Pastoral Care Bundle (170 vols.)

by Marshall Shelley; Bill Hybels; D. Stuart Briscoe; Haddon W. Robinson

and

96 more

Publishers:

Bethany House; Multnomah; Christianity Today; Word; Kregel; Regal

and

12 more

, 1915–2014

Overview

Learn from the collected wisdom of seasoned pastors and authors as they walk you through methods for and issues in caring for your congregation. This comprehensive bundle includes dozens of volumes on common counseling topics—grief, addiction, marriage, conflict, and many more—as well as resources for motivating your church’s leadership and ministry teams. Strengthen your skills and grow a healthier church with all the tools you need for effective pastoral care.

Key Features

• Provides resources that aid in becoming a well rounded counselor and pastor
• Offers ways to cultivate a healthy and thriving church
• Explores the many different facets of counseling
• Prepares the reader to handle the most challenging of counseling circumstances
• Encourages pastors through firsthand experiences, and the wisdom of respected authors within the field

Product Details

• Title: Pastoral Care Bundle
• Volumes: 170
• Resource Type: Handbooks
• Topic: Pastoral Care and Counseling

Benefits of Logos Edition

In Logos, these powerful resources are enhanced by amazing functionality. Scripture citations link directly to English translations, and important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other books in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find specific topics in each book or across your whole library. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.

Hope for the Heart Biblical Counseling Library

• Author: June Hunt
• Publisher: Hope for the Heart
• Volumes: 100
• Pages: 2,792

The Hope for the Heart Biblical Counseling Library uses tools to help people breach spiritual barriers on their way to freedom in Christ. Each book presents God’s heart on a particular problem or issue and reveals ways to walk in spiritual victory in a simple, easy-to-read, outline format. This format gives definitions, characteristics, causes, and steps to solution for real life topics, while reinforcing the importance of Christ-centered living. Each book is packed full of real-life examples, biblical illustrations, and practical strategies for facing some of today’s toughest challenges. This massive 100-volume library contains helpful books on today’s toughest issues like: abortion prevention, death, Islam, marriage, overeating, parenting, spiritual warfare, time management, and much more!

What’s more, with the Logos Bible Software edition, the countless Scripture passages are only a click away. Whether you are a counselor or are being counseled, the Logos edition brings the words of Scripture closer than ever to life’s greatest challenges. With Logos, you can also search the entire collection by subject or topic to find the exact resources you’re looking for. When you search by Scripture passage, you’ll learn exactly what the Bible says about a particular topic. Whether you are a regular counselor looking for a comprehensive set of practical tools, or you’re dealing with some of the issues covered in these books, the Hope for the Heart Biblical Counseling Library can help you tackle today’s toughest issues.

Individual Titles:

• Biblical Counseling Keys on Abortion Prevention
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Adoption
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Adultery
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Aging
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Alcohol & Drug Abuse
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Anger
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Anorexia & Bulimia
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Atheism & Agnosticism
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Caregiving
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Child Evangelism
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Childhood Sexual Abuse
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Chronic Illness
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Codependency
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Communication
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Conflict & Resolution
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Confrontation
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Counseling
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Critical Spirit
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Cults
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Dating
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Death
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Decision Making
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Depression
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Divorce
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Employment
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Envy & Jealousy
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Ethics & Integrity
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Euthanasia
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Evil & Suffering . . . Why?
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Fear
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Financial Freedom
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Forgiveness
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Friendship
• Biblical Counseling Keys on God: Who Is He?
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Grief Recovery
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Guilt
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Habits
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Homosexuality
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Hope
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Identity: Who Are You?
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Infertility
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Intimacy
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Islam
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Jehovah’s Witnesses
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Jesus: Is He God?
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Jewish Fulfillment
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Loneliness
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Lying
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Manipulation
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Marriage
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Mentoring
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Mormonism
• Biblical Counseling Keys on New Age Spirituality
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Overeating
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Parenting
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Perfectionism
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Pregnancy . . . Unplanned
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Prejudice
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Premarital Counseling
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Pride & Humility
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Procrastination
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Prosperity Gospel
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Purpose in Life
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Rape Recovery
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Rebellion
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Reconciliation
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Rejection
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Salvation
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Satan, Demons & Satanism
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Self Worth
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Sexual Addiction
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Sexual Integrity
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Single Parenting
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Singleness
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Spiritual Abuse
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Spiritual Warfare
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Stealing
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Stress Management
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Submission
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Success through Failure
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Suicide Prevention
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Teenagers
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Temptation
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Terminal Illness
• Biblical Counseling Keys on the Assurance of Salvation
• Biblical Counseling Keys on the Bible: Is It Reliable?
• Biblical Counseling Keys on the Blended Family
• Biblical Counseling Keys on the Dysfunctional Family
• Biblical Counseling Keys on the Holy Spirit
• Biblical Counseling Keys on the Midlife Crisis
• Biblical Counseling Keys on the Occult
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Time Management
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Trials
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Unbelieving Mates
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Verbal & Emotional Abuse
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Victimization
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Widowhood
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Wife Abuse
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Workaholism
• Biblical Counseling Keys on Worry

June Hunt is a dynamic Christian leader whose life work has yielded landmark contributions in the field of Christian counseling. An author, singer, and speaker, she founded Hope for the Heart in 1986. Throughout the two decades since then, the organization has offered hope and help through biblically-based counsel and encouragement to people in 26 countries.

After years of teaching and research, she developed Counseling through the Bible, a scripturally-based counseling course addressing approximately 100 topics, such as marriage and parenting, depression and anger, and stress and suicide. Inspired by this course, June authored and published the Biblical Counseling Keys, an in-depth, topical counseling library designed to “move people from wrong thinking to right thinking . . . and from wrong living to right living.”

June is a popular guest professor at colleges and seminaries and a sought-after conference speaker. She teaches and speaks nationally and internationally on topics such as crisis counseling, child abuse, wife abuse, homosexuality, forgiveness, singleness, and self-worth. She is also a popular speaker at religious and broadcasting events.

At Peace with War: A Chaplain’s Meditations from Afghanistan

• Author: Harold Ristau
• Publisher: Wipf & Stock
• Publication Date: 2012
• Pages: 108

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

These thought-provoking personal reflections offer a unique window into the practical challenges of war-torn Afghanistan. You gain insight from a Christian army chaplain—who has experienced the terrors of war first hand. Join Padre Ristau in a journey marked by wonder, struggle, celebration and hardship.

At Peace with War is one of the most thoughtful, authentic, frank, and honest accounts of what it means to be a chaplain in a theater of operations in the twenty-first century. This book is a must-read for those contemplating a career as a military chaplain.

—David C. Kettle, retired chaplain general of the Canadian Forces

This is a must-read for any military member, or their families, to help them come to grips with the spiritual challenges of wartime military service.

—Carl H. Krueger Jr., president, Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Churches, LCMS, retired US Military

If you want to meet a workaday chaplain showing how faith and soldering can walk together, I recommend At Peace with War very highly indeed.

—Robert Bugbee, president, Lutheran Church-Canada

Harold Ristau is a Lutheran pastor, Reformation scholar, and a chaplain in the Canadian military. He spent several years working in cross-cultural ministry in Toronto and Montreal, and is the author of Understanding Martin Luther’s Demonological Rhetoric in his Treatise: Against the Heavenly Prophets.

Building Your Church through Counsel and Care

• Editor: Marshall Shelley
• Publisher: Bethany House
• Publication Date: 1997
• Pages: 320

One of the best definitions of leadership is “being willing to take responsibility for someone else.” While pop culture encourages people to break free from obligation to anyone but themselves, Christians who have heard the call of God know that ministry is about caring for others. Care is more than an emotion, a general warm feeling toward people, or affection for a few individuals. Pastoral care implies ensuring basic needs of the flock are met—all with a purpose of cultivating mature Christian character.

This third volume in the Library of Leadership development explores how to give effective counsel and care in a wide range of critical areas using person-to-person ministry, care groups, preaching, and teaching. Now, in a never-before-collected lineup, are 30 chapters of expert advice.

Marshall Shelley is editor-in-chief of Leadership Journal and editorial vice president of Christianity Today International (CTI). Shelley studied journalism at Bethel University and earned a MDiv in theology from Denver Seminary where he subsequently served as a board member for nearly a decade. He has also studied at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Wheaton College Graduate School, served as a board member for the American Tract Society, and held pastoral staff positions in his hometown of Denver, Colorado.

Called into Crisis

• Author: James D. Berkley
• Series: The Leadership Library
• Publisher: Christianity Today; Word Books
• Publication Date: 1989
• Pages: 182

This book contains the insights and wisdom of pastors and counselors who have answered the call into crisis. They’ve been there many times. And they know what to do. And when. And how. Here’s their best counsel on the nine problems pastors identified as the most difficult and prevalent calls into crisis.

This is the eighteenth volume of The Leadership Library, a continuing series from Leadership, the practical journal for church leaders published by Christianity Today, Inc. Others in the series include: Well-Intentioned Dragons, Learning to Lead and The Contemplative Pastor.

More than a collection of theory, The Leadership Library provides practical, proven ways to handle the most difficult aspects of Christian leadership.

Challenges Faced by Iraq War Reservists and Their Families: A Soul Care Approach for Chaplains and Pastors

• Author: Ken J. Walden
• Publisher: Wipf & Stock
• Publication Date: 2012
• Pages: 148

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Using a practical theological method, this book analyzes the various psychological impacts of the Iraq War. Learn about the psychological problems faced by veterans of the Iraq War and how to treat the emotional, physical, psychiatric, relational, and spiritual challenges military reservists and their families face. Experienced military chaplain Ken Walden recommends that chaplains and pastors use a soul care approach to support reservists and their families suffering from their experiences of the Iraq War. Walden provides a guide for any person interested in participating in such support.

Ken Walden, from firsthand experience with these veterans, gives solid help to pastors and congregations seeking to minister to those in pain in the aftermath of Iraq.

—Will Willimon, professor of Christian ministry, Duke Divinity School

Reverend Walden’s pastoral care insights reflect keen therapeutic relevance, as well as a tutorial bridge for pastoral and lay leaders who seek to provide practical and effective social interventions, resources, and support to wounded warriors experiencing pain and trauma as a result of their dedicated service

—Vergel L. Lattimore, vice president, professor of pastoral psychology and counseling, Hood Theological Seminary

Ken J. Walden is a United Methodist minister, and a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserves. He is the author of A Pastor’s Poetry.

Chaplains of the Bible: Inspiration for Those Who Help Others in Crisis

• Author: Richard E. Geyer and Patricia M. Geyer
• Publisher: Ambassador International
• Publication Date: 2012
• Pages: 209

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Be equipped to help people working through trauma and difficult circumstances. Experienced chaplains Patricia and Richard Geyer offer a wealth of wisdom for anyone with a heart to help people in crisis—from life-shaking disasters to quiet crises where there’s no yellow tape to be found. Presenting the experiences of biblical characters that ministered to others, Richard and Patricia inspire and equip modern Christians to do the same. In response to each biblical example, they offer relevant, practical principles for today’s “Good Samaritans” to apply.

Chaplains of the Bible is a valuable resource for disaster relief organizations or other groups who minister to the distressed, as well as pastors, Bible study leaders, and Christians who minister outside the walls of the church. Packed with straightforward advice, it helps readers think through the process of helping people in trauma, while it encourages people of all experience levels with biblical truth.

In all my training experience, I have never seen such a well-written, easy to read book, fully devoted to biblical perspectives for chaplains.

