Inside the Small Church

Inside the Small Church

Author: Anthony G. Pappas

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2001-11-01

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 1566995620

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Even as so-called megachurches capture the attention of many church watchers, small congregations continue to dominate America's religious landscape in both rural and urban settings. Although sometimes obscured by their larger siblings, these small churches play a prominent role and hold a unique place in both local and national cultures. How can leaders help to keep these often at-risk churches alive and to meet their potential for ministry? Small-church expert Tony Pappas has gathered a cornucopia of essays into an indispensable book for anyone interested in the rich life of these small but significant congregations. Drawing on classic and updated articles by a variety of writers from his own small-church newsletter The Five Stones; from Alban journals Action Information and Congregations; and adding new pieces developed especially for this volume, Pappas provides timeless ideas on learning to value, pastor, develop, and lead the small church. In addition to time-honored articles by the editor, other contributors to this volume include Sherry and Douglas Alan Walrath, Gary Farley, Lawrence W. Farris, Loren Mead, Caroline Westerhoff, Steven Burt, Carl Dudley, David Ray, James Lowery, and a host of others known for their work-and love-for the small church. Readers of Inside the Small Church will come away with a renewed love and appreciation for these vital congregations as well as with new skills for ministry.


Book Synopsis Inside the Small Church by : Anthony G. Pappas

Download or read book Inside the Small Church written by Anthony G. Pappas and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2001-11-01 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Even as so-called megachurches capture the attention of many church watchers, small congregations continue to dominate America's religious landscape in both rural and urban settings. Although sometimes obscured by their larger siblings, these small churches play a prominent role and hold a unique place in both local and national cultures. How can leaders help to keep these often at-risk churches alive and to meet their potential for ministry? Small-church expert Tony Pappas has gathered a cornucopia of essays into an indispensable book for anyone interested in the rich life of these small but significant congregations. Drawing on classic and updated articles by a variety of writers from his own small-church newsletter The Five Stones; from Alban journals Action Information and Congregations; and adding new pieces developed especially for this volume, Pappas provides timeless ideas on learning to value, pastor, develop, and lead the small church. In addition to time-honored articles by the editor, other contributors to this volume include Sherry and Douglas Alan Walrath, Gary Farley, Lawrence W. Farris, Loren Mead, Caroline Westerhoff, Steven Burt, Carl Dudley, David Ray, James Lowery, and a host of others known for their work-and love-for the small church. Readers of Inside the Small Church will come away with a renewed love and appreciation for these vital congregations as well as with new skills for ministry.


Small Church Essentials

Small Church Essentials

Author: Karl Vaters

Publisher: Moody Publishers

Published: 2018-03-06

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 0802496369

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Do you lead a small church? Big churches get all the love. Articles, books, conferences—they mostly feature leaders of large congregations. Yet big churches are a small part of the ecclesial landscape. In fact, more than 90 percent of churches have fewer than 200 people. That means small churches play a big part in what God is doing. Small Church Essentials is for leaders of these smaller congregations. It encourages them to steward their role well, debunking myths about small churches while offering principles for leading a dynamic, healthy small church. Based on the popular six-hour lecture that Karl Vaters delivers to church leaders across the country, Small Church Essentials will affirm small church leaders and show them how to identify what they do well, and how to do it even better. Readers will: Be assured that leading a small congregation does not make them ministry failures Come away inspired to lead with passion, regardless the size of their church Have field-tested principles for leading a church in their context Possess new metrics for biblically measuring vitality in small churches Have a toolkit of resources to use in their everyday ministry Karl Vaters has been a small church pastor for 30 years, is the author of The Grasshopper Myth: Big Churches, Small Churches, and the Small Thinking that Divides Us (2013), and travels extensively to churches and conferences to speak about leading a small church well. If you are pastoring a small church, this book will be a breath of fresh air. It will affirm your calling while giving you fresh tools to help you lead. It will help you: Stop believing lies about small churches Lead your church to fulfill the role only small churches can Understand your congregation’s strengths and weaknesses Turn around a dying or unhealthy church Identify good trends and bad in church and culture


