Steven Gray and Franklin Dumond, Legacy Churches. Churchsmart Resources, 2009. Referenced in: Congregational Size Dynamics and Transitions LifeandLeadership.com Summary This is a guide for churches that are closing to do so intentionally by directing their resources, often including their building, for the purpose of planting new churches. From the Publisher There are churches all across
Beth Ann Gaede, Ending with Hope: A Resource for Closing Congregations. Alban Institute, 2002. Referenced in: Congregational Size Dynamics and Transitions LifeandLeadership.com Summary This fills a gap in church leadership literature, helping churches face closure with dignity and use their resources to spring new kingdom life. From the Publisher “Why is it we do funerals
Diana Butler Bass, Christianity After Religion: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening. Harper One, 2012. Referenced in: Church Leadership Philosophical Foundations, Missional LifeandLeadership.com Summary In this fascinating look at the religious landscape of American culture, Bass draws on research and visits with hundreds of Christian groups, arguing that we
Brandon J. O’Brien, The Strategically Small Church: Intimate, Nimble, Authentic, and Effective. Bethany House Publishers, 2010. Referenced in: Small Church Leadership LifeandLeadership.com Summary O’Brien brings his experience as the leader of two small churches to this text. He encourages small churches to capitalize on their uniqueness in five areas: Real/Authentic – Churches were once judged
Dave Ferguson, Jon Ferguson, Eric Bramlett, The Big Idea: Aligning the Ministries of Your Church through Creative Collaboration (Leadership Network Innovation Series). Zondervan, 2007. Referenced in: Approaches to Church Renewal – Simple, Minimalist LifeandLeadership.com Summary The premise of this book is that churches often suffer from “idea overload.” We are bombarding people with “too many
Dale Galloway and Warren Bird, Innovative Transitions: How Change Can Take Your Church to the Next Level. Beacon Hill Press, 2007. Referenced in: Leading Change and Transition Church Leadership Foundations, Research on Effective Churches Leadership in Conflict LifeandLeadership.com Summary This volume tells the stories of several churches that have experienced challenging transitions under a variety
Israel Galindo, Perspectives on Congregational Leadership: Applying Systems Thinking for Effective Leadership. Educational Consultants, 2009. Referenced in: Church Dynamics Leadership and Emotional Systems LifeandLeadership.com Summary Israel Galindo is one of the most insightful observers of congregational life in general, and on the application of Bowenian Family Systems Theory (BFST) in particular. This self-published volume builds
Sarah Lewis, Jonathan Passmore, Stefan Cantore, Appreciative Inquiry for Change Management: Using AI to Facilitate Organizational Development. Kogan Page, 2011. Referenced in: Strategies for Church Renewal – Whole Systems, Large Group LifeandLeadership.com Summary This is an excellent introduction to Appreciative Inquiry, but also does a good job integrating with other Whole Systems approaches to organizational
Juanita Brown, David Isaacs, World Café Community, The World Café: Shaping Our Futures Through Conversations that Matter. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2005. Referenced in: Strategies for Church Renewal – Whole Systems, Large Group LifeandLeadership.com Summary This book discusses World Café, a Whole Systems approach to organizational renewal that has been useful in churches. It is popular worldwide.
Sue Annis Hammond and Cathy Royal, Editors, Lessons from the Field: Applying Appreciative Inquiry, Revised Edition. Thin Book Publishing, 2001. Referenced in: Strategies for Church Renewal – Whole Systems, Large Groups LifeandLeadership.com Summary This book discusses Appreciative Inquiry (AI), a Whole Systems approach to organizational renewal that has been useful in many churches. When church