—Chuck Duby, senior chaplain, Hope Force International

In these pages Dick and Pat Geyer go to the roots of the claim that helping people in time of need is the chief task of the Christian Church.

—Kim Gee, senior pastor, Winfield Bible Church, Woodbine, MD

Richard Geyer In addition to being a chaplain ordained by the International Fellowship of Chaplains (IFOC) is a writer, teacher, attorney, and former government executive.

Patricia Geyer is a senior chaplain ordained by the International Fellowship of Chaplains (IFOC). She serves with the Billy Graham Evangelical Association’s Rapid Response Team, and has served at a number of disaster sites across the US and Haiti. She is also the Crisis Intervention Specialist for the Carroll County Maryland Sheriff’s Office, and she received the National Sheriffs’ Association Medal of Merit in 2012.

Christian Ministries and the Law

• Author: H. Wayne House
• Edition: Revised
• Publisher: Kregel
• Publication Date: 1999
• Pages: 253

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

In an age of lawsuits and red tape, legal issues can present an unexpected minefield for churches and ministry organizations. This timely book offers a glossary of legal terms, clarification of recent changes in legislation, sample contracts and sample agreements for arbitration and mediation making it an invaluable resource for every pastor, Christian school administrator and ministry leader.

H. Wayne House (ThD, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis; JD, Regent University School of Law) is distinguished professor of biblical studies and apologetics, Faith Seminary in Tacoma, Washington, and professor of law, Trinity Law School in Santa Ana, California. He is author or editor of more than 20 books, including The Christian and American Law and Israel: The Land and the People.

Clergy Couples in Crisis

• Author: Dean Merrill
• Series: Leadership Library
• Publisher: Christianity Today
• Publication Date: 1985
• Pages: 216

Holding a pastoral marriage together is like canoeing the Colorado River. In the midst of exquisite scenery come stretches of white water that challenge a couple’s tenacity, pitch them one way and then another, soak them to the skin. The water, so placid a mile upstream, now roars its threat to swallow the frightened partners in each end of the fragile craft.

Sadly, white water rapids conquer some husbands and wives, capsizing their marriage and dashing them into the rocks. Others, however get through alive, together—and more experienced at river travel as a result. The next rapids will be easier for them.

This book’s hard-hitting documentaries are like movies of pastoral couples navigating the rapids. They provide clues on where the biggest boulders lurk and which channels are most passable. Each documentary is followed by comments from one of the following noted pastoral counselors: Gary Collins, Louis McBurney, and David Seamands.

The Complete Guide to Crisis and Trauma Counseling: What to Do and Say When It Matters Most

• Author: H. Norman Wright
• Publisher: Regal
• Publication Date: 2011
• Pages: 512

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Readers will learn how to counsel and coach both believers and non-believers through their darkest hours, and how to lead them to complete restoration. The Complete Guide to Crisis and Trauma Counseling is a biblical, practical guide to pastoral counseling written by one of the most respected Christian therapists of our time—H. Norman Wright.

H. Norman Wright is research professor of Christian education at Talbot Theological Seminary. Previously he served as an associate professor and the director of the department of marriage, family, and child counseling at Biola University. He has been a licensed marriage, family, and trauma counselor for more than 30 years, and he is the author of Recovering From the Losses of Life, Experiencing Grief, and Before You Say I Do.

Cooperation without Compromise: Faithful Gospel Witness in a Pluralistic Setting

• Author: Michael A. Milton
• Publisher: Wipf & Stock
• Publication Date: 2007
• Pages: 20

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?” asked the psalmist (Psalm 2:1). Yet in the postmodern city, divergent voices find unity in opposition of the one who said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” So how do we conduct faithful gospel ministry in this setting as pastors, chaplains, church planters, or Christians in the workplace? In Cooperation without Compromise Michael A. Milton addresses this timely question through coming to terms with pluralism, finding a working model to deal with it, testing the model against Scripture, and applying it in real life ministry settings. This work provides unique insights into faithful ministry in a pluralist setting, and was originally presented to the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society in Washington, D.C., in November 2006.

Dr. Michael Milton . . . deals with the subject head on . . . a must read . . . it is what is needed at this time!

—David Peterson, US Army-R, coordinator, Presbyterian and Reformed Joint Committee on Military Chaplaincy

Michael A. Milton (PhD, University of Wales) is president and professor of practical theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in America, and has served as senior pastor of several churches.

The Counsel of Heaven on Earth: Foundations for Biblical Christian Counseling

• Author: Ian F. Jones
• Publisher: B&H Publishing Group
• Publication Date: 2006
• Pages: 250

Sample pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

More than 25 years as a graduate educator and active counselor have taught author Ian Jones the importance of knowing the basic components and understanding the direction and purpose of competent counseling. But he also believes what matters most for any counseling practice is a solid biblical foundation.

In The Counsel of Heaven on Earth, Jones explains the essential features of biblical Christian counseling. Instead of engaging in formal theory building or systematic counseling strategies, he clearly shows how the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, provides counselors with the blueprint for developing an effective counseling ministry.

Ian F. Jones, PhD was born in Sydney, Australia. With degrees in sociology, Christian ethics, psychology and counseling, and religion, he now chairs the division of psychology and counseling at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.

Crisis Counseling with Children and Adolescents: A Guide for Nonprofessional Counselors

• Authors: William Van Ornum and John B. Mordock
• Publisher: Wipf & Stock
• Publication Date: 2002
• Pages: 256

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Here is a book for parents, teachers, concerned relatives, clergy, guidance counselors, medical personnel—anyone who cares for children. It offers guidance for helping kids through traumatic experiences such as death, divorce, sickness, hospitalization, handicaps, as well as aggression, and defiance. It identifies how and when to make a referral to a professional helper, and is based on the latest findings of child psychologists. This text provides helpful case histories, methods, essential references, and a useful bibliography.

Every parent should keep this book on the shelf right next to the nutrition, medical, and Dr. Spock books.

—Marriage and Family Living

This superb book is indeed a guide for nonprofessional counselors, and is written for all who work with children.

—Books Unlimited

William Van Ornum is professor of psychology at Marist College and director of research, development, and grants at American Mental Health Foundation in New York City. He studied theology and scripture at DePaul University. He is the coauthor of Psychological Testing across the Lifespan

John B. Mordock is a child and family psychologist. He is the author of Counseling the Defiant Child: A Basic Guide to Helping Troubled and Aggressive Youth, The Other Children: An Introduction to Exceptionality , and the coauthor of A Handbook of Play Therapy with Aggressive Children .

D is for Depression

• Author: Michael Lawson
• Publisher: Christian Focus
• Publication Date: 2008
• Pages: 240

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Depression seems to be everywhere. It seems everyone knows someone else who struggles with it—you may yourself. It has become such a part of the psychological landscape that it can often be met with cynicism, or indifference, which is a problem—because depression does exist—and people suffering from it need help.

The concept of D Is for Depression is what makes it immensely valuable. It is a self-help book about getting better and a resource for those who suffer, or who are close to someone who does. The content of D Is for Depression is to be trusted because it has already been translated and read across the world; appearing on university and theological college reading lists. It is substantially based upon Lawson’s earlier book, Facing Depression. A book widely used by individuals, churches and in the training of those seeking professional skills to help others.

There are not many books that deal credibly with depression from both a biblical and medical scientific angle. The absence of either leaves you with a less than holistic guide. This is one of the best of such books. Read it and understand better what depression is. Then allow the text to lead you through some practical exercises that will show whether or not medical help is needed. The vast majority of sufferers from depression do get better. If you are a sufferer or a helper of others (informally or professionally) then D Is for Depression will help you immensely.

Michael Lawson is the archdeacon of Hampstead and trains church leaders in practical theology.

Danse Macabre: Thoughts on Death and Memento Mori from a Hospice Chaplain

• Author: N. Thomas Johnson-Medland
• Publisher: Wipf & Stock
• Publication Date: 2011
• Pages: 188

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Think through the nature of death and how we respond to this difficult reality with N. Thomas Johnson-Medland. He discusses his career as a hospice provider and what he has learned about death from his patients. Adding his own reflections, Johnson-Medland explores the question of death through the eyes of many perspectives and cultures.

N. Thomas Johnson-Medland is ordained in the Eastern Orthodox Church. He is a life-long pastoral counselor and hospice worker. He now serves as the CEO of Lighthouse Hospice. He wrote Feed My Sheep; Lead My Sheep: A Handbook of Leadership Formation for Individuals and Groups, Bridges, Paths, and Waters, From the Belly of the Whale: Poems of the Male Soul.

Discipleship Counseling

• Author: Neil T. Anderson
• Publisher: Gospel Light
• Publication Date: 2003
• Pages: 400

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Building on the concepts found in Victory Over the Darkness and The Bondage Breaker, Neil Anderson’s counseling ministry guide provides clear information and excellent models to help you understand what discipleship counseling is all about. If you’re a pastor, counselor, or lay leader, this resource will make you more comfortable, confident, and competent in your role as an encourager. In turn, this will help you free people from their emotional pain and spiritual conflicts, as you guide them to a more complete understanding of who they are in Christ.

Every page is filled with the healing power of God.

—Tim Clinton, president, American Association of Christian Counselors

Neil T. Anderson is the founder and president emeritus of Freedom in Christ Ministries, and is on the board of Freedom in Christ Ministries International. He has more than 35 years of pastoral and teaching experience and was formerly a chairman of the practical theology department at Talbot School of Theology. Anderson has authored several bestselling books on Christ-centered living, including The Bondage Breaker.

Divorce

• Author: Loraine Boettner
• Publisher: P&R
• Publication Date: 1960
• Pages: 38

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

What does the Bible say about divorce and remarriage? How should the church respond to broken marriages? In this concise volume, Boettner investigates the teaching of Scripture and the vision of God set forth in Reformed theology to outline a set of clear guidelines which Christians can use to begin thinking about divorce and remarriage.

Loraine Boettner was born in 1901 in Linden, Missouri. He studied agriculture at the University of Missouri, but graduated with a BS after transferring to Tarkio Presbyterian College. In 1925, Boettner began his studies at Princeton, where he was influenced by the writings of Charles Hodge. He graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary with a ThB in 1928 and a ThM in 1929. He later received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree in 1933 and a Doctor of Literature degree in 1957. From 1935 to 1939, Boettner also worked at Christianity Today, and worked at the Library of Congress and for the Internal Revenue Service. He continued to write and publish theological works—his most popular The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination, based on his ThM thesis, and Roman Catholicism. He died on January 3, 1990.

Encounters for Change: Interreligious Cooperation in the Care of Individuals and Communities

• Author: Dagmar Grefe
• Publisher: Wipf & Stock
• Publication Date: 2011
• Pages: 248

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Weaving together insights from social psychology, theology, and experiences of interfaith religious leaders, Dagmar Grefe develops practical strategies that support interreligious contact at a grassroots level. She shows that by working together, religious communities can more effectively address global and local problems that all people face: poverty, environmental destruction, and armed conflict. Grefe describes interreligious cooperation at work in local communities, and she develops tools that equip religious leaders with the interreligious competence needed for spiritual care and counseling of individual persons in crisis. Grefe makes a powerful case for interreligious cooperation, showing how it is not only effective in care of communities and persons in crisis, but also how it also heals distant and strained relationships.

Dagmar Grefe’s well-crafted book is exactly what clinical pastoral education needs: searching theory connected closely to clinical insight. She introduces us to powerful insights from social psychology that will improve practice and asks her readers to connect with colleagues from all faiths to address local and global problems. To achieve these high goals in one readable book is a gift.

