Development
Diocese of Eastern Michigan
Ministries Resource Center
Subject: Congregational/Leadership Development
Topic:
Congregational Development
Congregational
Development
Helpful Links: Alban Institute: www.congregationalresources.org
Easum-Bandy
Associates: www.easumbandy.com
Richard
Kew: www.thekewfiles.net
The
following items are located at the
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Ministries Resource Center Home Congregational/ Leadership Development Stewardship/Mission and Outreach |
www.congregationalresources.org
Richard Bass, ed, Alban
Institute, This is a series of essays on various aspects of congregational development
which are primarily devoted to explaining resources in the particular area
which are available on-line. Each essay includes a number of resources and an
extended bibliography. Congregational Size and Changes The following materials deal with the sizes of congregations, the
particularities of the sizes, and how to change sizes. Small, Strong Congregations Kennon L. Callahan, Jossey-Bass, A vision of the church of the future which may be a small but healthy
congregation; offer practical advice for church leaders who wish to
strengthen their congregations; Index Making the Small Church
Effective Carl S.
Dudley, Abingdon Press, Helping those in a small church make the most effective use of its
members, leaders, and resources. How to Break Growth
Barriers Carl F. George, Baker
Book House, Subtitled: Capturing overlooked
opportunities for church growth; looks at effective leadership and
delegation skills Alice Mann, Alban
Institute, Washington DC The In-Between
Church: Navigating Size Transitions in Congregations (Video) What Size Should We Be: Visioning
the In-Between Church w/Leader guide Raising the Roof Alice Mann, Alban Institute, This is a process oriented book to help churches move from the
pastoral size to programmatic size; it talks about what to expect when
changing, size characteristics, and barriers to growth; Mann also gives some
exercises to do to help look at problem areas and how to move forward. 2
copies Congregational Vitality
Series - Arlan J. Rothauge, Episcopal Parish Services, Reshaping a Congregation
for a New Future Looks at transitions and churches making the transition from one style
to the next; 2 copies Sizing Up a Congregation Looks at the various size churches and how
they can encourage new members; one of the seminal discussions of size and
growth situations; 5 copies The Multiple Staff and the
Larger Church Lyle E.
Schaller, Abingdon Press, A discussion of the differences from smaller churches and how the many
members-volunteer and paid-can work together to have an effective ministry in
the church. Megachurches and A discussion of how churches can grow in their communities Against All
Odds: Ten Stories of Vitality in Small Churches - Charles R. Wilson and Lynne Davenport,
Jethro Publication; 1982 Examples of different kinds of small churches Membership Concerns for Growth These materials look at a variety of membership issues and
how they affect health and growth in a congregation Boiling Point George Barna, Regal Books, Helping members of the congregation deal with the many changes in
their lives. Understanding Generation
Next George Barna,
Regal Books, (Video) Understanding Todays
Teens George Barna, Gospel Light, Part of a church leadership series and includes reproducible handouts (Audio Cassettes) Clear Vision
Conference 2000 Episcopal Diocese of 8 Youth Ministry and the Vision 9 Multiculturalism and the Vision 17 Revitalizing and Growing African-American Congregations Clear Vision Conference 1999 Episcopal Diocese of 19 Strategies for Reaching Young People Workshop 5 GenNext Ministry In Search of the Unchurched Alan C. Klass, Alban Institute
Publication, The Baby Boomerang Doug Murren, Regal Books, Subtitled: Catching Baby Boomers
as They Return to Church New Radical Welcome Stephanie Spellers,
Church Publishing; 2006 Spellers welcome is addressed to anyone coming through the church
doors, but especially to the Other, the one who is different from your
existing congregation. She explores the theology behind welcoming the other
before pointing out what needs to change in our patterns of welcome and
inclusion to truly make these people members. She is looking at those who are
of a different race, those who are of different ages-mostly younger-and even
those who have at some point been pushed out of a church and are taking very
hesitant steps into reengaging with the church. It is an interesting and
important book with which all congregations should be familiar. (Video) The Balancing Act-The Congregation as Emotional System -
Dr Peter Steinke,
Seraphim Communications, Inc Includes 2 sessions, 90 min How Your Church Family Works - by Peter L. Steinke, Alban Institute, Explains the need
to understand emotional systems and guides through the emotional forces often
at work in congregations; 10 chapters Welcome! Andrew D. Weeks, Alban Institute
Publication, Subtitled: Tools and Techniques for New Member Ministry Growth in a Healthy Church These are
materials that talk about change and growth in healthy ways; they provide
some new ways of looking at things even in a healthy congregation. A Church for the 21st
Century Leith The Habits of Highly Effective Churches George Barna, Regal Books, Projects that Matter Kathleen A. Cahalan, Alban Institute, Many church
projects-from simple to very complex-flounder because they lack the
appropriate planning. This book contains information for the appropriate
planning and evaluation of church projects. Examples of charts and tables are
included. (Video)Understanding the Thriving Church
System Easum-Bandy Associates, Port (60 min); w/work book Building Up the Church - Forward Movement Publications, 13 chapters on
various areas to be examined for church growth, such as: Newcomers,
Liturgy and Worship, Adult Education, etc Brave New Church Richard Kew, Morehouse Publishing, A look at 10 trends which have tremendous impact on the Church in the
