Avery Dulles, Models of the Church. Image/Doubleday, 1987. Referenced in: Ecclesiologies Congregational Culture, Church Identity LifeandLeadership.com Summary Theology of Mission and Ministry. sociology (congregational culture, identity) of the church. It is often used as a tool for understanding five prominent congregational identities, though its purpose is much broader in scope. Models of the Church makes
Carl S. Dudley and Sally A. Johnson, Energizing the Congregation: Images that Shape Your Church’s Ministry. Westminster/John Knox, 1993. Referenced in: Congregational Culture, Church Identity LifeandLeadership.com Summary This volume makes a helpful contribution to understanding church identities and images. It is not as broad a treatment of the subject as Chand’s Cracking Your Church’s Culture
C. Ellis Nelson, Editor, Congregations: Their Power to Form and Transform. Westminster John Knox Press, 1988. Referenced in: Congregational Culture, Church Identity LifeandLeadership.com Summary For many years, this has been the standard resources for understanding the role of identity in congregational life. It is the result of a project by a team of practical theologians
Janet R. Cawley, Who Is Our Church? Imagining Congregational Identity. Alban Institute, 2006. Referenced in: Congregational Culture, Church Identity LifeandLeadership.com Summary Cawley presents a well-crafted process for churches to understand their identity. She defines identity as “what makes a congregation unique, distinct from all others.” (5) She says the closest analogy to congregational identity is
C. Jeff Woods, On the Move: Adding Strength, Speed, and Balance to Your Congregation. Chalice Press, 2009. Referenced in: Church Leadership Foundations, Church Dynamics, Research LifeandLeadership.com Summary When conducting intentional congregational renewal, one encounters terms such as identity, mission, vision, etc. Most resources define them well enough, but Jeff Woods provides a thorough guide to
Nancy Ammerman, Jackson W. Carroll, Carl S. Dudley, and William McKinney, Studying Congregations: A New Handbook. Abingdon Press, 1998. Referenced in: Church Leadership Foundations, Church Dynamics, Research LifeandLeadership.com Summary Any responsible planning process includes congregational assessment and evaluation. Most planning workbooks will include their own mechanisms for this, but if one wants to go deeper
Sarah B. Drummond, Holy Clarity: the Practice of Planning and Evaluation. Alban Institute. 2009. Referenced in: Church Leadership Foundations, Church Dynamics, Research LifeandLeadership.com Summary Many ministers have had the experience of starting, or even finishing, a planning process, only to experience several layers of active or passive resistance. One of the chief reasons for this
Jeffrey D. Jones, Heart, Mind, and Strength: Theory and Practice for Congregational Leadership. Alban Institute, 2008. Referenced in: Church Leadership Foundations, Church Dynamics, Research LifeandLeadership.com Summary Jones does a good job describing the “what” and the “who” of congregational leadership in the new era. In terms of the “what,” he discusses the complex tasks that
Richard Bass, Editor, Leadership in Congregations. Alban Institute, 2006. Referenced in: Church Leadership Foundations, Church Dynamics, Research LifeandLeadership.com Summary This is an insightful collection of articles from seasoned scholar-practitioners among mainline Protestants on the changing leadership situation facing American congregations. It is a result of a ten-year research project on congregational leadership. Several of the
Jason E. Vickers, Minding the Good Ground: A Theology for Church Renewal. Baylor University Press, 2011. Referenced in: Church Leadership Foundations, Church Dynamics, Research From the Publisher Declining memberships. Pastoral scandals. A fear of secularism and the New Atheism. Christians are worried about the church’s future. Despite such despair, Jason Vickers believes the church also
