Download or read book Facing Messy Stuff in the Church written by Kenneth L. Swetland and published by Kregel Academic. This book was released on with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A collection of fifteen case studies that give church leaders practical and realistic preparation to handle tough issues like sexual harassment, pornography, divorce, and the effects of abortion. The book includes discussion questions, an appendix for facilitating discussions, and a bibliography of additional resources.
Download or read book The Church Case Scenario written by Bruce Bickel and published by Barbour Publishing. This book was released on 2002-07 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The bad news: Statics tell us that half of all people who go to church while growing up leave the church once they become adults. But there is good news: Bruce and Stan, who grew up in the church and survived, recommend the church experience to anyone adventurous enough to give it a shot. They're so positive about the church that they've written this book to show people how to do what they've done: Survive and thrive in the church. Drawing upon nostalgic memories and positive experiences, these two veteran churchgoers make a case for appreciating rather than avoiding it. Bruce and Stan had only two rules to guide them: First, don't take yourself too seriously. Second, take God very seriously. It all adds up to an encouraging and often funny look at the world's greatest institution (and they mean that in a good way).
Download or read book The Church Guide for Making Decisions Together written by Terence Corkin and published by Abingdon Press. This book was released on 2017-05-02 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recent political events in the USA indicate that ordinary people are weary of traditional politics and ways of doing business in the halls of power. A similar mood is present in churches around the world. Ordinary church members are tired of the fighting and politicking that seem to privilege the same people all the time. They want a new way of making decisions in their churches and in their representative meetings. This book shows them how such a hope can be realized. Robert’s Rules of Order, or the traditional parliamentary style of decision-making used in many churches, can work for simple decisions that are aggregated and passed by consent. For complex and divisive issues, churches need a decision process that does not result in a combative, winner-take-all approach to church life. A healthy church also tries to involve commitment from a wide range of stakeholders rather than privilege a few well-informed and capable speakers. A vital and healthy congregation yearns for a more collaborative, respectful, encouraging, engaging, and empowering process. This book on discernment in the church provides a step-by-step guide on how to create a new way of working together. Drawing on tried and tested processes, it advocates for a consensus building approach and showing people how it can work in their setting (local church or judicatory meetings). Readers will learn how to design a consensus building business process for their church meeting while still respecting the denominational and legal requirements under which they must operate. This book is for leaders, members of church boards and committees, and church members who know that there is something wrong with the present system but don’t know what to do about it. This guidebook is hopeful, inspiring, and practical.
Download or read book Can Hope Endure written by James C. Kennedy and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2005 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The spate of books written recently on Christian higher education highlights a common theme -- how numerous colleges founded by church bodies have gradually lost their religious moorings, often culminating in what historian George Marsden calls "established nonbelief." Can Hope Endure? examines the history of Hope College in Holland, Michigan, as it has struggled to find a faithful middle way between secularization and withdrawal from mainstream academic and American culture. Authors James Kennedy and Caroline Simon track Hope College's responses to various social and intellectual challenges through careful analysis of school records, newspaper stories, extant histories, and interviews with faculty members and past presidents. Hope's history reveals that the school is exceptional, having followed the predictable trajectory, yet changing course in some ways. Given this unusual history, the story of why and how Hope College moved toward reestablishing the role of religion in its institutional life yields important lessons for other schools facing the same challenges. Neither an attack on Hope College nor the kind of celebratory institutional history that so many schools have authorized, this book is instead a thoughtful, instructive study written by two professors who have witnessed firsthand many of Hope's struggles to retain its identity and purpose. The book's narrative is enriched by the "binocular vision" provided by a professional historian and a professional philosopher, and collaboration has afforded Kennedy and Simon the critical distance necessary to ask hard questions about Hope and, by extension, other institutions like it. Can Hope Endure? will be of real interest not only to readers associated with Hope College but also to those following or participating in the ongoing conversation about Christianity and higher education.
Download or read book A Case Study in Contextualization written by Fred W. McRae and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2014-01-30 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The content of the gospel never changes; however, communicating it constantly fluctuates. Conveying the gospel to a homeless, hungry woman may include providing a hot bowl of chili, while an agnostic co-worker might be open after several rounds of golf. The message is the same, but the method of communicating it is as wide and varied as life itself. Finding the correct method is like hitting the "sweet spot" on a tennis racket or golf club. It takes time, study, and practice, but once you find it you have more success.
Download or read book Authority and Power in the Free Church Tradition written by Paul Mansfield Harrison and published by . This book was released on 1959 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Kingdom Calling written by Amy L. Sherman and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2011-11-02 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Amy Sherman unpacks Proverbs 11:10--"When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices"--to develop a theology and program of vocational stewardship. Here is practical help for churches, ministries and other faith communities to navigate the complex process of following Jesus in those places where we happen to prosper.
