The twentieth century brought new problems: racial conflict that led to the establishment of regional conferences and the call for Black unions, and congregational rumblings that continue to the present. As the church contemplates a third cycle of restructuring, the author wonders whether it will be flexible enough to change again.
The 21st century is the age of community organizing, from rallies in the streets to online movements for change. What if congregations embraced community organizing? Organizing Church offers a unique perspective that blends proven principles of community organizing and research on socially active congregations into a formula that will revitalize and empower churches as change-agents. Seasoned pastors and community activists Tim Conder and Dan Rhodes will help pastors and other church leaders build healthier congregations, create a deep culture of discipleship in their community, and respond to the challenges presented by the global culture of the 21st century. Organizing Church is the essential field guide for joining the social justice movement today.
"This book is a resource to advance fruitful mission and ministry by improving the organizational design and administrative practices of congregations. Dr. Peter identifies the theological and practical reasons for organizing staff, lay officers, and congregational volunteers. He presents three dominant models for organizing churches and identifies the advantages and disadvantages of each. This book guides church officers to maximize the effectiveness of their congregations' organizational design. It equips board leaders for fruitful service to the Lord and His people. Pastors, professional staff workers, congregational officers, church council members, and board members will gain insights and best practices for more effective leadership of their churches. The book is also an appropriate primer on congregational organization for students preparing for parish ministry"--
"This book is a resource to advance fruitful mission and ministry by improving the organizational design and administrative practices of congregations. Dr. Peter identifies the theological and practical reasons for organizing staff, lay officers, and congregational volunteers. He presents three dominant models for organizing churches and identifies the advantages and disadvantages of each. This book guides church officers to maximize the effectiveness of their congregations' organizational design. It equips board leaders for fruitful service to the Lord and His people. Pastors, professional staff workers, congregational officers, church council members, and board members will gain insights and best practices for more effective leadership of their churches. The book is also an appropriate primer on congregational organization for students preparing for parish ministry"--
We need to get organized around here! That is the common cry of youth workers who feel burdened by so much to do in so little time, so many responsibilities and so few results, so much criticism--it seems--so little support. Paul Borthwick agrees that getting organized is essential for effective your ministry, and he has written an essential book to help those of you in youth ministry organize three different areas of your lives: Personal: How do your personal goals and your need for personal growth fit with your youth ministry? If you're married, are your spouse and children helped or hurt by your involvement with kids? Are your other responsibilities suffering? As Borthwick says, Good ministry is the result of a balanced personal life.Ó Professional: Do you see yourself as a youth professional? Is your interaction with pastor and church board characterized by mutual respect? It's the youth worker who will help other people see youth ministry as a profession and not just a fun-and-games operation.Ó Practical: Is your budget balanced? Do you frequently begin activities feeling only half-prepared? Do your volunteers and coworkers know what is expected of them? Better planning and time management can create programs, lessons, and activities that help people grow, learn, and love each other.Ó Part I of 'Organizing Your Youth Ministry' examines the need to the youth minister to organize his or her personal life as well as ministry, setting priorities, and the special challenges of church youth ministry. Part II addresses the philosophical foundations of youth ministry organization: Why do we do what we do? What is it young people really need? How do you work with a team? Where do parents fit in? Part III discusses how to organize the daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly administrative demands of the youth ministry, from budgets to retreats, from activities to Sunday school lessons, from choir to missions projects, from discipleship programs to the special needs of junior-high students. Part IV helps us to evaluate our goals and to measure the effectiveness of our youth ministry -- always keeping in mind that, as Borthwick says, the ultimate purpose isn't just to produce better programs or a more efficient discipleship systemÓ but to present each person complete in ChristÓ (Col. 1:28 NASB). So if you, like every other youth worker, have too much to do, too little time to do it in, and sometimes don't know where to begin, 'Organizing Your Youth Ministry' can help. Give it a try -- and you'll find out why Paul Borthwick says that organization can be a ministry in itself.