—Jackson Kytle, commissioner, Middle States Association Commission on Higher Education

In a world that is increasingly becoming the ‘global village,’ the ability to understand and appreciate religious differences is crucial. Dr. Grefe’s work challenges us to think of creative ways to engage with our neighbors, whether they are in the community or in the institutions in which we work. Her practical approach invites the reader to consider the theoretical framework out of which her ideas emerge, but also the realistic ways in which we all have the ability to change and embrace the other.

—Teresa Snorton, presiding bishop, Christian Methodist Episcopal Church

Dagmar Grefe’s work brings a unique dimension to our notions of healing, because she adds a profound personal history to her professional competence; and she places her work in our most intimate clinical setting (the hospital) within a world interfaith context. . . . Her candor about her personal national origins, and the way in which those origins influence her work within America will be treasured by all those who value candor and the acceptance of the amazing complexity of the human enterprise.

—William Cutter, Steinberg Profesor Emeritus of Human Relations and Modern Literature, Hebrew Union College, Los Angeles

Dagmar Grefe’s Encounters for Change is an excellent exemplar of pastoral care and pastoral theology at its best. By careful engagement with and drawing upon social psychology’s intergroup contact theory, conscientious reflection on theologies of religious pluralism, together with chaplaincy experience and education on the ground in hospital and community, this book brings readers much wisdom for the care of persons and communities in our twenty-first-century global village full as it is with persons participating in a rich variety of religious faiths and traditions. Chaplains engaged regularly in interfaith pastoral care, rabbis, imams, ministers and religious leaders of different religious, cultural and social persuasions, as well as all who realize the need to be faithful to their own faith whilst being respectful and caring for other faithful people, will find much to learn and engage in here. Encounters for Change is a much needed right-on-time text for all caregivers.

—Emmanuel Y. Lartey, professor of pastoral theology, care, and counseling, Candler School of Theology

Dagmar Grefe is manager of spiritual care and clinical pastoral education at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and clinical assistant professor at USC Keck School of Medicine.

Ethical Dilemmas in Church Leadership: Case Studies in Biblical Decision Making

• Author: Michael R. Milco
• Publisher: Kregel
• Publication Date: 1997
• Pages: 192

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Infidelity, child abuse, AIDS, homosexuality, unexpected pregnancies—no church or church leader is immune from these difficult social problems. Ethical Dilemmas in Church Leadership presents case studies based on real-life situations and addresses the sensitive issues that pastors and church leaders deal with in any church.

Michael has addressed the top critical, complex, and sensitive church leadership problems of our day. If you desire more precious time with our Lord, get this book and eliminate countless hours of debate.

—Raleigh B. Washington, The Rock of Our Salvation Church, Chicago

Pastor Milco provides the issues, a process for decision making, ethical guidelines, biblical warrant, approaches to solution, and conclusions for each issue . . . the real value of the book is its process for the resolution of ethical crises.

—James M. Grier, vice president and dean, Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary

Fresh Ideas for Administration & Finance

• Editors: Marshall Shelley and Dean Merrill
• Publisher: Word Books
• Publication Date: 1984
• Pages: 168

What’s the fairest way to set a pastoral salary? Volunteer secretaries: how do you maximize their willingness? What’s the key to shorter board meetings? Does growth always mean another building program? (No!) How does a church keep benevolences from becoming another welfare system? What are the best ways to use video? Computers? How many committees does a church really need?

Here are hundreds of innovative solutions from churches all across the United States and Canada, gathered and arranged by the editors of Leadership and Leadership 100 into eight major sections:

• The Office and Staff
• Boards and Committees
• Facilities
• Materials and Equipment
• Finances
• Scheduling
• Communication
• The Minister’s Personal Life

Marshall Shelley is editor-in-chief of Leadership Journal and editorial vice president of Christianity Today International (CTI). Shelley studied journalism at Bethel University and earned a Master of Divinity in theology from Denver Seminary where he subsequently served as a board member for nearly a decade. He has also studied at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Wheaton College Graduate School, served as a board member for the American Tract Society, and held pastoral staff positions in his hometown of Denver, Colorado.

Fresh Ideas for Discipleship & Nurture

• Editors: Dean Merrill and Marshall Shelley
• Publisher: Christianity Today; Word Books
• Publication Date: 1984
• Pages: 143

What’s the connection between faith and the job? How does a church help those who have no job? How do we motivate Christians to pray, not just discuss prayer? Anyone for fasting? Will adults get serious about learning? (Yes) How much counseling is enough? Does serving stop at age 65? (No) What do single parents need most?

Here are hundreds of innovative solutions from churches all across the United States and Canada, gathered and arranged by the editors of Leadership and Leadership 100 into seven major sections:

• Discipleship
• Prayer
• Education
• Serving
• Counseling
• Fellowship
• Older Adults

Marshall Shelley is editor-in-chief of Leadership Journal and editorial vice president of Christianity Today International (CTI). Shelley studied journalism at Bethel University and earned a Master of Divinity in theology from Denver Seminary where he subsequently served as a board member for nearly a decade. He has also studied at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Wheaton College Graduate School, served as a board member for the American Tract Society, and held pastoral staff positions in his hometown of Denver, Colorado.

Fresh Ideas for Families, Youth & Children

• Editors: Dean Merrill and Marshall Shelley
• Publisher: Christianity Today; Word Books
• Publication Date: 1984
• Pages: 133

How can churches strengthen families as units, not just assist individual members? What’s been effective in building strong marriages? Can you minister successfully to college students while they’re away? (Yes!) How old is too old for youth leaders? (You might be surprised.) Can video games teach spiritual disciplines? How can young children be taught to minister to others?

Here are hundreds of innovative solutions from churches all across the United States and Canada, gathered and arranged by the editors of Leadership and Leadership 100 into seven major sections:

• Family and Parents
• Couples
• Collegians
• Teens
• Children in School
• Young Children
• Across The Age Levels

Marshall Shelley is editor-in-chief of Leadership Journal and editorial vice president of Christianity Today International (CTI). Shelley studied journalism at Bethel University and earned a Master of Divinity in theology from Denver Seminary where he subsequently served as a board member for nearly a decade. He has also studied at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Wheaton College Graduate School, served as a board member for the American Tract Society, and held pastoral staff positions in his hometown of Denver, Colorado.

Fresh Ideas for Preaching, Worship & Evangelism

• Editors: Dean Merrill and Marshall Shelley
• Publisher: Christianity Today, Word Books
• Publication Date: 1984
• Pages: 146

What’s the best way to plan—and space—a sermon series? Is there and honest way to plagiarize? (Yes!) How can a mood of expectancy be set for a worship service? What do you do about weak congregational singing? What are five keys to genuine excitement about missions? Can visitation be less scary? (Yes!)

Here are hundreds of innovative solutions from churches all across the United States and Canada, gathered and arranged by the editors of Leadership and Leadership 100 into six major sections:

• Preaching
• Worship Music
• Reaching Out (local evangelism)
• World Missions
• The Church Year (including Lent, Easter, ways to thrive during summer, Thanksgiving, and Christmas)

Marshall Shelley is editor-in-chief of Leadership Journal and editorial vice president of Christianity Today International (CTI). Shelley studied journalism at Bethel University and earned a Master of Divinity in theology from Denver Seminary where he subsequently served as a board member for nearly a decade. He has also studied at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Wheaton College Graduate School, served as a board member for the American Tract Society, and held pastoral staff positions in his hometown of Denver, Colorado.

God Beyond Borders: Interreligious Learning Among Faith Communities

• Author: Sheryl A. Kujawa-Holbrook
• Publisher: Wipf & Stock
• Publication Date: 2014
• Pages: 214

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Based on 10 years of research, God Beyond Borders is a comprehensive study of interreligious learning in faith communities. The United States is one of the most diverse countries in the world. Sheryl A. Kujawa-Holbrook details the many practices of interreligious learning in faith communities—through interreligious encounters, religious education, shared sacred space, shared prayer, and compassionate action. Kujawa-Holbrook also surveys the field of interreligious learning and investigates some of the more common intentionally interreligious communities—families, clergy groups, chaplaincies, and community organizations. She combines theory and practice to make a case for the importance of interreligious learning in all religious organizations.

From its founding, the Religious Education Association has crossed religious boundaries in an effort to learn from each other and to contribute to the education of the wider public world. That is precisely what Kujawa-Holbrook’s book does. Her survey of the scholarship on interfaith education is a foundation on which other scholars and practitioners will draw. The book offers rationale for interfaith education, describes processes of education, provides multiple examples of concrete practices, and highlights the profoundly transforming outcomes that occur.

—Jack L. Seymour, professor of religious education, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, IL (from the introduction)

Rich in theological reflection and full of practical advice for engaging across religious lines, Kujawa-Holbrook’s book could not have arrived at a better moment. As religious diversity continues to grow, communities across traditions are looking for authentic ways to engage in interreligious learning. Kujawa-Holbrook makes a convincing argument that not only is this crucial for the sake of our civic health, it is, for Christians, an essential way to live out the gospel.

—Jennifer Peace, assistant professor of interfaith studies, Andover Newton Theological School, MA

Kujawa-Holbrook’s God Beyond Borders is timely and accessible, a must for those desiring a strong foundation in interreligious learning. The book is filled with insightful histories and contemporary resources. The reader walks away with a richer understanding of interreligious learning’s capacity for ending religious conflict and violence. Religious educators in seminaries and congregations, as well as organizations, will welcome this volume as a rigorous and practical resource.

—Christine J. Hong, associate for theology, Interfaith Office of Theology and Worship, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Sheryl A. Kujawa-Holbrook is professor of practical theology and religious education at Claremont School of Theology. A priest of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, she is an educator, trainer, writer, and retreat and conference leader. She is on the board of the Journal of Inter-Religious Dialogue.

God on Sex: The Creator’s Ideas about Love, Intimacy, and Marriage

• Author: Daniel Akin
• Publisher: B&H Publishing Group
• Publication Date: 2001
• Pages: 291

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

God has much to say about sex. As the creator of sex, God understands this good gift, and he has imparted to us his plan for enjoying great sex. This book features the entire text of Song of Songs from the Holman Christian Standard Bible and is a popular, verse-by-verse treatment of God’s marriage manual. God on Sex examines popular misconceptions about marriage and sex, and it exposes their shortcomings in the light of God’s design, intention, and blessings for this vital dimension of life.

Daniel Akin is dean at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He holds an MDiv from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a PhD from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Growing Your Church through Training and Motivation

• Author: Marshall Shelley
• Series: The Library of Leadership
• Publisher: Bethany House
• Publication Date: 1997
• Pages: 279

Ministry done by one is an overwhelming burden. No go-it-alone pastor or small set of laypeople can lead a church. And without unleashing the ministry skill of a whole congregation, your people miss the chance to find their place in the priesthood of all believers and attain the maturity God intends.

Growing Your Church through Training and Motivation brings insight from highly effective pastors in a variety of settings, showing how church leadership can encourage and equip the whole church for the work of ministry. From recruiting volunteers to working with a board, this fourth volume in the Library of Leadership Development explores how you can most effectively equip and encourage your congregation. Now, in a never-before-collected lineup, are 30 chapters of expert advice.

