Ministry Leadership

Respected church consultant, founder and CEO of Church Answers, and author of several church leadership books Thom S. Rainer shows how the trend of low church attendance is slowly undermining churches and sending many to the grave. With this leadership parable, Thom illustrates the five key dysfunctions that plague congregations and block healthy church growth. He demonstrates why church leaders need to pay more attention to core issues like unbelief, membership, and dedication to evangelism.

The Five Hazardous Attitudes are Anti-authority, Invulnerability, Macho, Impulsivity, and Resignation. Aircraft accident investigators have found that at least one of these hazardous attitudes have played a role in almost every aircraft accident. But pilots are not the only people who sometimes crash.

Why are homosexual clergymen the biggest homophobes? Why do they hide sexual offenders behind clerical collars? Why do they hate Pope Francis so much? The answers to these and many other questions are what French sociologist F. Martel, looks for in his interviews with the clergymen. His book is a result of an investigation conducted in 30 countries. He finds that the Church has the biggest community of homosexuals in the world.

Christian men and women across the country experience leadership in many different ways. Some lead a congregation, youth group or ministry, some in their homes, businesses, or non-professional organizations. The lives of many followers of Christ are marked by a combination of these roles. In Leadership by the Book, Brent Garrison offers examples from each book of the Old and New Testaments of how God's servants have led his people

Is your church a rowboat church or a sailboat church? Rowboat churches depend largely on human effort. When church budgets shrink and membership declines, rowboat churches frantically row harder against a current. Sailboat churches, on the other hand, take up the oars, hoist sails, and rely on the Holy Spirit to guide them. Arguing that churches should be "sailboats," Joan S. Gray encourages listeners to shift concern from the many daily, practical concerns of their local church to fresh ideas that can be found using the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The Heart of the Artist will give you a better understanding of yourself and your unique place in the body of Christ. You'll find wisdom and encouragement that can help you survive the challenges and reap the rich joys of a ministry in the creative arts. Each chapter includes provocative questions for group discussion and personal action steps for individual application. Somewhere between pride and self-abasement lies true humility - just one aspect of the balanced character God wants to instill in you as a creative person involved in ministry.

In recent decades, Americans in Rome have revived an ancient Christian custom: the daily pilgrimage to dozens of Rome's most striking churches during Lent and Easter Week. Along this historical and spiritual pathway, pilgrims encounter hidden artistic wonders and treasured Christian commentaries while also confronting the great mysteries of the Christian faith through a program of biblical and early Christian readings. The itinerary of the Roman station church pilgrimage offers Christians an opportunity to reflect on their religion and ponder the quality of their discipleship.

An essential guide for maintaining integrity and preserving the good standing of your church in the face of a crisis, Church on Trial will teach you how to maintain and earn congregational trust and unity; safeguard your church's reputation preemptively and proactively before it crashes and burns; implement best practices for crisis prevention and recovery; build relationships and collaborate with trusted legal advisors; and gracefully handle negative media attention and publicity.

Sometimes people lose sight of the core of their ministry. They feel overwhelmed by the needs that surround them on a daily basis. Wise and beloved pastor Warren Wiersbe invites ministry leaders to listen in on thirty short "armchair chats" to encourage and strengthen them for service. He shares what he wishes he had known about ministering to others when he began his own Christian pilgrimage.

Neither "everything's fine" nor "burn it all down", Stringer offers a thoughtful appreciation of evangelicalism's history, identity, and strengths, but also lament for its blind spots, toxic brokenness, and complicity with injustice. From this complicated space, we can move forward with informed vision rather than resignation and with hope for our future together.

Spirit and Sacrament by pastor and author Andrew Wilson is an impassioned call to join together two traditions that are frequently and unnecessarily kept separate. It is an invitation to pursue the best of both worlds in worship, the Eucharistic and the charismatic, with the grace of God at the center. Wilson envisions church services in which healing testimonies, creeds, exuberant praise, and ancient liturgy coexist, and in doing so, deepen our worship and increase our joy.

From personal experiences in his ministry through comedy, Brad Stine has chosen 11 concepts to consider as a Christian. Are they really true, or do we just believe them to be credible - even though there's no biblical support for them? More importantly, how does the belief in their veracity affect non-believers if we're wrong? Brad has carefully considered these ideas, as well as lived many of them.

While we can't determine how God will act, we can be expectant and anticipate his work. And revivals are not just experienced-they can be led. James Choung and Ryan Pfeiffer have seen revival in their own ministries, with remarkable transformation in both individuals and communities. They unpack what revival looks like, how Christians can anticipate it, and how they can experience it in their own lives and in larger movements. They provide a model of revival leadership for Christians who want to facilitate and spread revival in their contexts.

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.

Learn to love your ministry or leadership role again as you develop yourself and experience greater success. The Christian Leader Blueprint is a life-changing model that will propel you to a new level of leadership influence—something you have longed to have.

Within The Leader's Checklist, you will find 10 simple, practical, and effective action steps to develop your leadership abilities. Whether you lead a company, a church, a network marketing team, a youth group, a department, or a home, the information shared will benefit you and help you reach the next level.

Sloppy talk about Christianity has become an acceptable prejudice. Tired of Apologizing for a Church I Don't Belong To provides humorous yet knowledgeable commentary on the way religion is talked about today. Daniel explains Christian ideas and practices in non-academic, yet non-facile terms. In her signature style, she outlines four types of non-church-goers: no-longer, no-way, never-have, not-yet.

Our world has been torn asunder by racial, ethnic, and ideological differences. It is seen in our politics, felt in our families, and ingrained in our theology. Sadly, the church has often reinforced these ethnic and racial divides. To cast off the ugliness of disunity and heal our fractured humanity, we must cultivate spiritual practices that help us pursue beautiful community. In The Beautiful Community, pastor and theologian Irwyn Ince boldly unpacks the reasons for our divisions while gently guiding us toward our true hope for wholeness and reconciliation.

The Garden in Eden was filled with fruit-producing trees, sprouting plants and grasses, and gently flowing rivers. Adam, G-d's chosen king/priest, was called to cultivate the garden's fertile soil, to guard the sacred space from external enemies, and to rule over the Earth. After breaking covenant with YHWH, his king, Adam was banished to the field, a place of thorns and thistles, where he became a slave to the earth. The Temple Revealed in the Garden: Priests and Kings examines the Garden story from an ancient Near East perspective.

Reggie McNeal enjoys helping leaders pursue more kingdom-focused lives. He currently serves as a senior fellow for Leadership Network and city coach for GoodCities. In his consulting and speaking, Reggie draws on his experience as a pastor, denominational leader, seminary teacher, and leadership development coach for thousands of church leaders across North America and the world.