A Christianity Today 2015 Book Award Winner Is your organization in danger of Mission Drift? Without careful attention, faith-based organizations drift from their founding mission. It's that simple. It will happen. Slowly, silently, and with little fanfare, organizations routinely drift from their purpose, and many never return to their original intent. Harvard and the YMCA are among those that no longer embrace the Christian principles on which they were founded. But they didn't drift off course overnight. Drift often happens in small and subtle ways. Left unchecked, it eventually becomes significant. Yet Mission Drift is not inevitable. Organizations such as Compassion International and InterVarsity have exhibited intentional, long-term commitment to Christ. Why do so many organizations--including churches--wander from their mission, while others remain Mission True? Can drift be prevented? In Mission Drift, HOPE International executives Peter Greer and Chris Horst tackle these questions. They show how to determine whether your organization is in danger of drift, and they share the results of their research into Mission True and Mission Untrue organizations. Even if your organization is Mission True now, it's wise to look for ways to inoculate yourself against drift. You'll discover what you can do to prevent drift or get back on track and how to protect what matters most. "No organization is exempt from the danger of drifting away from its original mission. In Mission Drift, Peter and Chris provide solid guidance for remaining laser-focused on core values--from the board level to daily organizational culture. This book is a timely message for any organization working hard to remain Mission True." --Wess Stafford, president-emeritus, Compassion International "Peter Greer and Chris Horst have identified one of the deepest challenges any leader faces: how to ensure that an organization stays true to its mission, especially when that mission becomes countercultural." --Andy Crouch, executive editor, Christianity Today "Essential reading for twenty-first-century believers if we are to gain new vision, unity, and strength. Mission Drift is spine straightening, mind clearing, and courage inspiring. This book is true-north wisdom for leaders--and a gift of hope for the world God loves." --Kelly Monroe Kullberg, founder, The Veritas Forum and author, Finding God Beyond Harvard "Many of us in leadership have learned--often painfully--that our mission needs to be built into every aspect of our organization, from leadership to receptionist, from hiring to implementation. We can't afford not to follow the lessons in this valuable book." --Richard Stearns, president, World Vision U.S. and author, The Hole in Our Gospel "Keeping an eternal perspective is essential in our work. Mission Drift gives a clear message inspiring and challenging us to intentionally keep Christ at the center of all efforts." --David Green, founder and CEO, Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. "Written with clarity, boldness, and urgency, the authors provide insight into and examples of the causes and solutions to drift using the stories of real organizations...A must-read! Recommend this book to every business and church leader."--CBA Retailers+Resources "This book is a must-read for leaders, easy to read, practical, engaging and inspirational. The principals outlined not only apply to major corporations, but also to any organization, church and even to one's own personal life. Mission Drift . . . will be well worth the effort and time, and you will find yourself wanting to begin implementing what you've learned to safeguard your organization from drifting away from its mission."--Foursquare.org
Using an innovative sports analogy, Kaiser provides proven biblical principles of leadership to help board members, pastors, lay leaders, denominational executives, consultants, and dedicated church members succeed in their respective missions. (Church Life)
In a time when churches are focusing on finding strategies and techniques to guarantee success, a movement toward the missional church is emerging. Missional churches are communities created by the Spirit with a unique nature and identity. Purpose and strategies of the church are derivative dimensions, the activities that flow naturally from the church that is focused on Spirit-led ministry. The Ministry of the Missional Church leads pastors, ministry leaders, and laypersons through three simple arguments--the church is; the church does what it is; the church organizes what it does--in order to make sense of how missional churches work. And by focusing the work of the church as the work of the Triune God, this unique book will change the way readers think about the church and the world.
Spiritual management is required for spiritual organization, and yet a ministry's master plan should be the Master's plan for that ministry. Church and Ministry Strategic Planning assists readers in developing a Biblically based blueprint for carrying out the many activities in which the church or ministry is involved. The authors show clearly how careful planning is inspired by the Scriptures ("Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?"--Luke 14:28) and how it improves making decisions today which ultimately affect the ministry's effectiveness tomorrow. Church and Ministry Strategic Planning covers all areas of this type of planning and can be read and reviewed quickly. Through the use of a model of the strategic planning process, the authors show how to develop mission statements, define strategic objectives, develop strategy options and operating strategies, appraise performance, and monitor strategic planning. Readers are led step-by-step through these key areas of creating a strategic plan. Examples and worksheets at the end of each chapter enable pastors, administrators, and lay leaders to develop a strategic plan fitting to their specific ministry or church. The appendixes provide tools used in planning as well as a complete sample strategic plan for a large church. Put these concepts to immediate use in decisionmaking and pursue God's purpose and vision for the church or ministry. If readers take the time and effort to study this book, apply its format, and prayerfully keep God in every step of the plan, here is what the authors believe plan administrators can expect: 1. A sense of enthusiasm in the church or ministry 2. A 5-year plan in writing to which everyone is committed 3. A sense of commitment by the entire church to its overall direction 4. Time for the leaders to do what they have been called to do 5. Clear job duties and responsibilities 6. Clear and evident improvement in the health and vitality of every member of the church staff 7. Measurable improvement in the personal lives of all those in responsible positions with time for vacations, family, and personal pursuits 8.The ability to measure very specifically, the growth and contribution made by senior pastors or evangelists at the close of their careers 9. Guaranteed leadership of the church or ministry because a plan is in place--in writing--and is understood. Even more importantly, a management team and philosophy will be in place to guide the church or ministry into its next era of growth Explore this Biblical perspective on planning and develop a strategic plan that is systematic and continuous and allows the church or ministry to assess its market position, establish goals, objectives, priorities, and strategies to be completed within specified time periods, achieve greater staff and member commitment and teamwork aimed at meeting challenges and solving problems, and muster its resources to meet these changes through anticipation.