Marshall Shelley is editor-in-chief of Leadership Journal and editorial vice president of Christianity Today International (CTI). Shelley studied journalism at Bethel University and earned a Master of Divinity in theology from Denver Seminary where he subsequently served as a board member for nearly a decade. He has also studied at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Wheaton College Graduate School, served as a board member for the American Tract Society, and held pastoral staff positions in his hometown of Denver, Colorado.

Handbook for Chaplains: Comfort My People

• Author: Mary M. Toole
• Publisher: Paulist Press
• Publication Date: 2006
• Pages: 96

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Equip your chaplaincy with essential information about the beliefs and practices of eight faith traditions: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jehovah’s Witness, Judaism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Roman Catholicism. Organized like a reference book, the Handbook for Chaplains provides concise information on basic beliefs and practices, identifies areas of sensitivity, and provides appropriate prayers for each religion.

Mary M. Toole is a certified chaplain by the National Association of Catholic Chaplains. She resides in Elmont, New York.

Healing for the City: Counseling in the Urban Setting

• Author: Craig Ellison and Edward S. Mynard
• Publisher: Wipf & Stock
• Publication Date: 2002
• Pages: 336

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Healing for the City is a counseling manual designed for urban residents, both Christian and non-Christian. It focuses on the brokenness and typical problems of city life without assuming that all who live in the city suffer from serious dysfunctions. Craig Ellison and Ed Mynard offer practical guidance for those who have become victims of the emotional, relational, and spiritual distress often found in the city.

Craig Ellison serves on the National Advisory Board of the American Association of Christian Counselors, and is a contributing editor for the Journal of Psychology and Theology. He was the director of the Alliance Graduate School of Counseling in Nyack, New York, and professor of urban studies and counseling at the Alliance Theological Seminary. He wrote From Stress to Well-Being, Loneliness: The Search for Intimacy, and he edited The Urban Mission.

Healing Grace for Hurting People: Practical Steps for Restoring Broken Relationships

• Author: H. Norman Wright and Larry Renetzky
• Publisher: Regal
• Publication Date: 2007
• Pages: 256

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Learn how God’s reconciling grace and power can resolve conflicts, revitalize marriages, and restore broken relationships. H. Norman Wright and family therapist Larry Renetzky guide believers through the specific practical steps to forgive and to lay the foundation for building bridges of reconciliation.

The authors have written a book that should be in the hands of pastors, Christian counselors, and lay people alike. God’s grace not only saves us but also heals us of the hurts of the past, as we forgive, and it also heals our relationships past, present, and future.

—Stan Coffey, senior pastor, The Church at Quail Creek, Amarillo, TX

This book gives scripturally based, practical ways to overcome rejection, abuse, hurt, and discouragement with hope and grace. Principles [from] God’s Word are used to illustrate how to get rid of hostile and negative thinking by giving and receiving grace/forgiveness, which leads to healing and restoration of failed relationships.

—Anna L. Foley, pastoral counselor, Trinity Church, Lubbock, TX

As a coach who always wants and needs a competitive edge, I see this work as a tool. It will teach you how God’s miraculous grace can mysteriously minister healing right where you are. So dig in. It’s the only way out!

—Bill McCartney, founder, Promise Keepers

H. Norman Wright is research professor of Christian education at Talbot Theological Seminary. Previously he served as an associate professor and the director of the department of marriage, family, and child counseling at Biola University. He has been a licensed marriage, family, and trauma counselor for more than 30 years, and he is the author of Recovering From the Losses of Life, Experiencing Grief, and Before You Say I Do.

Larry Renetzky is a licensed marriage and family counselor with his own clinic in Amarillo, Texas. He also hosts a live weekly Christian radio program, Healing Grace for Hurting People, with a listening audience of more than 30,000 people.

Helping Those in Grief: What to Say—and What Not to Say a Guide to Help You Care for Others

• Author: H. Norman Wright
• Publisher: Regal
• Publication Date: 2011
• Pages: 224

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Learn how to counsel and coach believers and non-believers who are grieving, how to walk alongside them, and how to help them find the path to complete restoration. A biblical, practical guide to pastoral counseling written by one of the most respected Christian therapists of our time, this book is a guide for ministering to those who have suffered the loss of a loved one. H. Norman Wright brings more than 40 years of clinical and classroom experience to this book, and shares real-life anecdotes from his private practice to demonstrate what a healthy and healing counseling session looks like.

H. Norman Wright is research professor of Christian education at Talbot Theological Seminary. Previously he served as an associate professor and the director of the department of marriage, family, and child counseling at Biola University. He has been a licensed marriage, family, and trauma counselor for more than 30 years, and he is the author of Recovering From the Losses of Life, Experiencing Grief, and Before You Say I Do.

Helping Those Who Don’t Want Help

• Author: Marshall Shelley
• Publisher: Word Books
• Publication Date: 1986
• Pages: 181

One of the modern myths is that ministers lead sheltered lives. A person who swears in the presence of a pastor will often stop and say, “Oh, excuse me, Reverend,” as if pastoral ears are unaccustomed to such indelicate terms. If anything, pastors are more acquainted with the effects of human depravity. Each week brings situations of power, conflict, adultery, and abuse. The Seven Deadly Sins are not just sermon topics—they’re daily adversaries.

Some of the toughest situations deal with people who need help but won’t admit it—or won’t accept it. The man, for instance, who takes his wife for granted, puts his marriage on autopilot, and doesn’t notice or care that his wife is starving emotionally. Or the single woman who bounces from one job (or relationship) to the next, never satisfied, always looking for something else.

This book offers real-life stories of ministers who have taken the initiative with people who were not asking for help. It shows the state of the art in “the ministry of taking the first step.”

Marshall Shelley is editor-in-chief of Leadership Journal and editorial vice president of Christianity Today International (CTI). Shelley studied journalism at Bethel University and earned a Master of Divinity in theology from Denver Seminary where he subsequently served as a board member for nearly a decade. He has also studied at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Wheaton College Graduate School, served as a board member for the American Tract Society, and held pastoral staff positions in his hometown of Denver, Colorado.

Hospital Ministry: The Role of the Chaplain Today

• Editor: Lawrence E. Holst
• Publisher: Wipf & Stock
• Publication Date: 2006
• Pages: 256

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

This helpful handbook explores the various roles chaplains fill, and the tasks they perform in the hospital setting. It examines procedural questions, ethics, and ministering in a multi-cultural contexts suffused by grief, anxiety, and loss. This book includes a forward by ethicist and life-long minister Martin E. Marty.

Admirably captures both the experiential and conceptual dimensions of the work of the hospital chaplain. As such, this book serves equally well as an introduction to pastoral care for medical personnel, patients, and clergy, and as an important addition to the professional literature of the pastoral care field.

—Journal of the American Medical Association

A timely, intelligent, and highly readable book.

—The Christian Century

Chaplaincy as proposed and practiced by Holst et al is prophetic and contributes to rediscovering the interrelationship between faith, attitude, and healing.

—Journal of Pastoral Care

Lawrence E. Holst was a Lutheran minister and hospital chaplain. He wrote Toward a Creative Chaplaincy.

In Jesus’ Name: Evangelicals and Military Chaplaincy

• Author: John D. Laing
• Publisher: Wipf & Stock
• Publication Date: 2009
• Pages: 316

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Draw on the knowledge and experience of John Laing as he addresses key questions about ministering as an evangelical chaplain in the US military. Intended for prospective and current chaplains, Laing’s book presents issues relevant to all areas of public ministry.

This book dispels some of the current myths put out by disgruntled chaplains and gives an accurate understanding of the challenges that confront evangelical chaplains today.

—Paul Vicalvi, executive director, National Association of Evangelicals Chaplains Commission

A timely book that may provide answers to the difficult questions confronting today’s chaplains.

—Keith Travis, chaplaincy team leader, North American Mission Board

John D. Laing is associate professor of systematic theology and philosophy at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s Havard School for Theological Studies in Houston. He is the director of Southwestern Seminary’s chaplaincy programs, and has served as both the chairman and the secretary-treasurer of the Southwest Region of the Evangelical Theological Society. Laing has served in the United States Army for more than 25 years, and is currently the senior chaplain for the 36th Infantry Division, Texas Army National Guard.

Leading from Your Strengths: Building Close-Knit Ministry Teams

• Authors: John Trent, Rodney Cox, and Eric Tooker
• Publisher: B&H Publishing Group
• Publication Date: 2004
• Pages: 112

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Do you know the four inescapable transitions that every ministry team must face? The answer to that question lies at the heart of successful ministry teams and is found in the powerful book, Leading from Your Strengths: Building Close-Knit Ministry Teams. Whether you’re a pastor or in parachurch ministry, a lay leader, or a team member, the principles you learn here can make a tremendous difference in how effective and intimate your ministry team becomes. From eye-opening stories, to understanding the four inescapable transitions, to taking an online strengths assessment, you’ll discover your unique God-given strengths, learn to understand and appreciate the strengths of others, and learn to blend the differences.

Building strong, effective ministry teams is like taking a whitewater-rafting trip, with many unexpected rapids along the way. Join John Trent, Rodney Cox, and Eric Tooker, your guides on the journey to leading from your strengths.

John Trent, PhD, is chairman and CEO of Ministry Insights International. He has authored many best-selling books, including The Blessing, The Two Sides of Love, LifeMapping, and Love for All Seasons. He has also co-authored Parenting from Your Strengths: Understanding Strengths and Valuing Differences in Your Home. Dr. Trent has been a featured guest on radio and television programs like Dr. James Dobson’s Focus on the Family and Dr. Charles Swindoll’s Insight for Living.

Leading with Integrity: Competence with Christian Character

• Author: Fred Smith
• Series: The Pastor’s Soul
• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
• Publication Date: 1998
• Pages: 175

Pastors are maturing. Deepening. They want substance for their congregations—and nourishment for their own soul. The Pastor’s Soul series unleashes pastors to do what really matters. To step beyond skills. To give of their unique gifts. To minister authentically and grow in the intangibles of ministry like integrity and character. In this changing culture, pastors need dedication to do what God wants them to do. They need hope that the suffering they experience while serving Christ has purpose and meaning. The stresses of church leadership quickly reveal a person’s character for what it is: precious jewels or wood, hay, and stubble. Leading with Integrity aims to build consistent godliness that will help a pastor stand strong and lead with character and compassion.

Leading Your Church through Conflict and Reconciliation

• Editor: Marshall Shelley
• Series: Library of Leadership Development
• Publisher: Multnomah Books
• Publication Date: 1997
• Pages: 320

“The only pastors who don’t experience regular, character-building periods of conflict,” a pastor once said, “are either bullies who walk all over everyone or cowards afraid to stand up for what God wants to accomplish.” Church leaders are lightning rods, attracting the highly charged complaints and grievances of church members.

Marshall Shelley is editor-in-chief of Leadership Journal and editorial vice president of Christianity Today International (CTI). Shelley studied journalism at Bethel University and earned a Master of Divinity in theology from Denver Seminary where he subsequently served as a board member for nearly a decade. He has also studied at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Wheaton College Graduate School, served as a board member for the American Tract Society, and held pastoral staff positions in his hometown of Denver, Colorado.

Living with Depression

• Author: Elaine Brown
• Publisher: Christian Focus Publications
• Publication Date: 2005
• Pages: 96

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

“Things can’t be all that bad,” “pull yourself together,” “snap out of it,” these are some examples of a widespread misunderstanding of depressive illness. It is an ignorance found among Christians and non-Christians alike. Over recent decades the numbers of people in society suffering from depression have risen dramatically, and it is an issue which friends and relatives have often failed to understand to the detriment of their relationships. This is a state of affairs which Elaine Brown seeks to change.

