Just as there are various characteristics for the different stages of life in the physical, psychological, and physical areas, there are also characteristics for the different stages of life in the spiritual area. This book shares what some of those characteristics are and the challenges of ministering to them in the church.

Strategic planning is a lost art (if it ever was an art) for the average local church. Most strategic planning consists of changing the year on last year's calendar. As a result, most church move down the road of change without realizing the changes taking place and without preparing for the new challenges that are ahead. This book takes the reader through the misconception that "our church isn't changing" to the reality that it is. It then goes through the process by which the church can do strategic planning so that it can be in charge of the changes instead of letting the changes be in...

What should be the result of Christ's entering a person's life. If salvation brings a changed eternity, should it not also bring a changed here-and-now? The author of this book insists that it does. He argues that those attributes that comes with salvation ought to overflow into the lives of others.

The pastor or church-worker who is asked to counsel a couple who are members of the congregation runs the risk of finding out too much concerning the problem. As a result, many times the counselor may be able to help the couple through the problem, but the couple no longer feels comfortable in the church with the pastor or church worker knowing the secret failures. The marriage is saved, but the membership is lost. Suggestions are made in this book that will help the counselor not only save the marriage, but also keep the couple in the fellowship of the church.

If ever human society has needed men and women of wisdom who can give wise leadership, it is today. Yet, in an era when knowledge has never been more revered, true wisdom seems to be a scarce commodity. At a time when more people hold more degrees from more institutions than at any other point in human history, we join with those in the fable who searched through their city for a wise man . . . and found none. The author shares the route to wisdom and encourages his readers to continue on that route.

The emotions are a strong part of our human make-up. They can control what we do unless we control them. Gaining power over our emotions by our actions and thinking, we are able to have a happier and more fulfilling life.

There is a pressure on the pastor that never goes away. Most times the pastor is not aware of the pressure because he has lived under it for so long. But, it is there. He may mark a day on the calendar as his "day off," but one phone call and he is at the hospital, or at the home of a hurting person. He may plain a vacation with his family and is far away from home, but again, one phone call can cancel the plans as they rush back home because of a death in the church's family. In retirement, that pressure goes away and for that the pastor can be thankful. However, there is another pressure...