Marquee Ministry

Down through the centuries church leaders have studied the Gospels to discover patterns of leadership development that can be applied to their own context. Yet the word leader does not appear in the Gospels...Could it be that leadership has more to do with learning to follow than learning to command, supervise, or mange? On right attitudes than on mastery of certain skills?...Many of the insights we need are embedded in the images which Jesus used to describe his followers. So David W. Bennett introduces his stimulating and scholarly study previously published under the title 'Biblical Images for Leaders and Followers.' He examines the many images and metaphors in the Gospels relating to how disciples follow Jesus, and in turn influence others. Then he moves on to survey much of the evidence to be found in the images of the rest of the New Testament. Finally, he draws some judicious conclusions for an understanding of Christian leadership in our own day. The author has considerable cross-cultural experience, having taught church leaders in Japan, India, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, India, Nepal, Tanzania, and Kenya, in addition to pastoring churches in California, Oregon and Massachusetts. He has also traveled and done research among church leaders in Malawi, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Korea, Thailand, Russia and the Czech Republic. His aim is to stimulate thought on these questions in churches all over the world, not just in the west.

Practical applications, theological foundations, and valuable information for the student beginning a youth ministry.

Over the past seventy years, World Vision has grown from a small missionary agency to the largest Christian humanitarian organization in the world, with 40,000 employees, offices in nearly one hundred countries, and an annual budget of over $2 billion. While founder Bob Pierce was an evangelist with street smarts, the most recent World Vision U.S. presidents move with ease between megachurches, the boardrooms of Fortune 500 companies, and the corridors of Capitol Hill. Though the organization has remained decidedly Christian, it has earned the reputation as an elite international nongovernmental organization managed efficiently by professional experts fluent in the language of both marketing and development. God's Internationalists is the first comprehensive study of World Vision—or any such religious humanitarian agency. In chronicling the organization's transformation from 1950 to the present, David P. King approaches World Vision as a lens through which to explore shifts within post-World War II American evangelicalism as well as the complexities of faith-based humanitarianism. Chronicling the evolution of World Vision's practices, theology, rhetoric, and organizational structure, King demonstrates how the organization rearticulated and retained its Christian identity even as it expanded beyond a narrow American evangelical subculture. King's pairing of American evangelicals' interactions abroad with their own evolving identity at home reframes the traditional narrative of modern American evangelicalism while also providing the historical context for the current explosion of evangelical interest in global social engagement. By examining these patterns of change, God's Internationalists offers a distinctive angle on the history of religious humanitarianism.

What others find in CAST YOUR NETS It is said that a good sermon is delivered with the Bible in one hand and the daily newspaper in the other. Mark Miller adds a fishing rod to the mix, salting his wise reflections on ministry, faith, and life with insights that can only come while patiently waiting for the elusive yet exciting tug of the Spirit or a sockeye. John Thomas, General Minister and President, United Church of Christ Mark Henry Miller notices little things that the rest of us often miss: the person in the corner who doesn't go along with what others see as a consensus, the surprising kind act by the contentious opponent, the fish swimming upstream. And he thinks about what he has noticed and shares what he has learned. He shows us how to reflect in the midst of practice, which is essential to effective ministry. William McKinney--President, Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, CA Mark writes with wit, humor, and grace. His insights will stay with you long after the reading is done. --Jim Thayer, novelist and professor Short, pithy, inspirational stories for everyday ministry--a good source for daily devotional material, provocative meeting openers or sermon illustrations. Each epistle has an easily grasped point that touches a deep spiritual issue or practice of both ministry and everyday life lived with intentional faithfulness. Paul Forman, United Church of Christ Minister Mark Henry Miller's always insightful, sometimes whimsical pastoral epistles are a delight and a challenge to read - challenging our everyday way of seeing things and letting us glimpse a bit of what might be if we only have eyes to see and ears to hear and hearts to love. Joanne Carlson Brown, Methodist Minister

Follow the REAL rubric for success in starting new ministries If congregations were to look outside their doors, they may find that the people who need the good news don’t look like them and that the way to engage them is by having ministries that are REAL. REAL ministry is respectful relationships, excellence, authenticity, and love. This easy-to-understand perspective on relationships can be implemented in any setting with any group. To continue the mandate, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,” we have to have relationships with those whom God has put in our neighborhoods. Each chapter contains a study guide with Bible verses and reflection questions. The author also offers real anecdotes and examples of what to do—and what not to do—so that when using the REAL rubric with any group of people, you can emulate Jesus and bring the good news to them. Church leaders wanting to be more inclusive or trying to grow in their changing neighborhood will find this book a welcome resource.

Ministry in these times can be perplexing, frustrating, exhausting, isolating. But it can also be rich with inspiration, revelation, satisfaction and joy. The difference is often in the pastor's perspective. Seasoned pastor and church leader Patricia Farris helps other pastors to re-frame their point of view in a most healthy way. Five Faces of Ministry explores the roles each clergy-person must play. The book is organized into brief reflections, each focused on an aspect of ministry. The reflections are rooted in scripture and include an inspired assortment of other references, from literature to hymn texts. The author includes stories from her own life and ministry and from others', making this a tremendously versatile and engaging read. Five Faces of Ministry is a helpful and enriching book for any pastor, providing guidance, encouragement, compassion and strength for the journey.

In a culture increasingly focused on visual media, students have learned not only to embrace multimedia presentations in the classroom, but to expect them. Such expectations are perhaps more prevalent in a field as dynamic and cross-disciplinary as religious studies, but the practice nevertheless poses some difficult educational issues -- the use of movies in academic coursework has far outpaced the scholarship on teaching religion and film. What does it mean to utilize film in religious studies, and what are the best ways to do it? In Teaching Religion and Film, an interdisciplinary team of scholars thinks about the theoretical and pedagogical concerns involved with the intersection of film and religion in the classroom. They examine the use of film to teach specific religious traditions, religious theories, and perspectives on fundamental human values. Some instructors already teach some version of a film-and-religion course, and many have integrated film as an ancillary to achieving central course goals. This collection of essays helps them understand the field better and draws the sharp distinction between merely "watching movies" in the classroom and comprehending film in an informed and critical way.