Download or read book What Is the Mission of the Church written by Kevin DeYoung and published by Crossway. This book was released on 2011-09-08 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Social justice and mission are hot topics today: there's a wonderful resurgence of motivated Christians passionate about spreading the gospel and caring for the needs of others. But in our zeal to get sharing and serving, many are unclear on gospel and mission. Yes, we are called to spend ourselves for the sake of others, but what is the church's unique priority as it engages the world? DeYoung and Gilbert write to help Christians "articulate and live out their views on the mission of the church in ways that are theologically faithful, exegetically careful, and personally sustainable." Looking at the Bible's teaching on evangelism, social justice, and shalom, they explore the what, why, and how of the church's mission. From defining "mission", to examining key passages on social justice and their application, to setting our efforts in the context of God's rule, DeYoung and Gilbert bring a wise, studied perspective to the missional conversation. Readers in all spheres of ministry will grow in their understanding of the mission of the church and gain a renewed sense of urgency for Jesus' call to preach the Word and make disciples.
Download or read book Child Protection in Church written by Michael A.. Guerzoni and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 219 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Child Protection in the Church investigates whether, amidst publicised promises of change from church institutions and the introduction of “safe church” policies and procedures, reform is actually occurring within Christian churches towards safeguarding, using a case study of the Anglican Diocese of Tasmania, Australia. Through the use of interviews and document analysis, the book provides an insight into the attitudes and practices of “ordinary clergypersons” towards child sexual abuse and safeguarding to understand how safe ministry is understood and executed in everyday life in the Church, and to what extent it aligns with policy requirements and criminological best practice. It adopts organisational culture theory, the perspective used to explain how clerical culture enabled and concealed child sexual abuse in the Church to the present, in order to understand how clerical attitudes (cognition) and practice (conduct) today is being shaped by some of the same negative cultures. Underlying these cultures is misunderstandings of abuse causation, which are shown here to negatively shape clerical practice and, at times, compromise policy and procedural requirements. Providing an insight into the lived reality of safeguarding within churches, and highlighting the ongoing complexities of safe ministry, the book is a useful companion to students, academics, and practitioners of child protection and organisational studies, alongside clergy, church leaders, and those training for the ministry.
Download or read book Reading the Bible outside the Church written by David G. Ford and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2018-07-12 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In many places in the Western world, churchgoing is in decline and it cannot be assumed that people have a good grasp of the Bible’s content. In this evolving situation, how would “the person on the street” read the Bible? Reading the Bible Outside the Church begins to answer this question. David Ford spent ten months at a chemical industrial plant providing non-churchgoing men with the opportunity to read and respond to five different biblical texts. Using an in-depth qualitative methodology, he charts how their prior experiences of religion, sense of (non)religious identity, attitudes towards the Bible, and beliefs about the Bible all shaped the readings that occurred.
Download or read book Preparing for Ministry written by George M. Hillman and published by Kregel Academic. This book was released on with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most seminaries now require their students to get real world training by way of supervised theological field education. This volume presents the wide array of issues that must be understood in order to integrate theological education and practical ministry, including the importance of theological field education, its purpose and challenges, the need for flexibility in meeting different students' needs, and the resources available to create a meaningful and educational experience.
Download or read book The People s Quest for Leadership in Church and State written by Frank Brennan and published by ATF Press. This book was released on 2016-03-31 with total page 77 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In these reflections on leadership in Church and State, Frank Brennan states ideals and proposes practical challenges in addresses ranging from his non-partisan 'Light on the Hill' address to the Australian Labor Party after the 2013 federal election to his address to the representatives of the world's Jesuit universities. He reflects on the leadership of past prime ministers Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser. He offers insights into tested leadership with his ANZAC Centenary Address in the Harvard Memorial Chapel. He challenges church leaders to be more transparent and compassionate in their responses before the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. He draws inspiration from leaders like Pope Francis, El Salvador's Archbishop Oscar Romero and Redfern's Fr Ted Kennedy. Frank writes with the conviction that we the people are seeking spiritual and political leaders who can inspire us to dedicate ourselves to taking up the burdens of the fallen in the Great War and, with the same high courage and steadfastness with which they went into battle, to setting our hands to the tasks they left unfinished (some of which they could not possibly have imagined a century ago), and giving our utmost to make the world a better and happier place for all people, through whatever means are open to us. As well as being bloodied and tested, our new leaders need to be nurtured, encouraged, and espoused. They need strong moral contours to navigate the modern demands of leadership when taking on the big issues like climate change and entrenched inequality.
Download or read book A Feminist Case Study in Transnational Migration written by Mary Gallant and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2009-03-26 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although until now virtually unacknowledged in the field of women’ education, Anne Jemima Clough was active throughout her long life in the field. Among other positions, she held the position of principal of Newnham College, Cambridge, for more than a decade, from 1880 until her death in 1892. But in spite of her prominent position, her achievements were overshadowed by her more visible and vocal contemporaries in higher education, such as Emily Davies and Josephine Butler. Nevertheless, she was always a loyal and tenacious follower and an uncomplaining worker. In a subdued way she lived and laboured fervently for the furtherance of women’s education. Quietly, and with remarkably little encouragement or guidance, she pursued and finally realized her dream, a dream that would at last allow her to help make education accessible to all women. In this volume I have compiled, edited, and annotated most of Anne Jemima Clough’s unpublished papers. In addition to transcribing her diaries, or notebooks, I have incorporated chronologically into the text some examples of the voluminous amount of correspondence she wrote and received during a long life filled with activity The Anne Jemima Clough.papers will not only provide raw material for scholars studying the women’s movement during the nineteenth century, but they will also be a useful and engaging read for all students and scholars of the women’s movement, education, Victorian feminism and gender studies.
