Description: The church monster--according to Bixby--is the personification of ""a wide variety of problems which have arisen in local churches as a result of the heightened levels of conflict and anxiety with which they are dealing."" His goal is to help pastors--as well as laity--to challenge the church monster by dealing with conflict and working through issues that are causing stagnation, early dismissal of pastors, and other discord that detracts from the mission and vision of the church. Bixby invites churches as well as shows them how to be open to the genuine and exciting...
Description: The church monster--according to Bixby--is the personification of ""a wide variety of problems which have arisen in local churches as a r...
""If you are like most pastors, you earnestly thought you knew what the congregation you are serving was like when you answered God's call to serve them. Something has opened your eyes and now you know that you really don't know. The good news is, you are ready to find out "" --from Day One: ""I thought I knew . . ."" When churches are in crisis, pastoral leadership is under attack, and pastors and church officials struggle to find a way to better understand why things happen or don't happen. Thompson's own pastoral experience led her to look beyond the popular ""family systems"" model to...
""If you are like most pastors, you earnestly thought you knew what the congregation you are serving was like when you answered God's call to serve th...
Description: Thompson, a prolific author of church leadership resources, believes the continuing decline in membership of mainline denominations and the increasing number of multicultural and multiracial churches call for a new way of thinking: ministers must begin to see their ministry differently in order to do their ministry differently.
Treasures in Clay Jars is designed to provide persons in training for ministry with a paradigm-shifting framework to interpret and work effectively with the complex dynamics of local faith communities. Thompson takes an innovative approach by utilizing...
Description: Thompson, a prolific author of church leadership resources, believes the continuing decline in membership of mainline denominations a...
Description: By culture, George B. Thompson Jr. means not just racial, ethnic, economic, or regional culture, but also a congregation's way of doing things--its history, customs, conventions, and procedures. In order to launch and maintain a successful ministry, pastors and other church leaders must come to grasp that unique culture of their parish. They must develop a ""culture capital"" within their congregations, meaning that they invest themselves deeply in how their church does its work and goes about its ministries. The author presses clergy to answer such questions as ""How well do I...
Description: By culture, George B. Thompson Jr. means not just racial, ethnic, economic, or regional culture, but also a congregation's way of doing t...
Most congregations today exist in what George Thompson calls the "middle of anywhere." They live comfortably with their surrounding culture, focusing their energies on serving the needs of their current members. These congregations have many strengths and gifts that they can exercise without changing a thing. But Thompson envisions a deeper, more prophetic call for congregations to explore the meaning of being in the world but not of it--a church on the "edge of somewhere." Thompson sees a church that is deeply engaged in ministering to the community while calling on others to commit to doing...
Most congregations today exist in what George Thompson calls the "middle of anywhere." They live comfortably with their surrounding culture, focusing ...
""A vision is not a mission statement,"" declares George Thompson. In the throes of establishing their congregational identity, many church leaders resort to developing a mission statement which gets put in a file drawer and forgotten until the next budget review. The problem is that mission statements focus on concrete achievements; a vision, in contrast, establishes the larger picture of aim, broad purpose, and hopes. In Futuring Your Church, church leaders explore the congregation's heritage, its current context, and its theological bearings. From the insights gleaned, members can discern...
""A vision is not a mission statement,"" declares George Thompson. In the throes of establishing their congregational identity, many church leaders re...
This is a book that tries to help church members step back and see the bigger picture. An effective pastoral relationship is more like a couple who loves to dance together or a band that plays wonderful music. If we spend too much time on the details, without remembering that we want to dance and sing, our church will not have much to offer to Gospel ministry. This book, then, seeks to blaze a new trail for churches who want to thrive in authentic, faithful ministry with their pastor. In other words, it is a book for churches who want to get along with their pastor. It is a book for church...
This is a book that tries to help church members step back and see the bigger picture. An effective pastoral relationship is more like a couple who lo...
What makes the difference between those who aspire to lead and those who actually do it? What does anyone need to know about themselves and others, in order to be ready to lead? How might society benefit from persons who give time and energy to learn the skills of leadership readiness? This book offers a lifelong resource for persons committed to improving their own personal effectiveness as a key step toward leading--in whatever the context, at whatever level. The concepts and terms in this book become tools that strengthen self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship...
What makes the difference between those who aspire to lead and those who actually do it? What does anyone need to know about themselves and others, in...
