Booklet: Coping with disappointment in ministry

Most church leaders experience disappointment of one sort or another at some stage of their ministry, yet it is a subject rarely touched upon in church life or leadership literature.
This honest study examines the main causes and consequences of disappointment for ordained and lay leaders, and outlines strategies for coping with it when it comes. It argues that facing disappointment honestly is a key leadership quality that can help us to build resilience, as well as nurturing our trust and hope in the author and perfecter of our faith.

For a review of Coping with disappointment in ministry visit http://www.psephizo.com/life-ministry/coping-with-disappointment-in-ministry/

To buy a copy of the booklet visit https://grovebooks.co.uk/collections/leadership/products/l-25-facing-disappointment-the-challenge-for-church-leaders

Book: Rhythms of Grace

Rhythms of Grace emerges from a personal exploration of contemplative spirituality. Coming from an evangelical and charismatic background, Tony Horsfall felt an increasing desire to know God more deeply.
At the same time, he felt an increasing dissatisfaction with his own spiritual life, as well as concern at the number of highly qualified and gifted people involved in Christian ministry who experience burn-out.
In this book he shows how contemplative spirituality, with its emphasis on realising our identity as God's beloved children and on being rather than doing, has vital lessons for us about discovering intimacy with God. It also provides essential insights about building a ministry that is both enjoyable and sustainable.

Reviews
This book will significantly widen our worship experience as we present our real selves to a real God. Dave Bilbrough, songwriter and worship leader For over-busy Christians and leaders, this book is a must. It is about much more than pace in the race. It is about going deeper with Jesus. The Right Revd Ken Clarke, Bishop of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh, Church of Ireland 
I commend this book to all who desire to be drawn closer to God because he is pleased with who we are more than what we do. Paul Tan, Overseas Missionary Fellowship, Singapore 
I greatly enjoyed reading Rhythms of Grace. Tony Horsfall's message to those of us who are so busy that we hardly ever have time to sit still and simply be is a timely one. It also helps us to realise just how precious we are to God, and that though we may feel we don't measure up as Christians, God accepts and loves us as we are, and longs to deepen our relationship with him. From Susan Hibbins, Editor of the UK edition of The Upper Room From The Good Bookstall - 14 April 2012
Horsfall's message here is a prophetic and timely one. Experiencing intimacy with God in a busy life is a perennial if not cosmic wrestle. The world, the flesh and the devil all collaborate with our busyness and vulnerabilities, to minimise the truthfulness that comes from silence and solitude with our Saviour. Rhythms of Grace has a pulsing beat emanating from a personal exploration of contemplative spirituality. Evangelical and charismatic pathways fuse meaningfully in an experiential pursuit of God. This is full of insights, wisdom, reflection and signposts toward action and transformation. Dense, definitive and delightful for the soul! This is a great title deserving of more than just shelf collection. Read and then re-read this gem of a book! This is a well-crafted and compelling invitation to walk in intimate grace with the risen Jesus Christ. This book in God's goodness could birth healing for many. Reviewed by Johnny Douglas From The Church Times - 18 May 2012
I confess that I approached Tony Horsfall's book with a cautious heart, but came away from it with a glad one. The writer comes from an Evangelical background, which is not my own, and my prejudices got in the way. His aim is to widen the spirituality of the 'usual' Evangelical (if there is such a person), and introduce him or her to a kind of spirituality which for many good Christians would be entirely new. He does this with great sensitivity - and possibly a little deliberate cunning. The first chapters describe issues that will be quite familiar to most Evangelical Christians, and probably form part of their daily devotions. But, slowly and gently, he leads his reader into what is probably, for most British Christians, new ground. He plays no tricks, but opens up radically different ways of prayer and listening to God. None of these is new to Christianity - indeed, many have ancient roots - but most have only relatively recently found their way into the daily devotions of today's Anglican (and probably Free Church) Christian lives. With Horsfall, prayer becomes listening and waiting rather than speaking and asking - as (he tells us) he has himself discovered. Reviewed by Canon John Armson, former Precentor of Rochester Cathedral

Best Practices for Ministry Sessions - audio

Best Practices for Ministry is an annual free conference.  The following sessions from one of their recent conferences are available at http://www.cclphoenix.org/bpm.html     :

#facilitatelearning (Joe Willman)

