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Discerning Your Congregation's Future

Purchase through Amazon.com 		Discerning Your Congregation's Future
By Roy M. Oswald and Robert E. Friedrich, Jr.

This is a rare book-combining practical tools for parish planning with equally practical help for the spiritual dimension of what parishes are all about. It can be a revolutionary book for congregational leaders who are serious about wanting to become an effective religious force in the future of their communities. The real surprise for me in this book is the way the spiritual dimension of the congregation is clearly seen as the primary focus. Most planning documents I have seen neglect this dimension, treating the congregation as just another organization. This book also deserves note for bringing the new theories of polarity management out of the closet of conflict management and into the mainstream of building a holistic approach to congregational life. Although extraordinarily practical, this book includes big thinking and opens significant doors. This is not "just another planning handbook."

Loren Mead
Consultant and Founding President, The Alban Institute

There is a little something for everybody in this wonderful new resource from the minds of Oswald and Friedrich - creative model for strategic "visioning," ways of incorporating spiritual practices into the planning environment, practical assistance in managing congregational "polities," and exploration of church norms and myths - with a dash of systems thinking to round it off! It is packaged in a user- friendly style geared for the pastor, members, and lay leaders to do together. The authors do not present strategic planning as an easy process, instead, they acknowledge that all change has a cost and provide assistance in preparing for it. This book is a must for leading churches faithfully into the twenty-first century.

Jill Hudson
Executive Presbyter
Presbytery of Whitewater Valley Presbyterian Church USA Indianapolis, Indiana

Purchase this book through Amazon.com
 
Interim Ministry Network

Visit Interim Ministry's website 		Interim Ministry Network

The Ekklesia Institute recommends that, when your church experiences the loss of a pastor, it enter a time of self study and employ the services of a trained Interim Minister. The best source of the kind of training for which you are looking is the Interim Ministry Network.

Visit Interim Ministry Network's website


Project KickStart

Visit Project KickStart's website 		Project KickStart

PKS is the extraordinarily accessible software I have found to track implementation of the goals churches develop in the Strategic Planning process. It is intuitive, easy to use, asks churches the right questions, and priced very affordably - especially for non-profits.

Visit Project KickStart's website


Ministering to Ministers

Visit MTM's Website 		Ministering to Ministers Foundation

Increasingly, clergy are finding themselves in difficult situations with the churches they serve. Over the past several years, the Rev. Dr. Charles Chandler with a ministry team including psychiatrists and attorneys has developed the Ministering to Ministers Foundation, Inc. We recommend you explore this site in the hope that your needs will be met.

Visit MTM's website


Precept

Visit Percept's Website 		Percept, Inc.

Percept, Inc. is a wonderful source for seeing demographic and ethographic (value) data in the light of your congregation's needs. It may be that your judicatory is already a member and you can realize discounts in acquiring their valuable products. The Ekklesia Institute is also a Percept consultant and makes extensive use of their materials.

Visit Percept's website
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