Book Synopsis Small Church Essentials by : Karl Vaters

Download or read book Small Church Essentials written by Karl Vaters and published by Moody Publishers. This book was released on 2018-03-06 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Do you lead a small church? Big churches get all the love. Articles, books, conferences—they mostly feature leaders of large congregations. Yet big churches are a small part of the ecclesial landscape. In fact, more than 90 percent of churches have fewer than 200 people. That means small churches play a big part in what God is doing. Small Church Essentials is for leaders of these smaller congregations. It encourages them to steward their role well, debunking myths about small churches while offering principles for leading a dynamic, healthy small church. Based on the popular six-hour lecture that Karl Vaters delivers to church leaders across the country, Small Church Essentials will affirm small church leaders and show them how to identify what they do well, and how to do it even better. Readers will: Be assured that leading a small congregation does not make them ministry failures Come away inspired to lead with passion, regardless the size of their church Have field-tested principles for leading a church in their context Possess new metrics for biblically measuring vitality in small churches Have a toolkit of resources to use in their everyday ministry Karl Vaters has been a small church pastor for 30 years, is the author of The Grasshopper Myth: Big Churches, Small Churches, and the Small Thinking that Divides Us (2013), and travels extensively to churches and conferences to speak about leading a small church well. If you are pastoring a small church, this book will be a breath of fresh air. It will affirm your calling while giving you fresh tools to help you lead. It will help you: Stop believing lies about small churches Lead your church to fulfill the role only small churches can Understand your congregation’s strengths and weaknesses Turn around a dying or unhealthy church Identify good trends and bad in church and culture


Small Church, Big Impact (Ebook Shorts)

Small Church, Big Impact (Ebook Shorts)

Author: Brandon J. O'Brien

Publisher: Baker Books

Published: 2011-08-01

Total Pages: 56

ISBN-13: 144127071X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

By gathering stories about effective churches from small-church pastors, Brandon O'Brien demonstrates that a church's success is not contingent on its size. This is a selection from Brandon O'Brien's book, The Strategically Small Church.


Book Synopsis Small Church, Big Impact (Ebook Shorts) by : Brandon J. O'Brien

Download or read book Small Church, Big Impact (Ebook Shorts) written by Brandon J. O'Brien and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2011-08-01 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By gathering stories about effective churches from small-church pastors, Brandon O'Brien demonstrates that a church's success is not contingent on its size. This is a selection from Brandon O'Brien's book, The Strategically Small Church.


Pastoral Care in the Small Membership Church

Pastoral Care in the Small Membership Church

Author: James L. Killen

Publisher: Abingdon Press

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 115

ISBN-13: 0687343267

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

An introduction to pastoral care for pastors of small membership churches. "If you spend your whole life serving small membership churches and doing it well, yours will have been a life well spent." Small membership churches have a real advantage when it comes to incorporating people into a fellowship where they are known and where their needs are met. These churches and their pastors have an opportunity for excellence in this area, and should make the most of it. Good pastoral care can be the key to effectiveness in all of the other ministries of the church.From getting acquainted with your congregation, weddings and funerals, picking up on subtle cues in a conversation to not-so-subtle conflicts, Killen shares insights from years of ministry in a small membership church setting. James L. Killen, Jr. is a retired elder of the Texas Conference, contributor to Circuit Rider, and author of Who Do You Say That I Am? A Personal Reader.