101 Ways to Share the Mercy and Compassion of Christ that Do Not Cost Money (Jim Hetzner)

7 Days of Prayer: A Week of Blessings (Bill Dasch)

Accountability in Ministry (Tom Kithley)

A New Song of Joy (Tim Runtsch)

An Exciting Way to Reach Youth and Families in Your Community... (Sanya Parson)

Asset Based Community Development (Daniel Czaplewski)

Avoiding the 12 Deadly Sins of Church Boards (Bob Brown)

Biblical Personal Financial Stewardship-Growing as a Disciple through Stewarding God's Gifts (Joel Eggerding)

Building a Continuum from First Fruits to Whole Life Gifting (Phil Mienzen)

Building a Staff for Free! (Karen Reincke)

Cancer and the Church (Karen Tripp)

Care and Feeding of a Professional Church Worker (Patti Brunold and Rex Dawson)

Church and School Partnership (Chuck Mueller)

Church Minister's Spouses; My Children (Sara Borgstede)

Church Technology on a Budget-Online Presence (Joe Leahy)

Church Technology on a Budget-Protecting Your Parish in a Digital World (Joe Leahy)

Clear and Simple Discipleship (Greg Finke)

Communicate and Motivate Your Ministry into Legacy Gifts and Endowments (Allan Buss)

Confessing Christ and Living His Mission in the Early Chuch Today (Ben Haupt)

Creating a Connection Culture (Jason Panku)

Discipline its More than Fair Firm and Consistant (Bob Polansky)

Domestic Violence and Abuse is Everyone's Concern (Kim Schave/ Bernie Tonjes)

Do We Really Need to Amend our Bylaws (Bob Brown)

Does Your Family Think You're Healthy and Balanced (Bruce and Ann Fredrickson)

Effective Community Outreach through Volunteer Led Ministries (Karen Tripp)

Encourage, Uplift and Support (Greg Griffith)

Engaging Your Church with Lutheran Ministry in Haiti (Mike Bell)

Enhance your Band with Backing Tracks (TJ Winters)

Environmental Projection Telling a Visual Story in Worship (James Lavender)

From Burnout to Balance... (Davy Tydurski)

Funding New Innovative Ministries with WeRaise-Seven Keys to Successful Crowdfunding (Brian Becker and Abgail Miller)

Fundraising with Special Events Dinner Auctions, Golf Outings, Trivia Nights and More (Bob Polansky)

Growing Mission from the Inside Out (Craig Mccourt)

Having Fun, While Breaking Down the Walls of Your Silo (Lani Walter)

Health Care and Stewardship Come Full Circle (Steve Gruenwald)

How Can My Congregation Make an Impact in Foreign Missions? (Jeff Ehlers)

How Congregations Can Engage in their Health (Karen Sue Murdy)

How to Assess, Empower and Multiply Missional Leaders (David Kim)

How to Share Christ with Friends of Another Faith (David Kim)

I Am Not Normal (Steve and Erin Kline)

Improving Board Effectiveness (Jim Galvin)

Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith (Steve Cohen)

Joining Jesus on His Mission (Greg Finke)

Keys to Great Teamwork (Greg Sryles/ Steve Wagner)

LCMS Foundation and Friends - Congregations Building Planned Giving Endowment Initiatives (Phil Mienzen)

Leadership Lessons from Joseph's Journey (Karen Lippert)

Leadership Natural or Earned (Tom Keithley)

Leading Change in a Congregation (Vic Hippie)

Leading from the Second Chair (Brian Becker)

Legal Update (Bob Brown)

Licensed Lay Deacons - a Responsible Model for Releasing them into WS Ministry (Paul Mueller)

Living as a Sheep Among Wolves; Life Lessons from Death Row (Tim Carter)

Meaningful Meetings (Ron Burcham)

Ministry as a Responsible Recipient of Major Gifts (Allen Helms/ Ralph Simon)

Missions Policies or Favorite Son (Steve Cohen)

More than an Online Bulletin Board; Creating an Engaging Church Website (Peter Frank)

Murphy's 5 Laws of Planning a Disastrous Mission Trip (Bob Brown)

Next Level Preaching and Presenting (John Stennfeld)

Not your Grandma's Confirmation (Nicole Carmines/ Ben Schrank)

Nurturing Your Spiritual Life (Tim Saleska)

Online Community Engagement (Matt Trotter)

Open Your Church's Doors to the Community (Terry Tieman)

Packaging and Parables (Jeff Scheich)

