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This section contains information about books and websites that might be useful to ministry leaders at Immanuel. Browse the list below - I hope you'll find these resources as motivating as I did! - Lisa Jaeger Books *Note - Pastor Schneider has many of these resources; the Church Library may, too. So check before you buy! I, Lisa Jaeger, have read most of these and would be happy to discuss any questions or insights you have. Are You Committed? - Jay McSwain, 2007. An excellent book for leaders and pastors about ministry work and the cycle involved to really mobilize members for ministry. The Care and Feeding of Volunteers - Douglas W. Johnson, 1978. Gives lots of recruiting techniques. The Church of Irresistible Influence - Robert Lewis and Rob Wilkins, 2001. Great stories of building bridges into the community, based on the experiences of an Arkansas church. An inspiring description and story showing how a church can become an irresistible influence on its neighborhood, community, and world by building bridges over troubled waters to a dying culture through showing the love of God in action (from Amazon.com description). The Collaboration Challenge - James E. Austin, 2000. Austin identifies major alliances and examines how they function, looking at the various stages through which they must pass. He explains the role of top leadership and emphasizes the importance of a strategic "fit" between the two partners. Austin suggests different areas within organizations for alignment as well as ways for partners to analyze the value of their collaboration. He then considers ongoing practical management issues and concludes with guidelines for collaborations and questions that must be addressed (from Amazon.com description). Doing Church as a Team - Wayne Cordeiro, 2005. This book gives insights into how we can structure today's church into teams much like Jesus had his team of disciples. It covers topics such as how to create a church vision, identify and use members' gifts, prevent burnout, etc. Very inspirational and practical. The Equipping Church - Sue Mallory, 2001. Hands-on guide to how to create a church environment that equips members for service. The Externally Focused Church - by Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson, 2004. This book focuses on motivating strategies to bring the Good News of the Gospel from our churches into our wider world through Good Works. Find Your Fit - Dare to Act on God's Design for You - by Jane Kise and Kevin Johnson, 1998. A helpful, PLACE-type resource for teens. Growing Dynamic Teams - Group Training Series A workshop to help your ministry leaders develop effective teams. Even if you have never led a workshop before, you can successfully guide your leaders through this team building experience.
Includes:
Tips on being a great workshop facilitator
Easy preparation, including a checklist of all the steps to lead
A facilitator's guide, including a script to lead you through each minute of this half-day workshop
Reproducible printed handouts for the participants
Reproducible printed copies of the presentation visuals
A CD-ROM with files containing the handouts and presentation visuals Go to the Group Publishing site - http://store.grouppublishing.com to order (and for more resources too!) Leading the Team-Based Church - George Cladis, 1999. Great strategies for revitalizing the church structure to be more team-oriented and focused on outreach. Living Beyond Myself - Discover Joy Through Serving Others - by Bill Hybels, 1996. A Biblical examination of servanthood - part of a campaign to have whole churches examine this topic. Living a Life on Loan - Finding Grace at the Intersections - by Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson, 2006. Through personal examples and hundreds of heartwarming stories of selfless living, the reader is challenged to move from living a life of dull routine to a life filled with passion and the pursuit of purposeful adventure filled living.
The underlying theme of the book is the life story of the reader and how this relates to God's bigger story. The reader is: encouraged to record his passions, purpose, priorities and values; to examine how they connect with other's stories; to recognize resources to help, with others, write new endings to their stories; and commit to making a difference beyond life here on earth.
The authors encourage the reader to write the "rest of the story" of their own lives by using the questions at the end of each chapter to record personal responses to soul-searching questions that incorporate what they know into action steps for serving others. (taken from Amazon.com review). The New Reformation - Greg Ogden, 1991. This book emphasizes that Martin Luther's Reformation of the Christian church was incomplete - the church must still make ministry by the people and for the people. This volume emphasizes how this can be done. A bit theologically dense but a powerful read. Personality Plus - Florence Littauer, 2004. An excellent resource for those who have taken PLACE and want more information on personality types in action. The Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am I Here For? - Rick Warren, 2002. This excellent book discusses five truths to answer this question of why we are here. According to Warren, we exist for the purposes of worship, ministry, evangelism, fellowship and discipleship. He states that in fulfilling these roles on earth, we find and fulfill our purposes. A great guide to living the Christian life successfully and fully. S.H.A.P.E.: Finding and Fulfilling Your Unique Purpose for Life - Erik Rees, 2006. Like the PLACE program, this book presents an examination of a person's personality, spiritual gifts, abilities, passions, and experiences and how they play a role in finding a personal ministry. This book also takes the idea further by getting into how to develop the right God-pleasing attitudes and heart, such as surrendering your personal agenda to God's will. A great tool! The Shaping of Things to Come - Innovation and Mission for the 21st Century Church - Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch, 2003. Written more from a missionary than an academic perspective, this book redefines how we do church - bringing the concepts of innovation and mission outside the box, and encouraging the reader to use his imagination rather than a prescribed 5-step program to accomplish this intention. Simply Strategic Volunteers - Tony Morgan and Tim Stevens, 2005. Tips on how to handle various situations that come up while working with volunteers - very practical and common sense stuff. Ultimate Leadership - J. Townsend This is a CCN broadcast - see pastor to borrow it - that covers different kinds of leaders and how to be more effective, especially by following a path of growth for the group (having a future orientation). The Volunteer Revolution - Unleashing the Power of Everybody - by Bill Hybels An excellent, motivating book on the role of volunteer ministers in the church - many powerful stories illustrate his point that every member can do ministry. |
PLACES to Serve 