The misunderstanding and stigma surrounding depressive illness makes it harder to bear for the sufferer than a physical complaint. It leaves the sufferer feeling alone and isolated in their experience. This, despite the fact that depressive illness affects so many! Elaine Brown’s account of her experience is therefore such a blessing, a message of hope and re-assurance to all those engaged in such a struggle, cutting through the isolation so many experience. If you seek to help a loved one struggling with depression, you must read this book. If you are struggling with depression it’s a valuable source of comfort.

A brave book full of practical helps as well some very deep spiritual insights. There are not many people brave enough to write a book in such detail but Elaine’s honesty and openness will bless many, as I myself have also been blessed.

—Jennifer Rees-Larcombe, founder, Beauty from Ashes Sanctuary

Elaine Brown’s book is her personal story, majoring on how she coped with clinical depression. She does not tackle the medical issues, but rather tries to give the reader an understanding of what sufferers go through. The couple of pages of tips at the end are useful.

—Paul Cavill, NB (UCCF) Book Reviews

The Magnetic Fellowship: Reaching and Keeping People

• Editor: Larry K. Weeden
• Series: Leadership Library
• Publisher: Christianity Today; Word
• Publication Date: 1988
• Pages: 148

“If only I could see lives changed!” So goes a common lament of pastors who are working hard, working prayerfully, but seeing no visible results. Their efforts go unrewarded, their churches attract few new comers. How can the situation be turned around? How can new people be reached? Other churches struggle with the related problem of keeping people. For every new member coming into the fellowship, someone else seems to slip out the back door, dropping out of service and then disappearing all together. How can these people be kept active and growing?

The Magnetic Fellowship provides practical, tested answers to these vital questions. Fourteen experienced contributors, show such things as how to make a church appealing to visitors, how to evangelize more effectively, how to help new Christians grow and become part of the church, how to become part of the church, how to regain missing members, and how to keep volunteers active in ministry.

Making the Most of Mistakes

• Author: James D. Berkley
• Publisher: Christianity Today International
• Publication Date: 1987
• Pages: 167

Everybody makes mistakes. Not everybody, unfortunately, recovers. Mistakes are inevitable, even for pastors. Wisdom and will can go awry, and ministry can crumple. But disruption doesn’t have to be the final word. For the Christian, gaffes, grief, and grace walk hand in hand. God is in restoration business, and he employs even failure to produce his results. Dig into any effective pastor’s past and you uncover mistakes transformed into character. This book shows how grace combines with grit to make that happen. Pastors who made mistakes ranging from bungling building plans to sinful deceit share not only the facts and feelings of their mistakes but the factors that brought them to recovery. Their hard-gained wisdom is transferable to other church leaders.

Mastering Church Finances

• Author: Richard L. Bergstrom, Gary Fenton, and Wayne A. Pohl
• Series: Mastering Ministry
• Publisher: Multnomah Press; Christianity Today
• Publication Date: 1992
• Pages: 155

If you’re like most pastors, you’ve not been trained to manage the church’s money. You’ve been taught, in fact, to be suspicious of Mammon. So how do you respond when a spreadsheet (usually in the red) is thrust before you and eager trustees look to you for financial leadership? Having to be concerned about financial matters may well be a disturbing reality for you. You want, rightly so, to be heavenly minded. You need to be concerned first with the things of the Spirit. But you also soon learn that much of the spiritual good you want to see your congregation accomplish hinges on the effective raising and wise spending of money.

In Mastering Church Finances, Richard L. Bergstrom, Gary Fenton, and Wayne A. Pohl explore how you can keep money from getting in the way and use finances instead to further the kingdom. They discuss such matters as how to keep the finance committee ministry-minded, how and when to delegate financial affairs, how to handle designated gifts, how to deal with financial mismanagement, and how to determine staff salaries. It is true, as Paul said, that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil,” but this book shows another truth: well-managed money can become the root of much good.

Mastering Church Management

• Author: Leith Anderson, Arthur H. DeKruyter, and Don Cousins
• Series: Mastering Ministry
• Publisher: Multnomah Press; Christianity Today
• Publication Date: 1990
• Pages: 153

You probably entered the ministry expecting to focus on preaching, prayer, and spiritual guidance. You soon discovered, however, that the realities of church life require working with structures, ministering both to and through people. How you handle this important job of administration equipping and organizing the efforts of the people in your church, is often the difference between an effective and a frustrated ministry.

Mastering Church Management faces up to the challenge of an efficient, people-centered ministry. It will give you practical insight on how to balance structure and people, policies and exceptions. It covers strategies as well as the practical concerns of doing versus delegating, recruiting and training workers, developing good working relationships, and getting the structures in place for effective ministry. Most of all it will show you how to get things done—the right things.

If you’re just starting to get organized and wonder where to begin, or if you’re simply needing help to fine-tune already established programs, Mastering Church Management will be a welcome guide for increasing your effectiveness.

Leith Anderson is a graduate of Denver Seminary (MDiv) and Fuller Theological Seminary (DMin). He has written six books and is known internationally as an author, speaker, and educator, consulting with leaders in denominations across the spectrum of Christendom. He is president of the National Association of Evangelicals and retired pastored of Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

Mastering Conflict & Controversy

• Authors: Ed Dobson, Speed Leas, and Marshall Shelley
• Series: Mastering Ministry
• Publisher: Multnomah Press; Christianity Today
• Publication Date: 1992
• Pages: 181

As every pastor knows, conflict and controversy are difficult and painful. Sometimes the controversy reflects the battle between the forces of light and darkness. More often, however, the conflict rests upon misunderstandings and opinions rather than issues of morality. Dealing with church conflict is uncomfortable and confusing. But as you face the challenge, there are steps you can take to promote harmony within your fellowship. Mastering Conflict and Controversy will show you how to discern the root cause of a controversy, how to deal with and minimize inevitable conflict, and how to turn conflicts to good. You will find this volume in the Mastering Ministry series to be an indispensable resource as you work to build strength and unity within your church.

Marshall Shelley is editor-in-chief of Leadership Journal and editorial vice president of Christianity Today International (CTI). Shelley studied journalism at Bethel University and earned a Master of Divinity in theology from Denver Seminary where he subsequently served as a board member for nearly a decade. He has also studied at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Wheaton College Graduate School, served as a board member for the American Tract Society, and held pastoral staff positions in his hometown of Denver, Colorado.

Mastering Contemporary Preaching

• Authors: Haddon Robinson, Bill Hybels, and Stuart Briscoe
• Series: Mastering Ministry
• Publisher: Multnomah Press; Christianity Today
• Publication Date: 1989
• Pages: 171

Mastering Contemporary Preaching is the first volume of a 12 volume series called Mastering Ministry, co-published by Leadership, Christianity Today, Inc. and Multnomah Press. This book, authored by three preachers known for their ability to communicate in today’s language, focuses on the particular challenge of effective week-in-week-out preaching. These experts address:

• The authority of the preacher
• Speaking to the secular mind
• Deciding what people need to hear today
• Finding quality insights and illustrations
• Balancing information and application
• Dealing with today’s toughest topics

Haddon Robinson is the Harold John Ockenga Distinguished Professor of Preaching and President at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He received his ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary, an MA from Southern Methodist University, and a PhD from the University of Illinois. Robinson served as director of the Dallas Youth for Christ (1952–55), associate pastor of the First Baptist Church in Medford, Oregon (1956–58), and an instructor of speech at the University of Illinois (1960–62). He was president of Denver Conservative Baptist Seminary and taught homiletics at Dallas Theological Seminary for 19 years. Robinson has done extensive work in radio and television, serving as one of the hosts for Discover the Word, a daily radio program in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is the author of What Jesus Said about Successful Living.

Stuart D. Briscoe was pastor of Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, Wisconsin, for 30 years. He and his wife, Jill, have been featured on the widely broadcast Telling the Truth TV and radio ministries. He has written more than 40 books and preached in more than 100 countries. He and his wife have now assumed the roles of ministers-at-Large for the church.

Mastering Outreach & Evangelism

• Authors: Calvin Ratz, Frank Tillapaugh, and Myron Augsburger
• Series: Mastering Ministry
• Publisher: Multnomah Press; Christianity Today
• Publication Date: 1990
• Pages: 157

You want your church to make a difference in the lives of people. Yet you’re often frustrated. Why aren’t your church members better able to meet the needs of their neighbors, be salt and light in their neighborhoods, and spread the gospel? Mastering Outreach and Evangelism, the third volume in the Mastering Ministry series, identifies the challenges you face in leading a church to significant, people-centered outreach. But more important, it offers ways you can get your congregation focusing outward and committed to making a difference. The authors represent churches that use a variety of means to accomplish the task. Combined, their insights provide a well-rounded picture. This book will help you to motivate and deploy your people to share the richness of the gospel through ministries of compassion and evangelism.

Mastering Pastoral Care

• Authors: Doug Self, Paul Anderson, and Bruce Larson
• Series: Mastering Ministry
• Publisher: Multnomah Press; Christianity Today
• Pages: 143

In our fax-paced age, when personal contact is often replaced by the technological touch, it is not easy to care personally for parishioners. You see many members only on Sunday morning. Those who are inactive you see approximately two times a year. Because families are so busy, you may be discouraged about finding your members at home. And if you’re buried under administrative details, pastoral care seems like a luxury of a small rural nineteenth-century ministry. In spite of obstacles, however, you entered the ministry—and remain in it—because you long to care for others. You willingly assume the varied duties of the modern pastorate, but pastoral care is what you want to provide. How to do it with today’s busy members, under the constraints of modern church life, is the subject of this fifth volume in the Mastering Ministry series. Bruce Larson, Paul Anderson, and Doug Self remain committed to pastoral ministry and are known for offering fresh models of pastoral care. Their insights arise out of the daily challenges of pastoral life.

Mastering Pastoral Counseling

• Authors: Archibald D. Hart, Gary Gulbranson, and Jim Smith
• Series: Mastering Ministry
• Publisher: Multnomah Press; Christianity Today
• Publication Date: 1992
• Pages: 158

If you’re like most pastors, you find counseling a sweet and sour experience. You’ve known the joy of unraveling a problem, of saving a marriage, of guiding a young life, of becoming bonded with your people. Yet you’ve also known the weariness and frustration of insoluble and complex and unremitting difficulties, of midnight emergencies, of failures, divorces, fights, and problems, problems, problems. All this makes for extremes. “I try to limit my counseling load to the bare minimum,” says one pastor. “Counseling,” says another, “is the most satisfying part of my ministry.”

Wherever you fall on the spectrum, counseling veterans Archibald D. Hart, Gary L. Gulbranson, and Jim Smith can help. Mastering Pastoral Counseling is not a theory book. It is a problem solver that takes practical issues straight on: sexual temptation in the counseling setting, crisis management, making use of spiritual resources, confidentiality. This book looks at counseling from your perspective as a pastor, not from the professional counselor’s view. You face unique challenges as a pastoral counselor. In Mastering Pastoral Counseling you’ll discover invaluable resources for reducing your frustration and increasing your effectiveness.

Archibald Hart is a licensed psychologist, certified biofeedback practitioner, and board certified diplomate fellow in psychopharmacology. A former dean of the School of Psychology, Hart is now a senior professor of psychology and is best known for his research on the hazards of ministry, depression, anxiety, divorce, stress, and sexuality. He has published 24 books, including Stressed or Depressed, Safe Haven Marriage, Unmasking Male Depression, and The Anxiety Cure.