Personal Growth Key Ingredients for a Master Plan (Tom Keithley)

Practical Steps for Revitalizing Congregations (Mark Wood)

Preparing Church Leaders for the 21st Century Mission in America (Kou Seying)

Protect this House; Why the Church Work Marriage and Family Matters to Our Ministries (Heidi Goehmann)

Proving God Without the Bible (Bob Wetesnik)

Public Policy and the Church (Fred Hinz)

Put Your Mask on First; Healthy Leaders Multipling Healthy Leaders (John Hanson and Rhonda Mohr)

Reaching Your Audience; Social Media, Email Marketing, and Search Engines (Sarah Tanner)

Reading Scripture Aloud-Like God Meant It! (Marcia Luecke)

Release Your Best Life After Divorce (Gwynne Gonnerman)

Relevant. The Church as it Relates to Millenials (Thomas Couser)

Remembering Hope (Max Phillips)

Responding to Sexual Temptation in a High Tech Society (Ted Kober)

Reviving the Lutheran Church in the Urban Setting (Jason Pankau)

Senior Pastor Leadership (Jeff Schrank and Bill Tucker)

Shaping Your Inner World to Revitalize Your Outer World (Roger Theimer)

Simple Tips to Make a Great Video (Mike Edge)

Small Congregation/ Big Decisions (Paul Nelson)

StartNew (Nate Schaus and Bill Woolsey)

Stop Hiding from God in One Another (Jason Pankau)

Strategies of the Missionary Pastor and Missionary Congregation (Mark Siegert)

"Take it Home" Evangelism Ideas (Scott Malme)

Teaching Families to Confess and Forgive (Ted Kobert)

Tending Trends and Our Youth (Terry Dittmer)

The Catechism in Relationship Language (Paul Schultz)

The Changing Healthcare Landscape-Implications for Ministries and Workers (Jim Sanft)

The Language of Leadership: #beyondSELFIE (Leon and Gretchen Jameson)

The Lost Art of Story Telling (Craig Mccourt)

The Road to a Stress Free Sunday Morning (Greg Styles)

The Urgency of Church Planting (Peter Meier)

The Urgency of Seeking the Lost (David Kim)

There's Not Enough Time! Increasing Church Office Efficiency with Church360 Members (Peter Frank)

Training the Missionary Pastor for the US Mission Field (Glenn Fluegge)

Transformational Leadership (Mark Jeske)

Transhumanism and the Body (Joel Oesch)

Understanding User Experience and Your Ministry (Sara Tanner)

Unity in Marriage (Jason Pankau)

Unleashing your Congregations Generous Urge (Tim Schwan/ Steve Wagner)

Using Media in Worship (Phil Grimpo)

Using Video in Ministry (Joy Hamann/ TJ Winters)

VBS Easter Egg Hunts from Start to Finish (Nicole Carmines)

When Boomers Need Booming (Tyler Walworth)

Worship Art Leadership from 30,000 ft (Brendan Knorp)

You Can't Share Jesus Until You Know Who You Are In Him (Steve De Santo)

Your Sabbatical; Here's $500+A Free Coach to Make it Happen (Abigail Miller)

Article: Lessons for Effective ministry in Post-Christian context

Can the Christian community flourish in a post-Christian context?
This is the main question behind a landmark study of the state of faith and effective ministry in Scotland, a Post-Christian context—which has been undertaken by the Barna Group. Visit https://www.barna.org/barna-update/culture/730-scotland-lessons-for-effective-ministry-in-a-post-christian-context#.Vfcpnfmqqkq to view the study.

Web Site: Living in the next phase - ministry to and by older Christians

Living in the next phase vision is to see third (55-75 year old's) and fourth (75 plus year old's) age people nurtured in their faith, reaching out to their peers with the Gospel and exercising their spiritual gifts and godly wisdom in a vital ministry within the church.
Influenced strongly by Psal 92:12-14....The righteous will flourish ... they will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green ...