next decade and century; each chapter includes discussion question,
bibliography, and a list of helpful websites connected with the particular
trend A guide to 8 essential qualities of healthy churches The Power of Asset Mapping Luther Snow, Alban Institute,
Washington DC; 2004 Another instrument for helping congregations and groups focus on the
positive and build from there Alive Again,
Recession and Recovery in the Churches Reginald Stackhouse, Anglican Book Centre, Stories of
churches visited by the author that are healthy and growing; provides ideas
and challenges for congregations and shows that pastoral zeal and hard work
are still important The Innovative Church Merton P. Strommen, A brief look at innovation and change, followed by 7 steps to bring
about positive change in a congregation The Gives ideas for how a congregation can be truly welcoming The Purpose Driven Church Rick Warren, Zondervan Publishing, New Places of Promise, Cynthia Woolever and Deborah Bruce,
Westminster/John Knox Press, Louisville KY; 2008 Woolever and Bruce take a look
at the idea that the location of a church will have significant consequences
on whether it can grow or not. They look at location with broad brush
strokes-region of the country-to very fine strokes-the demographics of a 3
mile radius around the church. Their work is quite thorough and divides the
Church into Roman Catholic, Mainline Protestant, Conservative Protestant, and
Other; they look at all the factors in relation to the whole church and then
these parts. Their final conclusion is that the actual location has little
effect; any church can be healthy regardless of location. However, along the
way, they do point out those things that will help a church grow in a
particular location. Lots of maps and charts, and theres a discussion of the
data collection in the appendices. Change Change-a dreaded
activity but one that is often necessary for the health of a congregation;
these books will help change to occur in a
managed way Kicking Habits: Welcome
Relief for Addicted Churches Thomas
G Bandy, Abingdon Press; 1997 The Second Coming of the
Church George Barna,
Word Publishing, (Video) How to Turn Around Your
Church George Barna, Gospel Light, Overcoming barriers to growth and bringing new life to your
congregation Groundwork ECUSA; 2005 Focuses on lectionary readings for Year A Groundwork II James B. Lemler and Charles N. Fulton,
ECUSA; 2006 A follow-up on last years Groundwork, this years edition focuses on
bringing about change and growth through a Lenten study of the lectionary
readings for each week. Each week includes an introduction to the topic, a
variety of activities and various ways to approach them, and comments from
other voices. Designed for Lent, the 5 session study could be used at other
times as well. 3 copies w/background information; 4 copies of study Groundwork III TEC; 2007 Focuses on the lectionary readings for Year C Pouring New Wine into Old
Wineskins Aubrey
Malphurs, Baker Books, How to change a church without destroying it; worksheets to copy Reclaiming the Great Commission Bishop Claude E Payne and How to transform our dioceses Congregational Vitality
Series - Arlan J. Rothauge, Episcopal Parish Services, Parallel Development
Discusses how change can be encouraged but managed within a
congregation Dealing with Disasters One of the most sudden
changes that must be faced is a disaster of some kind: fire, flood, etc.
Several groups have begun to develop disaster response plans. New Disaster Response Plan Episcopal
Diocese of New York; 2004 Following the terrorist attacks on New Disaster Management in the Church and
Synagogue Library Nadia
J. Martin; 2000 A discussion about how to protect your library, media center, or
resource center from a disaster and how to recover from one. Church Plants Information about starting a brand new church (Audio Cassettes) Clear Vision Conference
1999 Episcopal Diocese of 2 Church Planting 10 One Foot Planted, One Foot Stepping
Out 13
Diocesan Perspective on Church Planting
14 Effective Coaching of Church Planters
15 How to Start a Church, How to Gather People 20 The Missioners Perspective on Church Planting Workshop 2
Church Planting and Redevelopment The Church Planting Toolkit Robert E Logan & Steven L Ogne, Church
Smart Resources A self study resource kit: a notebook outlining each of 12 lessons,
w/cassette tape for each lesson; lessons include check list, action planning
list, work sheet, and prayer focus (2 copies) Right Start: A Notebook for
Church Planting George
Martin, Seabury Western Seminary; 2000 |
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See also: Anglican/Episcopal Church
Episcopal Church A Report on Episcopal Churches in the A look at the facts and figures about the Episcopal Church, in some
cases compared with other mainline churches, many charts and graphs Music and Worship Worship
Resources Starting a Seeker Sensitive
Service Ed Dobson, Zondervan
Publishing House, A discussion of how churches can reach the unchurched by starting
small, nontraditional services; the appendix gives practical suggestions |
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Classical Studies of Church Growth
The following items are located at the Challenge for Change Wesley Frensdorff and Charles R. Wilson A look at the function of the clergy in various size congregations and
discussions of the function of the clergy vs the ministry of all the
baptized; 6 copies How to Grow a Church and Ten Steps for Church Growth
Donald McGavran and Win
Arn Two foundational books in discussing church growth, the authors ideas
may have been updated by more recent authors, but still good stuff Using real examples, the author shows how churches can turn themselves
around by using group dynamics; 2 copies Your Church Can Grow C Peter Wagner Another of the foundational studies |
For more information or to borrow a
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