Book Synopsis Pastoral Care in the Small Membership Church by : James L. Killen

Download or read book Pastoral Care in the Small Membership Church written by James L. Killen and published by Abingdon Press. This book was released on 2005 with total page 115 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An introduction to pastoral care for pastors of small membership churches. "If you spend your whole life serving small membership churches and doing it well, yours will have been a life well spent." Small membership churches have a real advantage when it comes to incorporating people into a fellowship where they are known and where their needs are met. These churches and their pastors have an opportunity for excellence in this area, and should make the most of it. Good pastoral care can be the key to effectiveness in all of the other ministries of the church.From getting acquainted with your congregation, weddings and funerals, picking up on subtle cues in a conversation to not-so-subtle conflicts, Killen shares insights from years of ministry in a small membership church setting. James L. Killen, Jr. is a retired elder of the Texas Conference, contributor to Circuit Rider, and author of Who Do You Say That I Am? A Personal Reader.


Imagining the Small Church

Imagining the Small Church

Author: Steve Willis

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2012-11-06

Total Pages: 116

ISBN-13: 1566995558

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Imagining the Small Church: Celebrating a Simpler Path bears witness to what God is doing in small churches. Steve Willis tells stories from the small churches he has pastored in rural, town, and urban settings and dares to imagine that their way of being has something to teach all churches in this time of change in the American Christian Church. Willis tells us in the introduction, 'This book boasts no ten or fifteen steps to a successful small church. Instead, I hope to encourage you to give up on steps altogether and even to give up on success, at least how success is usually measured. I also hope to help the reader imagine the small church differently; to see with new eyes the joys and pleasures of living small and sustainably.' The joys and sorrows Willis helps us see through the compelling stories of faith in the small church puts flesh and bones on the possibilities that lie ahead for congregations in the future as well as the here and now. From the foreword by Tony Pappas: 'In Imagining the Small Church, pastor, writer, and lover of small things Steve Willis takes us on a narrative and imaginative journey. Some readers will have a sense that what Willis is describing simply names what they have already known in their hearts about their small churches. For them the journey will cover some familiar ground, explore some territory from a fresh angle, but deposit them nearly home again, hopefully with just a bit more awareness and appreciation. For others, though, Willis will take them on a long journey to a far and foreign place. They probably won't bother to finish reading it, and they will miss his invitation to find pastoring a small church extremely rewarding and meaningful. They will find this a strange book weird, off-center, and impractical; unlivable in the twenty-first century and undesirable in any event. This is because Willis is taking on the ethos, the values of our age, and claiming that it needn't be so. We can live on a different basis. We can live on the basis of gospel values.' There will be a variety of paths as the Church seeks new ways of being in this time. Willis knows this. In Imagining the Small Church he presents us with one that embraces a life of faith on the periphery and challenges church leaders to do the same.


Book Synopsis Imagining the Small Church by : Steve Willis

Download or read book Imagining the Small Church written by Steve Willis and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2012-11-06 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Imagining the Small Church: Celebrating a Simpler Path bears witness to what God is doing in small churches. Steve Willis tells stories from the small churches he has pastored in rural, town, and urban settings and dares to imagine that their way of being has something to teach all churches in this time of change in the American Christian Church. Willis tells us in the introduction, 'This book boasts no ten or fifteen steps to a successful small church. Instead, I hope to encourage you to give up on steps altogether and even to give up on success, at least how success is usually measured. I also hope to help the reader imagine the small church differently; to see with new eyes the joys and pleasures of living small and sustainably.' The joys and sorrows Willis helps us see through the compelling stories of faith in the small church puts flesh and bones on the possibilities that lie ahead for congregations in the future as well as the here and now. From the foreword by Tony Pappas: 'In Imagining the Small Church, pastor, writer, and lover of small things Steve Willis takes us on a narrative and imaginative journey. Some readers will have a sense that what Willis is describing simply names what they have already known in their hearts about their small churches. For them the journey will cover some familiar ground, explore some territory from a fresh angle, but deposit them nearly home again, hopefully with just a bit more awareness and appreciation. For others, though, Willis will take them on a long journey to a far and foreign place. They probably won't bother to finish reading it, and they will miss his invitation to find pastoring a small church extremely rewarding and meaningful. They will find this a strange book weird, off-center, and impractical; unlivable in the twenty-first century and undesirable in any event. This is because Willis is taking on the ethos, the values of our age, and claiming that it needn't be so. We can live on a different basis. We can live on the basis of gospel values.' There will be a variety of paths as the Church seeks new ways of being in this time. Willis knows this. In Imagining the Small Church he presents us with one that embraces a life of faith on the periphery and challenges church leaders to do the same.