Mastering the Pastoral Role

• Author: R. Kent Hughes, Ben Patterson, and Paul A. Cedar
• Series: Mastering Ministry
• Publisher: Multnomah Press; Christianity Today
• Publication Date: 1991
• Pages: 138

The Mastering Ministry series brings together some of the best minds on specific areas of pastoral ministry and presents their insights in a readable, personal way. Each book is coauthored by three church leaders recognized for their experience and expertise. The Mastering Ministry series is copublished by Leadership, Christianity Today, Inc., and Multnomah Press.

R. Kent Hughes is senior pastor emeritus of College Church in Wheaton, Illinois. Hughes earned a DMin in 1981 from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and a DD from Biola University in 1991. Hughes’ 42 years of ministry consists of 10 years as a youth pastor, five as a church planter, and 27 as a senior pastor at College Church.

Mastering Personal Growth

• Authors: Maxie Dunnam, Gordon MacDonald, and Donald W. McCullough
• Series: Mastering Ministry
• Publisher: Multnomah Press; Christianity Today
• Publication Date: 1992
• Pages: 178

Has the heat of ministry left you spiritually dry? Are you feeling parched and weak, as if you’re withering away? That’s a common experience in the pastorate. The fast-paced, never-ending routine of meetings, management, classes, and counseling can hinder those in ministry from taking spiritual root in Christ. Many pastors find themselves barely able to maintain the status quo. Still, they feel a longing for more: deep-rootedness in Christ, hearts and minds filled with new life, and a ministry that bears abundant fruit—even in the midst of apparent spiritual drought. Gordon MacDonald, Maxie Dunnam, and Donald McCullough know the intense pressures of the pastorate, and they know how to grow in spite of them. In this book, which completes the 12 volume Mastering Ministry series, the authors discuss how nurturing relationships can energize pastors for ministry, emphasize the importance of finding time for the things that matter, and explain how to monitor body, mind and soul for long-term effectiveness and joy. This valuable book explains how, in spite of appearances, the soil of the pastorate can be fertile ground for rewarding spiritual growth.

Mastering Teaching

• Authors: Howard G. Hendricks, Earl F. Palmer, and Roberta Hestenes
• Series: Mastering Ministry
• Publisher: Multnomah Press; Christianity Today
• Publication Date: 1991
• Pages: 137

Jesus went about preaching and teaching. If you’re like most pastors, one out of two isn’t bad. But you’d like to do better. You know that in teaching you can apply more specifically and discuss more thoroughly the topics you raise in sermons. You also enjoy the opportunity of getting closer to your people in the more informal setting of a classroom. But if you’re like many pastors, you’re frustrated. Often you can’t find time to teach, and when you do, you can’t find time to prepare as you wish. Then there’s the challenge of teaching effectively both new Christians and mature believers, white and blue collar, young and old—at the same time. In addition, you wonder when you’ve hit the mark, when your teaching has actually brought people closer to Christ.

These challenges needn’t overwhelm you; they can be overcome. In Mastering Teaching , volume 8 of the Mastering Ministry series, three respected teachers show what steps you can take to enhance your teaching, to turn it from an infrequent add-on to an essential part of your ministry.

Howard G. Hendricks (BA, Wheaton College; ThM, Dallas Theological Seminary; DD, Wheaton College) is a household name in Christianity, and in his 50-plus years of ministry, he has directly or indirectly touched millions of lives. Today he maintains a rigorous travel schedule and has ministered in over 80 countries through speaking engagements, radio, books, tapes, and films. He is also the former Bible teacher and chaplain for the Dallas Cowboys football team.

Mastering Transitions

• Author: Edward B. Bratcher, Robert G. Kemper, and Douglas Scott
• Series: Mastering Ministry
• Publisher: Multnomah Press; Christianity Today
• Publication Date: 1991
• Pages: 132

Nearly every pastor is going to move. It may happen tomorrow or at the end of a long tenure, but someday you will likely face the prospect of leaving your present ministry and beginning another. First comes the wrenching decision itself. Is God really calling you away, or are you just copping-out to grab the gold ring of a more desirable ministry? What will happen to your present congregation? Most of us find this in-between state unpleasant. When the transition does come, it is fraught with complex tasks and jumbled emotions. Joy over an opening opportunity, sadness over severed ties, family security as precarious as crystal packed by a toddler, new names and faces to match overnight-it’s enough to send stress off the scale. And then comes the new ministry to be launched competently and mastered quickly.

Yes, transitions are difficult, even scary. They give new meaning to the phrase “mover and shaker.” In Mastering Transitions, three pastors well acquainted with pastoral transitions combine their insights and experiences to provide answers to the puzzles of transition.

Mastering Worship

• Authors: Howard Stevenson, John Killinger, and Jack W. Hayford
• Series: Mastering Ministry
• Publisher: Multnomah Press; Christianity Today
• Publication Date: 1990
• Pages: 152

Mastering Worship begins with preparation—how to design a meaningful worship experience, and, equally important, how to prepare yourself for worship. You’ll learn how to lead people into the presence of God . . . even when you feel spiritually dry and unworthy. Next you’ll look at the service itself, with special emphasis on congregational singing, public prayer, and preaching. Guidelines are also given for incorporating classic and contemporary expressions of worship and for getting lethargic worshipers actively involved. Finally, Mastering Worship shows you how to make those special occasions, such as Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day, meaningful times of worship. Throughout, Mastering Worship achieves a careful balance, reflecting the diversity of worship styles used today while focusing on the common concerns of most churches.

Jack Williams Hayford (born June 25, 1934) is a prolific and best-selling writer. He has authored or co-authored more than 100 books and composed 600 hymns and choruses—including the internationally known and widely recorded “Majesty.” Hayford is a graduate of L.I.F.E. Bible College (now Life Pacific College) and Azusa Pacific University.

The Minirth Guide for Christian Counselors

• Author: Frank B. Minirth
• Publisher: B&H
• Publication Date: 2003
• Pages: 208

Sample pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Christian counseling involves the integration of faith and medicine, and Frank Minirth, qualified in the fields of medicine, theology, and counseling, has represented the epitome of the discipline. The Minirth Guide for Christian Counselors is a comprehensive resource for those who counsel from the Scriptures, providing analysis of the four most common emotional obstacles in counseling, and presenting biblical solutions. This book also examines why Christians suffer breakdowns and how Christian counselors can offer uniquely effective help.

The Minirth Guide for Christian Counselors also includes a comprehensive collection of the most commonly needed and most helpful forms used in counseling such as billing and insurance forms, confidentiality statements, consent forms for mentoring, appointment sheets, forms for release of information, evaluation forms, commonly needed phone numbers, and more.

What James Dobson became to the Christian family, Frank Minirth became to Christian counseling.

—William J. Petersen, in Forty Milestones in Christian Retailing

Frank B. Minirth, PhD, MD, is a diplomat of both the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and the American Board of Forensic Medicine. He holds doctoral degrees in both theology and medicine. Minirth has been in private practice in the Dallas area since 1975. He has degrees from Arkansas State University, Arkansas School of Medicine, and Dallas Theological Seminary. He is president of the Minirth Clinic, PA, in Richardson, Texas, and consultant to the Minirth Christian Program at Green Oaks Behavior Healthcare Services. He is also adjunct professor in the Pastoral Ministries and Counseling Department at Dallas Theological Seminary. Minirth is heard nationally on radio and television, and he has authored or co-authored approximately 60 books, including the best-sellers Happiness Is a Choice, Love is a Choice, and Love Hunger.

Pastoral Ethics

• Author: David Atkinson
• Publisher: SPCK
• Publication Date: 1994
• Pages: 239

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Pastoral Ethics offers clear and practical guidance on the ethical and theological dimensions of the dilemmas to be faced in counseling situations. The volume covers 20 major contemporary issues including marriage, family, forgiveness, divorce, business, power, science, health, bereavement, sexuality and the environment. Ministry to the morally confused is a vital part of the work of Christian pastors and counselors. So many difficult ethical issues crowd in on us in daily life that we need a resource to point up biblical, practical ways to understand and interpret. Pastoral Ethics is such a resource. David Atkinson presents a treatment of today’s central ethical questions with a focus on how they affect day-to-day life. The stress here is on practical application rather than abstract moral philosophy. The work’s strength lies in its combination of biblical and practical approaches. Pastoral Ethics will be an invaluable aid for any ministry.

Good biblical theology, clear ethical thinking and sensitive pastoral application.

—Melvin Tinker, chairman, Yorkshire Gospel Partnership

His sensitivity rebukes brash, uncaring solutions; his sheer depth and power of ethical penetration takes us beyond the quick answers.

—Alec Moyter, vice principal, Clifton Theological College

An attractive mix of a biblically based faith, which is willing to question, with an emphasis on acceptance and not judgment.

—Edward Condry, former Canon Treasurer, Canterbury Cathedral

David Atkinson was for some years chaplain and fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford. He is now Canon Theologian of Southwark Cathedral and Diocesan Missioner of Southwark Diocese, in London.

Pastoral Visitation: A Pocket Manual

• Authors: David Searle and David Short
• Publisher: Christian Focus Publications
• Publication Date: 1987
• Pages: 144

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Visiting the sick, lonely or downcast is a duty we all have as Christians. It is not to be left to ministers or elders but is a responsibility for all those who seek to follow Christ’s perfect example. The problem often arises when we actually make the visit. Discussing the weather or the hospital food is all very well, but for our visit to have maximum value we need to try and help the person spiritually. Reading our favorite Bible passage might suffice once, but it cannot be apt to every situation. What happens when you visit for a second time? This is where this book helps. Providing Scripture readings, a prayer and even a suggested hymn for a wide range of possible visits, it is a wonderfully useful tool. Written by authors with long pastoral experience, it will prove a real help to all those who seek to turn the routine visit into a time of real spiritual growth.

David Searle is director of Rutherford House, a theological research and study center in Edinburgh until his retirement in 2005. Prior to that he pastored two Churches of Scotland before moving to Bangor, County Down in Northern Ireland where he pastored Hamilton Road Presbyterian Church for eight years from 1985.

David Short, a Consultant Cardiologist at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for some 25 years, was appointed Physician to Her Majesty the Queen in 1977 and then emeritus professor of clinical medicine at the University of Aberdeen. In addition to his medical career he was both a preacher of God’s Word and a pastor, particularly to the sick, bereaved and discouraged. Together with his wife Joan, he prayed faithfully and systematically for the many whom God laid on their hearts. He died in May 2005.

Pressure Points: Measuring Up: The Need to Succeed and the Fear of Failure

• Authors: Larry W. Osborne, Knute Larson, and Stuart Briscoe
• Series: Mastering Ministries Pressure Points
• Publisher: Multnomah Press
• Publication Date: 1993
• Pages: 79

If you are like most pastors, you want to be a successful church leader. You start out with the desire to teach God’s principles, help other believers and reach out to your community, but you may become sidetracked by a desire to please others. The passion to make a difference begins to fade as you struggle to make everyone happy. As a pastor, what should you strive for? Congregational approval? High attendance figures? Significant weekly offerings? How can you deal with the need to succeed and the fear of failure? These questions and many others are answered in Measuring Up, the third volume of Mastering Ministries Pressure Points series. Written by three experienced pastors, Measuring Up outlines practical principles to help you measure your ministry’s effectiveness, and shows you how to thrive throughout its ups and downs.