The web site includes:

• Events
• Articles
• Recommended Reading
• Newsletter
• Recommended Education
• DVDs

DVD of their 2014 conference
Session 1: A Biblical Approach to Aging (Bishop Peter Jensen)
Session 2: Living in the Next Phase (Rev. Dr Andrew Cameron)
Session 3: Understanding the Global Generations Mindsets and Implications for Mission/Ministry to the Aging Baby Boomers (Mark McCrindle social researcher)

Workshop 3: Forever Young: Physical, Mental, Emotional and Spiritual Challenges of Aging Well Convener: Jill McGilvray, Speaker: Dr Andrew Cole
Growing Older in a Youth Obsessed World 
Living Well in the Next Phase
• Creation
• The Visit
• Our Mortality—Thanatology
• Palliative Care
• Beyond Death—1 Cor. 15
• Jesus—The Way, Truth & Life
Who Cares for the Carer?
• Who is a Carer?
• Care for the Carers: Carer Wellbeing
• Spread the Word of God
Empowering over 55s for Ministry
• Identifying Opportunities for ministry with seniors in the local church
• Recruiting, Preparing & Maintaining teams for seniors ministry
• Discovering and using your Spiritual Gifts in ministry
Sharing the gospel with Over 55s
Session 1: Preparing Our Gospel…
Session 2: Preparing Ourselves
Session 3: Preparing for God’s People..
Growing a Dynamic Ministry to Over 55s
Session 1:- Our Identity in Christ
Session 2:- Our Part in Christ’s mission
Session 3:- Vintage Christians
Enjoying Your Best Years: Staying Young While Growing Older
Session 1: Saying Young while growing older
Session 2: Ageing Well to enjoy our best years
The Best is Yet to Come
Biblical foundation and principles of Ministry to Older Adults
Designing a Ministry to Older Adults


Visit Living in the next Phase

Book: Driven to Despair by Alan Craddock

Driven To Despair: Perfectionism and Ministry by Alan E Craddock - A New Resource for a Common Problem

Driven To Despair, written by psychologist Alan Craddock, is a new book that considers the nature of perfectionism from Psychological and Theological viewpoints, examining functional and dysfunctional aspects of perfectionism, how they are shaped, and how they function in Christian ministry. These complementary viewpoints are used to provide an understanding of perfectionism and how to cope with unhealthy forms of perfectionism in lay and professional ministry. Additional strategies are explored for working with issues involving resistance and obstacles to change when coping strategies are difficult to implement. The book also describes how dysfunctional perfectionism can be sustained by unexpected ‘rewards’ and may be sometimes associated with bullying.

Of particular relevance to Prepare-Enrich Facilitators is the application of the family of origin closeness and flexibility dimensions that feature in the Family Map used in the Customized Version of Prepare-Enrich. The book discusses whether strong parental control may combine with family enmeshment and authoritarianism to produce a striving for perfection in which unhelpful self-defeating thinking and activity may predominate.

This book has been written to help men and women working in all forms of Christian ministry and will also be of assistance to professionals working with clients who are struggling with unhelpful perfectionism in their ministry.

This book is available from the author by visiting Alan E Craddock web site

LCA Vic/Tas Council for Ministry Support Presentation

The 36th Convention of the Lutheran Church of Australia Victorian District including Tasmania took place between 19th to 21st October 2012 in Portland Victoria with the theme 'where love comes to life.'

Part of the Council for Ministry Support's presentation included a presentation that included 6 tools for ministry and  mission.

The six tools are:
Lutheran Church of Australia's 5 pillars
Australian Bureau of Statistics - Community Profile
National Church Life Survey
Being Multicultural - not just multi-racial
Having a discipleship emphasis
Being God's stewards - using what we have to know and share God with others

The full powerpoint presentation is available here  

Lutheran response to Africa's worse famine in 60 years

The Australian Lutheran World Service is actively responding to the worse famine in 60 years in Africa...watch both these videos to discover how they are at work and how you can make a difference with them

Missional Ecclesiology for the local church and Ministering to the over 20s

The Church of the Lutheran Brethren has just held its Annual convention.

They are offering their inservice training as a podcast.

Two of the sessions dealt with the topic Missional Ecclesiology for the local church, and another dealt with ministering to the over 20s

This is what they say about the Missional Ecclesiology sessions.
This seminar explores the development of the denominational model of Church (adapted from European models) that has come to represent the churches of North America, while addressing the following questions:
- What are the historical and theological origins of denominations?
- What do denominations have to say about the nature of the church?
- How should the church organize and structure its life?
The presentation then proceeds to briefly explore the present North American cultural climate and examines how the traditional denominational model of Church and the missional model of Church differ in how they attempt to meet these cultural challenges.

If you are interested feel free to visit: http://annualconvention.podbean.com/category/in