Pastoring a small church is no small job. It can be physically, emotionally, and spiritually exhausting. Read this book for a relief . . . And a turning point. Steve R. Bierly offers the seasoned reassurance of one who has been in the trenches of small-church pastoring. He understands your unique needs and problems not just as a pastor, but as a person. And he shows that, by God's grace, you can fulfill your calling and thrive in the face of its challenges. With humor and fatherly wisdom, Bierly helps you reframe your perspectives on - God - Your ministry - Your relationships - Your...

A biblical look at how to steer a congregation in a new and exciting direction aligned with God's unique purpose for them. Transitioning is written to help church leaders and their congregations successfully navigate change and discover that the rewards far exceed the risk. Drawing principles from the book of Nehemiah, Southerland maps out an eight-step strategy for moving from being a traditional, ministry-driven church to a purpose-driven church. Transitioning illustrates practical, field-tested concepts with examples from the Bible and Southerland's own experience. A detailed workbook...

David Anderson writes about multicultural leadership not from the perspective of an ivory tower intellectual, but as a hands-on practitioner who loves and believes in the body of Christ. . . . If you believe there is no solution to the race problem, I urge you to reconsider and to learn from someone who is on the frontlines of making multicultural ministry a reality in the church today. --Bill Hybels, founding and senior pastor, Willow Creek Community Church Multiculturalism isn't a trend, it's a reality. Evidence of this country's rich racial mix is all around us in our schools, our...

Change agents are pioneers, entrepreneurs, innovators. They can be difficult, annoying, and demanding. But their calling is demanding too: to take a vision and wrench it into reality. When Steve Chalke was asked to be the senior minister of a dying inner-city church, he knew what he wanted: to make it into a Christian equivalent of a first-century synagogue. A place where the community gathered, not just to pray and hear sermons, but to be educated, entertained, and find help. Making it all happen was the harder part. In Change Agents, the author shares twenty-five lessons he learned...

The success of the church's mission lies in large part with the well-being of its families. In Family Ministry, Charles Sell addresses the multiple means by which a congregation can create and sustain healthy family life. In survey after survey, people say that family takes priority, yet family ministries remain scarce in the church, and family disintegration is a significant problem even in evangelical congregations. Family Ministry offers the theoretical, theological, and practical resources for developing needed ministries. This edition reflects the changes that have taken place in both...

Churches of less than 150 remain the rule rather than the exception in American Christianity. However, seminaries don't equip their students in every way that's necessary to effectively lead smaller congregations -- despite the fact that most seminary graduates will becomes small-church pastors. Help for the Small-Church Pastor offers pastors of small churches the guidance and encouragement they need. In this common-sense book, Steve Bierly draws from his eleven years in ministry to show what makes smaller congregations tick. Help for the Small-Church Pastor provides practical insights on...

This book is about how Christian women can identify and focus their leadership skills on tasks that need to be undertaken in the church. It is about how Christian men can recognize and use the leadership talents of the women in the church. Finally, it is about how local churches, those with denominational affiliation and those without, can integrate the full range of women's abilities with the tremendous needs in the kingdom of God.

After accepting a call to preach the gospel, author Mildred Towns soon comes face-to-face with the horrors of her past. Devastated by guilt over her abortions, Towns seeks relief from her mental anguish through prayer lines, with the laying on of hands and anointing oil, but to no avail.

For months Towns mentally wrestles with anguish over her children's deaths. Her emotional chaos eventually brings her to a breaking point. When she is unable to bear the agony any longer, she confesses her fault and receives healing according to James 5:16, which states, "Confess your faults one to...

For years, the many books of Wayne Oates have served as invaluable field manuals for ministers and seminarians. Here, for the first time in one volume and by a minister who studied with him, are selected chapters from this distinguished author's fundamental works. This helpful new book reflects Oates's wisdom, clinical insight, and exhaustive search for scriptural understanding.

In Ministry Loves Company, John Galloway provides new and veteran pastors with insights on establishing and maintaining a vital parish ministry while remaining invigorated by the practice of ministry. Drawing on the image of a congregation as a family, Galloway uses anecdotes to describe the life of a congregation and the life of a pastor, who have both been called to be the body of Christ. Poignant, memorable, and often humorous, Galloway's reflections derive from his own personal experiences as a pastor. Ministry Loves Company uniquely addresses the many challenges facing...

Richard Armstrong and Kirk Morledge present this practical guide for pastoral ministry, offering counsel about a wide range of topics related to a pastor's professional ministry and personal life. Topics include beginning a new ministry, balancing one's personal life and ministry, wrestling with conflict, worrying about church finances, and preaching. This introduction to ministry can function as a textbook as well as an invaluable handbook or desk reference for pastors in the midst of congregational ministry.