom, director of the Flourishing in Ministry project, shares groundbreaking research from more than a decade of study. Flourishing in Ministry project draws on more than five thousand surveys and three hundred in-depth interviews with clergy across denominations, ages, races, genders, and years of practice in ministry. It distills this deep research into easily understandable stages of flourishing that can be practiced at any stage in ministry or ministry formation.
Author: Richard P. Olson
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1538139685
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 213
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Book Description
Today, many churches and their related agencies and ministries are shrinking. Often a large portion of those who remain are older adults. Celebrating the Graying Church suggests that this is an opportunity for a new and different kind of ministry—a ministry to, with, and from older adults who may have wisdom to pass on to the legacy of the future generations. This book offers opportunities, ideas, and guidance for this new vision and practice of ministry, while also describing how aging adults in ministry can support each other and their faith communities.
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
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Languages : en
Pages : 504
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Book Description
Author: Cynthia G. Lindner
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1566997437
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 177
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Book Description
If there’s one thing upon which contemporary pastors and their congregations can agree, it’s that the practice of ministry in our rapidly changing, increasingly diverse context is a complicated business. Varieties of Gifts highlights the stories of ministers who thrive in this environment, offering inspiration to readers—ministers, seminary students, and people who care for them—on engaging their own multiplicity to build healthy, sustainable ministry. Varieties of Gifts illuminates the inner lives of clergy who lead with courage and creativity, stamina, and soulfulness. The author mines in-depth interviews with twenty pastors in order to demonstrate that the human experience of multiple-mindedness is an essential ingredient for healthy, innovative ministry. Cynthia Lindner, herself an ordained minister, pastoral psychotherapist, and professor, illustrates how the Christian tradition bears witness to creation’s complexity, and how our own multiplicity mirrors God’s abundance. Through the accounts of the pastors themselves, the book illustrates how well-tended ministerial multiplicity can cultivate a rich pastoral identity, navigate congregational conflict, and embrace change in rich, life-giving ways. Rather than an unattainable “quick fix,” Varieties of Gifts profiles relatable pastors and congregations whose lives highlight the rich potential for multiple identities to enhance pastoral life, even in challenging times.
Author: Thad S. Austin
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1666741531
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 189
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Book Description
Like Aaron and Hur who lifted the arms of Moses during battle (Exodus 17), this book highlights the critical work of clergy care providers in America. These individuals and organizations support clergy by providing counseling, coaching, spiritual direction, funding, hospitality, education, and benefits upon which clergy rely. Their ministry strengthens congregations and has the capability to produce an exponential return for the kingdom of God. Yet, these providers are often disconnected. Our groundbreaking national research reveals gaps in the training, qualifications, and formational experiences of clergy care providers. We note differences in language that hinder effective communication as well as significant disparities in the literature that informs clergy care. Addressing these disconnects has the potential to improve the lives of clergy and the congregations and communities clergy serve. Whether you are a clergy care provider, a clergyperson, or a lay leader, we invite you to respond. Working together, we envision a connected network of providers offering more effective support for clergy and improving the congregations and communities they serve.
Author: Jim Herrington
Publisher: Fortress Press
ISBN: 1506463320
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 207
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Book Description
Bold transformation is needed in many of the congregations that cover the American landscape, argue Jim Herrington, Mike Bonem, and James H. Furr, authors of Leading Congregational Change: A Practical Guide for the Transformational Journey. Drawing on their more than one hundred years of combined experience in a wide variety of church-related positions and a deep commitment to the biblical role of the local church, the authors present practical and concrete principles and concepts applicable across a broad spectrum of congregations. Leading Congregational Change presents a simple, memorable, and transferable framework along with principles of congregational transformation--such as God's call for transformation, the central role of spiritual vitality, the sequential nature of effective change, and the learning disciplines. Illustrations and action items offer adaptable suggestions and starting points for discussion. Leading Congregational Change is designed primarily for pastors and other congregational leaders who sense that things are not "just fine" in their churches and realize that deep change is needed. Judicatory staff and church consultants will also find the model for congregational transformation helpful. Individual ministries within a congregation, new congregations, and parachurch organizations can also use it to facilitate their own transformation. A church will grow when it understands and is genuinely committed to demonstrating and sharing the gospel in relevant ways. Growth will be manifested in the deeper commitment of its members. And more people in the community will hear God's call and become faithful disciples of Christ. Leading Congregational Change is a wise and faithful guide for the journey toward such transformation.