Leading the Small Church

Leading the Small Church

Author: Glenn Daman

Publisher: Kregel Academic & Professional

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780825424472

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This follow-up to Shepherding the Small Churchexhorts pastors to take their leadership to a different level, one that is rooted in spiritual activities like preaching and discipleship instead of professional leadership strategies.


Book Synopsis Leading the Small Church by : Glenn Daman

Download or read book Leading the Small Church written by Glenn Daman and published by Kregel Academic & Professional. This book was released on 2006 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This follow-up to Shepherding the Small Churchexhorts pastors to take their leadership to a different level, one that is rooted in spiritual activities like preaching and discipleship instead of professional leadership strategies.


Future Church

Future Church

Author: Will Mancini

Publisher: Baker Books

Published: 2020-12-01

Total Pages: 266

ISBN-13: 1493427806

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Church growth models have often been long on promises and short on disciple-making. We continue to watch consistent church attendance shrink, and our desire to reach the lost is infected with a need for self-validation by growing our numbers at any cost. If we believe that God wants his church to grow, where do we go from here? What is the future of the church? Drawing from his 20 years and 15,000 hours of consulting, author Will Mancini shares with pastors and ministry leaders the single most important insight he has learned about church growth. With plenty of salient stories and based solidly on the disciple-making methods found in Scripture, Future Church exposes the church's greatest challenge today, and offers 7 transforming laws of real church growth so that we can faithfully and joyfully fulfill Jesus's Great Commission.


Book Synopsis Future Church by : Will Mancini

Download or read book Future Church written by Will Mancini and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2020-12-01 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Church growth models have often been long on promises and short on disciple-making. We continue to watch consistent church attendance shrink, and our desire to reach the lost is infected with a need for self-validation by growing our numbers at any cost. If we believe that God wants his church to grow, where do we go from here? What is the future of the church? Drawing from his 20 years and 15,000 hours of consulting, author Will Mancini shares with pastors and ministry leaders the single most important insight he has learned about church growth. With plenty of salient stories and based solidly on the disciple-making methods found in Scripture, Future Church exposes the church's greatest challenge today, and offers 7 transforming laws of real church growth so that we can faithfully and joyfully fulfill Jesus's Great Commission.


Church of the Small Things

Church of the Small Things

Author: Melanie Shankle

Publisher: Zondervan

Published: 2017-10-03

Total Pages: 116

ISBN-13: 0310349265

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Is my ordinary, everyday life actually significant? Is it okay to be fulfilled by the simple acts of raising kids, working in an office, and cooking chicken for dinner? It’s been said, “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away.” The pressure of that can be staggering as we spend our days looking for that big thing that promises to take our breath away. Meanwhile, we lose sight of the small significance of fully living with every breath we take. Melanie Shankle, New York Times bestselling author and writer at The Big Mama Blog tackles these questions head on in her fourth book, Church of the Small Things. Easygoing and relatable, she speaks directly to the heart of women of all ages who are longing to find significance and meaning in the normal, sometimes mundane world of driving carpool to soccer practice, attending class on their college campus, cooking meals for their family, or taking care of a sick loved one. The million little pieces that make a life aren’t necessarily glamorous or far-reaching. But God uses some of the smallest, most ordinary acts of faithfulness—and sometimes they look a whole lot like packing lunch. Through humorous stories told in her signature style, full of Frito pie, best friends, the love of her Me-Ma and Pa-Pa, the unexpected grace that comes when we quit trying to measure up, and a little of the best TV has to offer, Melanie helps women embrace what it means to live a simple, yet incredibly meaningful life and how to find all the beauty and laughter that lies right beneath the surface of every moment.


