Burt, Activating Leadership in the Small Church

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Steve Burt, Activating Leadership in the Small Church: Clergy and Laity Working Together (Small Church in Action Series). Judson Press, 1987.

Referenced in: Small Church Leadership

LifeandLeadership Summary

This is a contribution to Judson’s Small Church in Action Series. Consult the resource guide on Small Churches for several other volumes in the series. The Resource Guide also includes other helpful volumes by Judson that are separate from the series:

  • All Churches Great and Small: 60 Ideas for Improving Your Church’s Ministry, by Kirk and Rose Farnsworth
  • Caring for the Small Church: Insights from Women in Ministry, by Nancy Foltz

From the Publisher

Close-knit and bonded together by shared experiences – this is Steve Burt’s relational rather than numerical description of a small church. With humor and understanding he explores the unique interaction between pastor and congregation in a small church where being a “real person” often proves more valuable to a leader than professional skills.

Through personal experience, Burt offers keen insights into the relational skills needed by both pastor and lay leaders to help members see volunteering as a conscious act of self-stewardship for God. Ten keys for dynamic pastoral leadership provide practical, people-oriented ideas for recruiting, training, rewarding, and creating a favorable climate for volunteers.

Burt also provides seven basic guidelines for choosing the right pastor to meet your church’s needs and twelve clear guidelines for objectively assessing small church ministry, mission, programming, and potential.

This in-depth look into the extended-family-type church structure will encourage all pastors and leaders to become more inventive and resourceful as they come to appreciate the unique sharing relationship that is the rich heritage of the small church congregation.

***For additional information on this resource, including reviews, click the bookstore links. Check the reference at page top or the links below for resource guides on related topics.***


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