Solving the Missing Member Puzzle
Solving the Missing Member Puzzle

Author: Arlon K. Stubbe

Publisher: CSS Publishing

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 159

ISBN-13: 0788023527

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Something is wrong. People are going missing, right in front of your eyes! One minute they are staring back at you from their favorite pew, the next Sunday you are looking at an empty spot in that pew. Is there a way to determine ahead of time which members are the likely "religious dropouts"? Often the clues are clearly visible -- but can you recognize them? What's more, do you know what you can do now to keep your "missing members" from drifting away? The secret lies in knowing and understanding the attitudes and belief systems that people hold, because certain sets of attitudes are linked to inactivity. A detailed examination of this distressingly common experience, Solving The Missing Member Puzzle can help you spot potential dropouts in advance, learn the reasons why they become inactive, and counteract the process with a proactive strategy for reaching them while they are still within your grasp. Based on "blind" interviews with individuals from ten different congregations, it reveals the underlying attitudes and belief systems that encourage or discourage dropping out of church. Solving The Missing Member Puzzle is a valuable tool for leaders of any church or organization -- it shows how you can develop more faithful members, and assists in their growth, participation, and retention. Don't wait until people drop out before you take action. Learn ways to anticipate which members of your congregation might become inactive and the preventive measures that you can take to help keep them in the pews. Arlon K. Stubbe is the pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in Sharon, Pennsylvania. He previously served parishes in Michigan. He is also the author of Shaping the Word (LPTC Publishing). He is a graduate of Carthage College and the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

Missing Person
Missing Person

Author: Sarah Lotz

Publisher: Mulholland Books

Published: 2019-09-03

Total Pages: 480

ISBN-13: 031639663X

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From acclaimed thriller writer Sarah Lotz, hailed by Stephen King as "vastly entertaining," a new novel about a group of amateur detectives infiltrated by the sadistic killer whose crimes they're investigating. Reclusive bookseller Shaun Ryan has always believed that his uncle Teddy died in a car accident twenty years ago. Then he learns the truth: Teddy fled his home in Catholic, deeply conservative County Wicklow, Ireland, for New York and hasn't been heard from since. None of Shaun's relatives will reveal why they lied about his uncle's death or why they want Shaun to leave the whole affair alone. But Shaun has a burning need to find out the truth. His search is unsuccessful until he's contacted by Chris Guzman, a woman who runs a website dedicated to matching missing-persons cases with unidentified bodies. Chris and her team of cold-case obsessives suspect that Shaun is looking for the "Boy in the Dress," one victim in a series of gay men murdered by the same killer. But who are these internet fanatics really, and how do they know so much about a case that has stumped police for decades? Soon armchair sleuths and professional investigators are on a collision course with a sadistic serial killer who's gotten away with his crimes for far too long - and now they're in his sights.

Missing Member
Missing Member

Author: Jo-Ann Power

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Published: 2006-09-19

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 9780312357993

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Few Americans remember these days that politics can be funny. But Texas congresswoman Carly Wagner knows this firsthand. She won her first election delivering one-liners about her opponent that made people chuckle so hard they voted her into his seat. She won not only because she could outtalk her rival but also because she wasn't shy about employing her sexy contralto, big baby browns, and the long legs that once got her the crown of Miss Texas. She doesn't apologize for her methods, either---in the Lone Star State, sassy women have always plowed tough ground to get what they want. Although she currently sleeps alone, professionally, Carly knows politics can make strange bedfellows. But when she walks into her office one morning and finds her party's second most powerful man murdered in her office chair, she finds out that politics can also be deadly serious. Someone has to find the culprit before this capital crime kills Carly's prospects for reelection. Resourceful and gutsy, she wants to go it alone, but her party can't take that chance. When they send in the cavalry, she can't believe the kind of man they choose. He's young, yummy, and lethal. He calls himself Mr. Jones, owns toys like Mr. Bond---and acts like Mr. Corleone. He's one of the town's secret weapons of mass destruction---and she wants nothing to do with him. Then she wants to do everything with him. Missing Member is the first in a vastly entertaining new series featuring the crime-solving duo of Congresswoman Carly and the delectable Mr. Jones.

Know and Be Known
Know and Be Known

Author: Brooke B. Collison

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2007-03-01

Total Pages: 139

ISBN-13: 1566995655

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People yearn for a sense of belonging. Congregations become places of belonging when people find ways to make connections, form relationships, and share their personal stories. That's hard to do in the hasty comings and goings around the typical worship service. It's even hard to do in a choir, committee, or ministry group. In Know and Be Known, Brooke Collison looks at the element missing in most group dynamics today: intentionality about relationships. Counselor, educator, and long-time leader and participant in small groups, Collison knows the power of small groups to create meaningful bonds of friendship and support.