Book Synopsis Church of the Small Things by : Melanie Shankle

Download or read book Church of the Small Things written by Melanie Shankle and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2017-10-03 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is my ordinary, everyday life actually significant? Is it okay to be fulfilled by the simple acts of raising kids, working in an office, and cooking chicken for dinner? It’s been said, “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away.” The pressure of that can be staggering as we spend our days looking for that big thing that promises to take our breath away. Meanwhile, we lose sight of the small significance of fully living with every breath we take. Melanie Shankle, New York Times bestselling author and writer at The Big Mama Blog tackles these questions head on in her fourth book, Church of the Small Things. Easygoing and relatable, she speaks directly to the heart of women of all ages who are longing to find significance and meaning in the normal, sometimes mundane world of driving carpool to soccer practice, attending class on their college campus, cooking meals for their family, or taking care of a sick loved one. The million little pieces that make a life aren’t necessarily glamorous or far-reaching. But God uses some of the smallest, most ordinary acts of faithfulness—and sometimes they look a whole lot like packing lunch. Through humorous stories told in her signature style, full of Frito pie, best friends, the love of her Me-Ma and Pa-Pa, the unexpected grace that comes when we quit trying to measure up, and a little of the best TV has to offer, Melanie helps women embrace what it means to live a simple, yet incredibly meaningful life and how to find all the beauty and laughter that lies right beneath the surface of every moment.


Making the Small Church Effective

Making the Small Church Effective

Author: Carl S. Dudley

Publisher:

Published: 1978

Total Pages: 196

ISBN-13: 9780687230440

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

What makes the small church so reliably steady, closely intimate, and beautifully simple -- a worthy model of the Christian church? Carl S. Dudley affirms the main cause as lying within the minds of the church members.


Book Synopsis Making the Small Church Effective by : Carl S. Dudley

Download or read book Making the Small Church Effective written by Carl S. Dudley and published by . This book was released on 1978 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What makes the small church so reliably steady, closely intimate, and beautifully simple -- a worthy model of the Christian church? Carl S. Dudley affirms the main cause as lying within the minds of the church members.


Administration in the Small Membership Church

Administration in the Small Membership Church

Author: John H. Tyson

Publisher:

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 102

ISBN-13: 9780687646432

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

For many pastors, church administration may be their least favorite area of ministry. But whether they love it or loathe it, they probably spend more time on administration than on any other single area of ministry. This book will help pastors create and maintain effective structures that will enable them to spend most of their time on what they truly value. Describes church administration as a ministry in the small membership church. Outlines key steps to organize and manage time, volunteers, and resources of the small membership churches including multi-point charges. Gives practical methods for creating and maintaining viable structures for effective church management * Helps pastors organize their church(es), so that they can focus on what gives them the most satisfaction in ministry. * Helps pastors recruit and retain the right people for the right jobs, thereby maximizing ministry especially where resources are limited. * Gives pastors ways to sharpen their vision for local church and mission beyond the local church ministry.


Book Synopsis Administration in the Small Membership Church by : John H. Tyson

Download or read book Administration in the Small Membership Church written by John H. Tyson and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 102 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For many pastors, church administration may be their least favorite area of ministry. But whether they love it or loathe it, they probably spend more time on administration than on any other single area of ministry. This book will help pastors create and maintain effective structures that will enable them to spend most of their time on what they truly value. Describes church administration as a ministry in the small membership church. Outlines key steps to organize and manage time, volunteers, and resources of the small membership churches including multi-point charges. Gives practical methods for creating and maintaining viable structures for effective church management * Helps pastors organize their church(es), so that they can focus on what gives them the most satisfaction in ministry. * Helps pastors recruit and retain the right people for the right jobs, thereby maximizing ministry especially where resources are limited. * Gives pastors ways to sharpen their vision for local church and mission beyond the local church ministry.