Knute Larson is the senior pastor of The Chapel in Akron, Ohio. He is the author of The Great Human Race, a book about personal discipline, as well other books on ministry and leadership. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Grace College, an MDiv at Grace Theological Seminary, and a DMin at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

Stuart D. Briscoe was pastor of Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, Wisconsin, for 30 years. He and his wife, Jill, have been featured on the widely broadcast Telling the Truth TV and radio ministries. He has written more than 40 books and preached in more than 100 countries. He and his wife have now assumed the roles of ministers-at-large for the church.

Pressure Points: Who’s in Charge?: Standing Up to Leadership Pressures

• Authors: Jack W. Hayford, Ben Patterson, and Leith Anderson
• Series: Mastering Ministries Pressure Points
• Publisher: Multnomah Press
• Publication Date: 1993
• Pages: 169

Every great leader can be tempted to jump ship. It’s not easy leading a church. As the pastor, you’re called to move ahead and direct your congregation to new heights in an age and a culture that is largely anti-authoritarian, independent, and suspicious of leaders. And as things get tough, you get lonely. Everyone doubts decisions from time to time, but where does a pastor turn for guidance?

Leading a congregation while maintaining your emotional and spiritual equilibrium is one of the greatest challenges you will face as a pastor. But you can equip yourself to meet the challenge with wisdom and confidence. Who’s in Charge brings you the insights of three highly effective pastors whose years of experience have taught them how to stand strong under pressure. With their help, you’ll soon discover how to transform one of the most demanding aspects of your ministry into one of the most rewarding.

Jack Williams Hayford (born June 25, 1934) is a prolific and best-selling writer. He has authored or co-authored more than 100 books and composed 600 hymns and choruses—including the internationally known and widely recorded “Majesty.” Hayford is a graduate of L.I.F.E. Bible College (now Life Pacific College) and Azusa Pacific University.

Leith Anderson is a graduate of Denver Seminary (MDiv) and Fuller Theological Seminary (DMin). He has written six books and is known internationally as an author, speaker, and educator, consulting with leaders in denominations across the spectrum of Christendom. He is president of the National Association of Evangelicals and retired pastored of Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

Pressure Points: A Voice in the Wilderness: Clear Preaching in a Complicated World

• Authors: William H. Willimon, Stephen W. Brown, and Haddon W. Robinson
• Series: Mastering Ministries Pressure Points
• Publisher: Multnomah Press
• Publication Date: 1993
• Pages: 153

Sometimes you may feel like you are facing a football defensive line: a half-ton mass and muscle whose sole objective is to pound you into the turf. The demands of the ministry can feel like that, especially when you’re faced by pressures like: How can I compete with the communication “masters” my parishioners listen to on the radio and television every week? How can I preach about love when my own marriage is strained? How do I really know if I’m making a difference?

Questions like these can unnerve us. They can destroy us. Or, like the pressure of weights against muscle, they can make our preaching strong. These issues—and more—are addressed in A Voice in the Wilderness, practical guidance for transforming ministry’s pressures into opportunities to excel, written by three of the most respected preachers in America today.

William H. Willimon (1946– ) is a bishop in The United Methodist Church, currently serving in North Alabama. He was dean of the Chapel and professor of Christian ministry at Duke University from 1984 to 2004. Willimon earned degrees from Wofford College (BA, 1968), Yale Divinity School (MDiv, 1971) and Emory University (STD, 1973).

Haddon W. Robinson is the Harold John Ockenga Distinguished Professor of Preaching and president at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He received his ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary, an MA from Southern Methodist University, and a PhD from the University of Illinois. Robinson served as director of the Dallas Youth for Christ (1952–55), associate pastor of the First Baptist Church in Medford, Oregon (1956–58), and an instructor of speech at the University of Illinois (1960–62). He was president of Denver Conservative Baptist Seminary and taught homiletics at Dallas Theological Seminary for 19 years. Robinson has done extensive work in radio and television, serving as one of the hosts for Discover the Word, a daily radio program in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is the author of What Jesus Said about Successful Living.

Pressure Points: The Time Crunch: What to Do When You Can’t Do It All

• Authors: John C. Maxwell, Greg Asimakoupoulos, and Steve McKinley
• Series: Mastering Ministries Pressure Points
• Publisher: Multnomah Press
• Publication Date: 1993
• Pages: 158

Sometimes you feel like you just can’t win. While you are praying, you feel you should be studying. While studying you feel you should be out visiting. While visiting you feel you should be with your family. And while you are with your family, you feel you should be spending more time with the Lord. It’s a vicious circle. Driven by both a relentless sense of guilt and a sincere desire to serve, you hurry through each day-every day off-trying to get everything done. But no matter how hard you try, you never have enough time to meet all the needs around you. Fortunately, there are ways to cope with competing time demands. In the second volume of Mastering Ministry’s Pressure Points, you’ll find practical, helpful advice from three men who have learned to balance the time pressures faced by pastors. You’ll discover how to stay spiritually refreshed in the midst of ministry’s daily routine and deal successfully with the pressure as you tackle The Time Crunch.

John Calvin Maxwell (born 1947) is an evangelical Christian author, speaker, and pastor who has written more than 50 books, primarily focusing on leadership. Titles include The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership and The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader: Becoming the Person Others Will Want to Follow. His books have sold more than 12 million copies, with some on the New York Times Best Seller List, and translations in over 50 languages.

Pressure Points: Dangers, Toils & Snares: Resisting the Hidden Temptations of Ministry

• Authors: Richard Exley, John Ortberg, and Mark Galli
• Series: Mastering Ministries Pressure Points
• Publisher: Multnomah Press
• Publication Date: 1994
• Pages: 171

News stories about pastoral indiscretions abound today—an embezzlement this week, adultery the next. Every Christian’s life is filled with temptation, but spiritual leaders seem to be prime targets for Satan’s attacks. Most pastors find themselves faced with moral temptation of some kind. They are party to intimate details of other people’s sexual lives. They find themselves in positions of power and authority. Even as they work to help others, the voices of lust, pride and ambition whisper:

• “It doesn’t hurt to just think about it.”
• “This church is a success because of all the things I’ve done.”
• “How can I move my career even further ahead?”

More than ever, pastors need moral wisdom and strength. Jesus calls for it. The integrity of their lives and ministries demands it. Now, three experienced pastors explain how temptation can be met and defeated in Dangers, Toils and Snares.

Richard Exley was pastor of Christian Church for 12 years, after which he has become highly involved in mentoring of couples, men, and those in ministry. He has written numerous books and is a dynamic speaker.

John Ortberg has a PhD from Fuller Theological Seminary and is a teaching pastor at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in Northern California. He is a best-selling author whose books include The Life You’ve Always Wanted and If You Want to Walk on Water You’ve Got to Get out of the Boat.

Mark Galli is managing editor of Christianity Today in the United States and former editor of Christian History magazine. He received an MDiv from Fuller Theological Seminary and for 10 years served as a Presbyterian pastor in parishes in Mexico City and California. He has written books on preaching, prayer and the challenges of pastoral ministry. He has co-written and edited a number of books, including 131 Christians Everyone Should Know, Preaching that Connects, and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Prayer.

Pressure Points: Standing Fast: Ministry in an Unfriendly World

• Authors: Ed Dobson, Louis McBurney, and Wayne Gordon
• Series: Mastering Ministries Pressure Points
• Publisher: Multnomah Press
• Publication Date: 1994
• Pages: 138

Everywhere you turn, there’s opposition to the Kingdom of God. You face the tension every day. The pressure is like a hurricane that threatens to wildly toss your ministry, your family-even you, yourself. And it will, unless your character is firmly rooted.

Cultural relativism gusts against the Christian morals you support. Mindless entertainment blows against the values you know are critical to raising a Christian family. Yet, even as you battle to advance God’s principles, storms of sin and doubt continue to rage:

• “Am I really making a difference?”
• “Doesn’t anyone respect what I’m doing?”
• “Am I truly called to the pastorate?”

It can be extremely difficult to work for the kingdom of Christ in a world that is unfriendly to Christian values. But there are practical measures that you can take to help you minister faithfully and effectively today. That’s what you’ll find in Standing Fast—sound advice from three wise and experienced men who know how to stand fast in the torrential winds of our times.

The Power of Loving Your Church

• Authors: David Hansen and David L. Goetz
• Series: The Pastor’s Soul
• Publisher: Bethany House
• Publication Date: 1998
• Pages: 168

Pastors are maturing. Deepening. They want substance for their congregations—and nourishment for their own soul. The Pastor’s Soul series unleashes pastors to do what really matters. To step beyond skills. To give of their unique gifts. To minister authentically and grow in the intangibles of ministry like integrity and character. In this changing culture, pastors need dedication to do what God wants them to do. They need freedom to fulfill their high calling.

The Power of Loving Your Church honestly assesses the way church really is: Not all churches are easy to love. Not all pastors find love easy. And the two have uncanny ways of finding each other. The Power of Loving Your Church offers help for pastors to grow in the biblical devotion that is indispensable to ministry. Pastoring, after all, isn’t a series of tasks to do with love—rather, it is love.

David G. Hansen has taught at several institutions of higher education, including the US Army War College, Penn State University, and Trinity Theological College and Seminary. He also served in the US Army for 35 years. His current on-site research in Israel, Jordan, and Egypt includes extensive travel and participation in several archaeological excavations. He has published numerous articles and book chapters about biblical geography, history, and military affairs, and is author of In Their Sandals: How His Followers Saw Jesus and coauthor of A Visual Guide to Gospel Events.

The Secrets of Staying Power

• Author: Kevin A. Miller
• Publisher: Christianity Today
• Publication Date: 1988
• Pages: 208

Every minister faces moments when the pressures of the pastorate seem overwhelming. Discouragement sets in. Is it time to leave this church? Or ministry altogether? How do I keep going? A pastor wrote Leadership Journal recently: “How do you deal with yourself, when you suddenly say within, I quit, and yet must keep going as a public leader? The inner resources of enthusiasm, interest, and caring are just not there sometimes.” The precipitating incidents vary—declining attendance, criticism from key members, family struggles, lack of commitment from volunteers. But the result is the same: cold, hard winds blow across the minister’s soul. What then? Where can the pastor turn? How can a vigorous ministry be restored?

This book focuses on how to turn weakness in to strength, how to find the power to persevere. Through real-life stories of ministers who have been through the “slough of despond” and found productive ministry on the other side, each chapter offers both practical guidance and warm encouragement. Secrets of Staying Power provides tested wisdom for weathering pastoral storms—and building a ministry that lasts.

Sermon Notes from the Ministry of Jesus

• Author: Mattie M. Boetler
• Publisher: The Standard Publishing Company
• Publication Date: 1915
• Pages: 269

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

This volume provides pastors and teachers sermon notes on Jesus’ ministry. The 60 chapters chronologically follow Christ’s ministry. They include brief outlines and comprehensive notes.

Sins of the Body: Ministry in a Sexual Society

• Editor: Terry C. Muck
• Publisher: Christianity Today; Word
• Publication Date: 1989
• Pages: 190

Sex—it attracts us and frightens us. Its highly-charged force has potential for great good or great harm. Mishandling sexual situations has caused Christian leaders to lose their ministries. Sex-related problems also confront pastors with confounding counseling situations. How to minister to casualties of the sexual revolution? This book addresses these twin challenges of ministry: maintaining personal purity while maintaining close human contact, and offering a compassionate, healing touch to those who struggle because sex has been misused. Editor Terry Muck has pulled together the candid, yet redemptive, stories of people who have faced the subtlest and most powerful sexual situations. Each chapter offers tested insight from those who have learned to walk wisely and minister effectively.

