Article: Turnaround Strategies for Small Churches: Which Ones to Use?

Turnaround strategies for small churches was written by Herb Miller for the Parish Paper...ideas and insights for active congregations.
The article discusses:

• How can small-membership churches move toward maximum effectiveness?
• Taking actions necessary to move past the three classic membership-plateaus.
• Fine-tune the worship service toward a format, style, and hymn selection that shows equal respect for the spiritual preferences of all four adult generations.
• Emphasize concern for children through community service ministries.
• Remove ministry inhibiting barriers in the church buildings.
• Increase the percentage of attendees who pray daily.

Advent resources

Advent Candle Lighting
Australian Lutheran World Service
Northern Tasmania Lutheran Parish - characters of Christmas
Advent Year A based on Epistle Readings

Advent Devotions
Lutheran Hour Ministries -  Home for the holidays
Luther Seminary - Your people long to greet you
Lutheran Indian Ministries 
ELCIC - Canada 
Mayer Lutheran School - by staff and students
LCA Commission of Worship - Advent devotion Advent option 1, Advent option 2, Christmas
Discipleshomemissions

Advent initiatives
Advent Conspiracy

Various
Textweek includes advent candle lighting liturgies, Jesse tree liturgies, Advent worship planning and resources, hanging of the greens and articles
Faithink
Grow Ministries Australia - FAITHINK AUST, GIFT child, youth and family resources

Books

Augsburg-Fortress Advent Devotions

Holy Moly Advent resources

CPH - God's love at Christmas worship and bible study resource

Previous Advent links on www.lutheranmission.blogspot.com
http://lutheranmission.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/christmas-and-advent-resources.html
http://lutheranmission.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/2012-advent-and-christmas-resources.html
http://lutheranmission.blogspot.com.au/2010/09/advent-resources.html
http://lutheranmission.blogspot.com.au/2008/11/advent-and-christmas-plays.html


If you have an advent resource you would like to share or can recommend some please email richardschwedes@gmail.com with the details

Web page: House Church Planter

House Church planter has a focus of assisting people to plant Lutheran Church Missouri Synod house churches.

Their Mission Statement
“We pray that God would prepare members of the Priesthood of the Baptized to plant House
Churches by connecting people to Jesus Christ through the Word of God.”

Their Vision:
Seeing the Church as Jesus sees it – members of His body (1 Corinthians 12:12‐13), sheep of His fold (John 10:14‐18), blood bought souls (1 Peter 1:19), baptized into His name (Matthew 28:18‐20), gathered around His Word and Sacrament (Luke 11:28), with a deep desire to testify to the One who died and rose for them (Acts 8:4) so that many can be brought into the Good Shepherd’s fold (John 10:16). 
In response they:
+ Provide a public forum for sharing and for encouragement in the Great Commission
+ Share what we are learning about House Church planting so that we can grow through
mutual encouragement and accountability among the members of Christ’s body.
+ Recruitment of future leaders from beyond the current membership of our church body
+ Partnerships with the Church, Community, Civic Organizations & Corporations
+ Encourage the Priesthood of the Baptized (1 Peter 2:5‐10) also to consider public ministry.

Their values are:

• A world of lost people who yet are blood bought and precious to God
• LCMS churches with an abundance of members and God‐given resources
• Raising support for network supported church workers
• Lifting up LCMS ministries God is using to connect people to Jesus by means of the Gospel
• A church body more reflective of the demographics of our society
• Upholding our Pastors and the Pastoral Office
• Taking back the urban areas and cities for Christ and His Kingdom

Their web site includes:

House planting courses, including a free course

Articles

Congregational Prayer ministry 

Short Term mission trips

FAQ relating to house church planting

Newsletter

Article: “A Bishop’s House Church–Luther’s Thoughts”

“A Bishop’s House Church–Luther’s Thoughts” - Some Mission Truths Regarding Missional Communities by James D Buckman
James Buckman explores the following mission truths:

• The Church must also happen beyond the walls of our church buildings.
• When we offer something as church that is not Church; we are not being the Church.
• We must be on guard against Absalom’s spirit.
• We must look for Sons of Peace (Luke 10) in establishing the Church.
• Church must occur decently and in good order.
• There Continues To Be Room for a Certain Degree of Freedom in Church.
• New Worshiping Communities Collect Needed Funds.

This article comes from the Lutheran Society for Missioology

Book: Journey into the heart of God - living the liturgical year

Journey into the Heart of God is a captivating exploration of the history and evolution of the Church Year: the cycle of seasons in the Christian tradition that begins with Advent and culminates with Easter and is marked by the celebrations of saints, feast days, and the reading of Scripture as appointed by the Church. 

Primarily through deft examination of the Western Church, Philip H. Pfatteicher reveals how the liturgical calendar has been transformed over thousands of years. It is a work of art--the collaborative achievement of generations of hands and minds. He shows how the church year dramatizes and grounds the strange complexity of the human experience and how it encourages honesty, humility, growth, and maturity in those who live by it. 

Pfatteicher also offers insight into the liturgical texts of the Eucharist, the less familiar Daily Office, and the people's theology voiced in hymns from a broad spectrum of ancient and modern traditions. It will be an indispensable resource for both clergy and laity in the liturgical denominations, including Catholicism, Lutheranism, and Anglicanism.

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