Author: Melissa Bane Sevier
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1566995647
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 147
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Book Description
“Time to reflect. Time. This is what clergy renewal is about. To continue in ‘the heat of work’ our whole career is to rob ourselves and our congregations of the time we and they need to reflect on our lives and our call. Here is where change begins.” - Melisa Bane Sevier “Melissa Bane Sevier – fresh from (and refreshed by) a much-needed sabbatical – offers personal testimony, practical advice, and an array of helpful resources that will inspire and empower pastors to seek and then to drink deeply of a time apart. This is a moving statement from and on behalf of our hard-working clergy, written for them but also for those who care about their well-being and that of the congregations they serve.” - Dorothy C. Bass - Author, Receiving the Day: Christian Practices for Opening the Gift of Time “Vital congregational ministry depends on the leadership of pastors, priests, and rabbis whose hearts sing with vision, creativity, faith, competence, and passion. In Journeying toward Renewal Melissa Sevier uses her pastoral sensitivity to tell her own renewal story and the stories of those who have been lead in the planning and practice of renewal leave by the question “What will make my heart sing – again?” Whether you’re planning an extended time of renewal leave, or just trying to bring regular sabbath time back into your days and weeks, this book will be a trustworthy guide.” - Richard Bruesehoff - Director for Leadership Support, ELCA - Co-author of Clergy Renewal: The Alban Guide to Pastoral Sabbaticals
Author: Richard Bullock
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 156699487X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 105
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Book Description
Planned time away from the parish for study, rest, and spiritual renewal can be beneficial-and often necessary-for any pastor, as well as for the congregation. In this thoroughly revised and expanded edition of Alban’s popular Sabbatical Planning for Clergy and Congregations, Bullock and Bruesehoff provide the definitive guide to putting together refreshing pastoral sabbaticals that can help keep ministry vital and growing for the long term
Author: Pamela Cranston
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1666760285
Category : Poetry
Languages : en
Pages : 177
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Book Description
The poems in Pamela Cranston’s The House of Metaphor are an intoxicating blend of spirit, edginess, gravity, play, and paradox, gifts we are given from a mind having what Einstein called “a holy curiosity.” With subjects ranging from singing potatoes to angels and assassins, slave and master to moving recollections of her own childhood and her experience as a priest ministering to hospice patients, the book pulsates nonstop with the poet’s vigor and variety, powered through her boundless imagination and lyrical intensity. Everywhere are surprises, and Cranston’s choice words and marvelous metaphors seem to have been joyfully plucked from the heavens.
Author: Bruce Epperly
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1538145502
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 169
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Book Description
Taking inspiration from the Spanish word for retirement—jubilacion—veteran minister Bruce Epperly challenges and empowers clergy to see retirement as a celebration of new possibilities. Similar in spirit to the Jubilee year described in scripture, retirement can be a time of transformation and exploration, of freedom to try on new versions of yourself and new paths of service. In that spirit, clergy can embrace creative transformation in their relationships, neighborhoods, religious communities, and politics. No longer tethered to the politics and administrative duties of congregational leadership, they can now freely commit themselves to relational, intellectual, and spiritual growth. They can also focus on personal, community, and planetary healing and transformation. Retired clergy can become sages and wisdom givers sharing their insights and energy with seminarians and novice pastors, congregations, and communities. Bringing together the fruits of conversations with more than 100 retired clergy, theological reflection, and spiritual practices, this text provides a way forward for clergy considering retirement and retired clergy. Based on interviews from persons from diverse denominations, theological perspectives, and ethnic and racial backgrounds, this book garners wisdom from pastors on their retirement journeys, from personal preparation and public announcement to first steps following retirement and long-term adventures.