Terry Muck is dean of the E. Stanley Jones School of World Mission and Evangelism and professor of Mission and World Religion. He began teaching at Asbury Theological Seminary in 2000. He received a BA from Bethel College; an MDiv from Bethel Theological Seminary; a MBA from National College of Education; and a PhD from Northwestern University. Muck is a frequent preacher and speaker at churches, primarily addressing the relationship of Christianity and Christians to the world’s religions. He has published 10 books, including his most recent Christianity Encounters the World Religions.

Spiritual Aspects of Health Care

• Author: David J. Stoter
• Publisher: Wipf & Stock
• Publication Date: 2008
• Pages: 176

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Written by an experienced hospital chaplain, Spiritual Aspects of Health Care provides you with a comprehensive guide to meeting the spiritual and religious needs of all your patients. David Stoter provides an introduction to the nature of spiritual care, and follows it with a practical section on the healthcare career, self-examinaion, skill development, and the dynamic of patient-provider relationship. Stoter also prepares chaplains by discussing common patient responses to illness, pain, loss, and recovery.

[I]t is to be hoped that this book will find its way to bookshelves of all grades of staff committed to caring for the sick and the dying.

—E.M. Symonds, dean of the Medical School, Nottingham

David J. Stoter is the author of Staff Support in Health Care.

Spiritual Leadership: Moving People on to God’s Agenda

• Authors: Henry T. Blackaby and Richard Blackaby
• Publisher: B&H Publishing Group
• Publication Date: 2001
• Pages: 306

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Whether you are a leader in the business world or the church, for those called to lead, Spiritual Leadership is a guide to understanding God’s design for spiritual leaders. Drawing upon their own extensive leadership experience as well as their ministry to leaders in all walks of life, Henry and Richard Blackaby offer insightful counsel into the ways God develops, guides, and empowers spiritual leaders. Clear guidance is given on how leaders can make a positive impact on the people and organizations they are currently leading. Filled with practical, biblical principles, Spiritual Leadership is a book leaders will refer to over and over again as they seek to be the man or woman that God intended for them to be.

Henry T. Blackaby is one of the world’s most popular speakers and writers. His Experiencing God study course has sold more than three million copies. Currently he is president of Henry Blackaby Ministries.

Richard Blackaby is president of the Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary in Cochrane, Alberta. He previously co-authored Experiencing God Day-by-Day, When God Speaks, God’s Invitation, and The Experience with his father, Henry T. Blackaby.

The Stain That Stays: The Church’s Response to the Sexual Misconduct of Its Leaders

• Author: John H. Armstrong
• Publisher: Christian Focus Publications
• Publication Date: 2005
• Pages: 208

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Around the world sexual misconduct is knocking ministers from their ministry. As the numbers grow it is crucial to know what should happen to them for their good and for the good of the Church. Should they return, repentant, to their pulpits within weeks or months—or should they return at all? John Armstrong has seen a lot in a pastoral ministry that has spanned over twenty years. When it comes to the issues of sexual impropriety John’s anecdotal experiences coupled with scriptural exegesis, examples in Church history and careful reasoning helps to shed light on an issue that is responded to with such varied and strong opinions.

As the epidemic of moral failure among church leaders shows signs of worsening, the church must carefully re-examine some hard questions in the clear light of Scripture. John Armstrong has done this, and here he offers a thoughtful, biblical response—surely the finest book to date on this difficult subject.

—John MacArthur, Calvinist theologian, author, editor, and teacher

John H. Armstrong president of Reformation & Revival Ministries since 1991, serves the church in a variety of ways— among them speaking at conferences, pastoral care, and writing teaching resources and books. He was a pastor for 21 years, the last 16 at Trinity Baptist Church, Wheaton, Illinois.

Successful Home Cell Groups

• Author: David Yonggi Cho
• Publisher: Bridge-Logos
• Publication Date: 1981
• Pages: 172

Home cell groups are becoming a necessity in the believer’s life, not only for the mega-churches but also for the small corner churches, as well. This book is a how-to resource that details everything you need to know in order to make home cell groups work in your church. The plans developed here are designed to bring intimate fellowship and involvement in the Christian’s life, to effectively show Christians how to evangelize their neighborhood and community, and to share their spiritual gifts with one another. Home cell groups, therefore, give church members the opportunity to participate in the ministry of their church. David Cho promises that, “By following the guidelines I have presented here, you can bring the miracles of home cell groups and church growth to your own congregation.”

So how does a church of more than 800,000 believers grow and work? Small groups, one household at a time. Cho is careful to share both his mistakes as well as his successes. One of the prime ingredients for a successful home group program is evangelism. He insists that the cell groups focus on the neighborhoods and communities to reach the lost. Leadership, training, discipline, recognition, focus, and personal involvement by the senior pastor are other critical elements. There is a careful balance which needs to be struck between control and freedom for each group to strengthen and grow. Great wisdom is shown in relying on the Holy Spirit to strike the right balance. As a senior partner in ministry, The Holy Spirit has grown the body of Christ in a miraculous way. Recorded in this book are lessons for us all, laymen and clergy, large church and small.

—Jeffrey Ellis, volunteer prison chaplain

There is no doubt about Dr. Cho’s influence on our modern day cell group and church movement. He is at the absolute forefront, his insights and heart for ministry are a huge blessing to the church international. This book is one of the key books to read to help anyone understand the simplicity and necessity of cell groups for church life. The concepts are incredibly helpful and insightful.

—R. Neary, minister of discipleship, Cathedral in the Pines, Beaumont, TX

David Yonggi Cho is the pastor of the Yoido Full Gospel Central Church in Seoul, Korea. The church has grown to become the largest worshiping body in the world with a congregation that numbers over 800,000 members, who are involved in more than 25,000 home cell groups. Dr. Cho is the author of several other books including, Unleashing the Power of Faith and A Leap of Faith. He studied theology under a scholarship at Full Gospel Bible College in Seoul, graduating in March, 1958. He has spent more than 44 years emphasizing the importance of cell group ministry. He founded Church Growth International, in 1976, to teach pastors the principles of evangelism and church growth. Southern Baptist pastor, Rick Warren conducted a Purpose-Driven conference at the Yoido Full Gospel Central Church, in 2006.

Weddings, Funerals, and Special Events

• Authors: Calvin Miller and Eugene H. Peterson
• Publisher: Christianity Today; Word
• Publication Date: 1987
• Pages: 151

In today’s secular society, the only personal contact many people have with a pastor is some public occasion: a wedding, funeral, baby dedication or baptism, an awards ceremony. These settings, where clergy are front and center, offer unique opportunities to minister. The bubbling joy or the piercing grief of these events waken people, if only for a moment, to pastors and to the divine realities they represent. Birth, death, and human achievement become, in C. S. Lewis’s words, “a megaphone to rouse a deafened world.” And pastors who are called upon to lead, officiate, or pray during these events do well to consider how to speak clearly through them.

This book offers clear, tested counsel on how to prepare for special occasions and how to conduct the events themselves. Each chapter is written by a pastor who has had extensive experience in that area. These church leaders relate honestly their failures and successes—and the lessons learned—as they’ve ministered during weddings, funerals, and special events.

Calvin Miller retired in 2007 as professor of preaching and pastoral ministry at Beeson Divinity School, Samford University. He received his DMin from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and previously served as pastor of Westside Baptist Church in Omaha, Nebraska. Miller is a poet, artist, novelist, and evangelist and has written more than 40 books and numerous articles on religion and preaching.

Eugene H. Peterson is a writer, poet, and retired pastor. He has authored more than 34 books (not including The Message) and is a contributing editor for Leadership Magazine. He is emeritus professor of spiritual theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. Peterson also founded Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Maryland, where he ministered for 29 years.

Well-Intentioned Dragons

• Author: Marshall Shelley
• Series: The Leadership Library
• Publisher: Christianity Today
• Publication Date: 1985
• Pages: 153

Every church has them—sincere, well meaning Christians who leave ulcers, strained relationships, and hard feelings in their wake. They don’t intend to be difficult; they don’t consciously plot destruction or breed discontent among the members. But they often do undermine the ministry of the church and make pastors question their calling. Help for those who minister under all-too-common conditions of hostility, resistance, and interference. Well-Intentioned Dragons guides those on church staffs in facing the strenuous task of dealing with difficult people—even ministering while under attack. Based on real-life stories of battle-scarred veterans, Marshall Shelly presents a clear picture of God’s love for those on both sides of the problem. He describes tested strategies to communicate that love and turn dissidents into disciples. Here is a book that will not only help pastors and church leaders preserve their sanity (and maybe their jobs); it will help them minister more effectively even to those who make life difficult.

Marshall Shelley is editor-in-chief of Leadership Journal and editorial vice president of Christianity Today International (CTI). Shelley studied journalism at Bethel University and earned a Master of Divinity in theology from Denver Seminary where he subsequently served as a board member for nearly a decade. He has also studied at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Wheaton College Graduate School, served as a board member for the American Tract Society, and held pastoral staff positions in his hometown of Denver, Colorado.

When It’s Time to Move

• Author: Paul D. Robbins
• Publisher: Christianity Today
• Publication Date: 1985
• Pages: 160

Anyone who’s packed and unpacked a truckload of household belongings—discarding this, squeezing that, scratching or even breaking the other—knows the truth of the adage. Moving has a way of diminishing us, until by the seventh time we wonder whether any original material is left. Moving also takes its toll on the intangibles. For the pastor, leaving one congregation for another is a peril-fraught venture. What if the new board turns out to be obstinate? What if the family is unhappy? How long will it take to win confidence and—beyond that—genuine friendship through the new sea of faces? What if finances stumble? What if the new pace of work proves overwhelming?

This book provides timely help for the pastor in transition. Eleven specially chosen writers whose ministerial experience ranges from Episcopalian to Nazarene, from Quebec to California, tell of struggles they’ve faced, misgivings they’ve weighed, and solutions they’ve found. Together, their chapters provide a game plan to make relocation a positive instead of a destructive event.

When to Take a Risk

• Author: Terry C. Muck
• Publisher: Christianity Today; Word Books
• Publication Date: 1987

Does leading a church set up an impossible choice between running an efficient, well-maintained program and being sensitive to the needs of suffering people? Can one leader do both? For many leaders, the answer is not clear. Especially in days when the conflicting demands of institution and individual whipsaw pastors back and forth between office and hospital, altar and pew, management and pastoral care. On top of it all, they are called to pronounce theological blessing or anathema on any knotty question that confronts the body of Christ.

This book offers a four-step approach to decision making that helps local church leaders become versatile servants of God, translating timeless theological truth into everyday life situations. Using the concepts of risk-taking theory, the author shows how to unravel the confusing diversity of modern church life and approach each situation with wisdom and confidence. Ministers tell stories of the most difficult decisions that they have faced and how they dealt with each. The successes and failures illustrate the high stakes of ministry—and its crucial importance. God gives strength to face the demands of ministry; but he calls leaders to take some risks of obedience along the way.

Terry Muck is dean of the E. Stanley Jones School of World Mission and Evangelism and professor of Mission and World Religion. He began teaching at Asbury Theological Seminary in 2000. He received a BA from Bethel College; an MDiv from Bethel Theological Seminary; a MBA from National College of Education; and a PhD from Northwestern University. Muck is a frequent preacher and speaker at churches, primarily addressing the relationship of Christianity and Christians to the world’s religions. He has published 10 books, including his most recent Christianity Encounters the World Religions.