Download or read book Sexual Abuse Within the Church written by Chris Rush Burkey and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-11-11 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book takes a holistic approach by providing insight into the behavior and nature of sex offenders within the church. The text covers various types of sex offenders as well as their criminal propensities and methods of acquiring victims. Warning signs associated with sex crimes within the church are explained as well as security measures and prevention strategies that church leaders and criminal justice professionals can utilize to minimize risk to congregants. Discussion questions and case study scenarios are provided to allow the reader to examine relevant issues and explore a range of potential solutions and interventions. This comprehensive book is intended for criminal justice academicians who teach courses on sex crimes and sex offenders, criminal justice agents (police and investigators), seminary professors and students, and clergy members. It can also assist security teams, church board members, leaders, and teachers in developing intervention and prevention strategies.
Download or read book The Church Militant written by Graham R. Smith and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2016-11-08 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A worldview of "spiritual warfare" is widely held among charismatics and Pentecostals, but it has been criticized for producing paranoia and denying personal responsibility. It is less well known that the term was first used in print around 1970 by Anglican charismatics. What did it mean to them then, and what are the practical effects of their worldview? Should we now be adopting a more sophisticated ontology of evil, such as Nigel Wright's "non-ontological realist" view or Amos Yong's "apophatic theology" of the demonic, rather than the traditional one that Satan and demons are real ontological entities? This practical theological study begins with a study of Anglican charismatic pioneers, and an in-depth case study of a charismatic Anglican congregation, before grappling with the ontological question in dialogue with Wright (together with Barth and Walter Wink), Yong, and Gregory Boyd. A fresh engagement with the biblical texts then argues for a positive, realist ontology for rebellious demonic powers and presents a Trinitarian model of spiritual warfare praxis that emphasizes personal responsibility and promotes freedom from fear.
Download or read book Shiloh A Case Study In Surprise written by Major William J. McCaffrey and published by Pickle Partners Publishing. This book was released on 2015-11-06 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The commander must remain ever vigilant against surprise, for attacks born of the unexpected have the potential to alter quickly and irreversibly the relative combat power of opposing forces. A commander is better prepared to meet this threat when he is familiar with those factors which have contributed to surprise during past conflicts. This thesis investigates the surprise phenomenon through a case study of the battle at Shiloh Church. General Ulysses S. Grant, during the American Civil War, bivouacked his army near Shiloh Church on the Tennessee River’s west bank while he awaited General Don Carlos Buell and the Army of the Ohio. On Buell’s arrival the combined armies were to attack Corinth, Mississippi, where the Confederate forces under General Albert Sidney Johnston were known to be entrenched. Realizing the combined strength of the two Union armies would eventually prove overwhelming, Johnston decided to attack Grant’s position before Buell could reinforce. He therefore attacked early Sunday morning, 6 April 1862. Apparently unaware that an attack was imminent, Grant had encamped his army with little regard for defense. The Confederates enjoyed success and forced the Union army against the Tennessee River. However, Buell reinforced Grant that evening, and on the following day the Union armies counterattacked and drove the Confederates back toward Corinth. Thus, the battle ended on a rather indecisive note. Among the more important conclusions of the thesis are: 1. Although the Union forces below division level anticipated the Confederate attack. Grant and his command echelon were completely surprised. 2. Surprise was achieved because the Union had violated several principles of war, chiefly: objective, offensive, maneuver, unity of command, and security. 3. The Confederates were not without fault, for, had certain mistakes been avoided, their army might have won a total victory.
Download or read book Participatory Case Study Work written by Sion Williams and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-01-03 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Participatory Case Study Work shows academic co-researchers how to adapt and implement their methods so that data collection and analysis is authentically participatory. At the heart of this text is advocating a participatory approach to case study work, with co-construction as a catalyst for shared understanding and action in advancing ageing studies. Whilst case study research has a relatively long tradition in the canon of research methodologies, little attention has so far been paid to the importance and value of participatory case study work. This is surprising as its egalitarian and democratic value-base naturally lends itself to the co-production and co-creation of personal and collective theory drawn directly from lived experience. The book brings together over 15 years’ worth of participatory case study work in ageing studies in which the editors have been actively involved as either front-line researchers or as supervisors to PhD and MPhil studies adopting the methodology, and from where each of the contributors is selected. Real-life case examples are shared in the main chapters of the book and they provide direction as to how learning can be applied to other settings. The chapters also contain key references and recommended reading. This volume will appeal to undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as postdoctoral researchers interested in fields such as research methods, qualitative methods, ageing studies and mental health studies.
