Discover how to assist parishioners in their prayer and spiritual life. Learn how individual spiritual growth can flow back into the congregation's growth as a community. Explore new ideas and practical approaches to using Christian education, worship, retreats, devotional guides, and church meetings as tools to achieve spiritual growth. Learn about spirituality gender differences; the importance of your own spiritual life; spiritually grounding lay leaders; encouraging spiritual friendships and study groups.

Based on two new studies, "American Grace" examines the impact of religion on American life and explores how that impact has changed in the last half-century.

Written by a multidisciplinary panel of experts, this comprehensive text and reference presents a fundamental understanding of all aspects of parish nursing, providing in-depth information essential to understanding the ministry of a parish nursing practice. This is the only text in parish nursing that addresses the role of the parish nurse administrator, and includes suggested policies and procedures as well as recommendations for competency development for parish nurses.

It is not possible to look at the ministry of Jesus without noticing his concern for the poor and the sick. He not only had a huge sense of compassion for people who were suffering, but sent people out to heal the sick and tell them the Kingdom of God is near them. This concern for health and wholeness has inspired Christians through the ages as they have cared for the sick, founded hospitals, and been at the forefront of public health movements. In the nineteenth century, the church was one of the major influencers in initiating ministries of health, both through the work of its own deaconesses and the involvement of its members as they felt a sense of vocation to nursing and public health work. Florence Nightingale was a theologian and statistician as well as being a nurse leader. However, with the advent of state health provision and private health insurance schemes, the role of the local church in health has diminished. This book describes a simple way for churches to re-engage with health ministry and presents evidence that underlines not only a Biblical authenticity for its place in the mission of a local church, but also a compelling rationale for its implementation. It will be of interest to church leaders and all those involved in health care.

The world is hungering for the fruit of a dynamic Church that has embraced her missionary identity, but what does it really mean to be a missionary Church? Grounded in Scripture and Sacred Tradition, Fr. Mallon offers an analysis of the challenges the Church is facing, along with practical tools that will support parish and diocesan leaders in bringing about significant renewal. Most importantly, he addresses the critical interface between a missionary parish and its diocese, essential to bearing lasting fruit. "Fr. Mallon understands what it takes to transform a mediocre parish into a dynamic, missionary one, and he understands that parishes need diocesan leadership to transform the Church as a whole. I pray that every bishop in the Church will absorb this message of love, and that, by the movement of the Holy Spirit, it will bring hordes of people to Jesus and his Church." —Patrick Lencioni, cofounder of The Amazing Parish and author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

"The Vestry Handbook was first published in 1988 and a revised edition was published in 2000. Over that span of time it has sold nearly 90,000 copies and continues to sell well. Inevitably, such a working guidebook becomes out of date if not revised at regular intervals. The Canons of the church change and new issues confront Vestries. The author is consulting diocesan administrators, other clergy, the Church Deployment Office, and the Church Pension Fund concerning changes that need to be made. Following is a partial list indicating the kind of revisions needed: 1. Update the Canons Many of the Canons summarized in Appendix I, pp. 101-102, have been revised and renumbered. Canons are often referred to in the text and these need to be checked against the latest edition of the Canons. 2. Update the resource list 3. Update financial information The illustrations for salaries etc. given are in relevant amounts for 2000 and need to be updated. 4. Safe Church Training There is only a brief discussion of "sexual misconduct" and no direct reference to "safe church training." 5. Continuing EducationThe new canons and diocesan emphasis on this subject are a development since the current edition. 6. Dealing with conflict The material provided is in terms of local issues but new material needs to be provided on the current tensions in the Anglican Communion: how to handle tensions in the congregation and how to be sure property decisions are properly made in terms of national canons. 7. Technology The current edition is markedly out of date, with no references to websites, cell phones, Facebook, Twitter, etc., and their use in parish communications. 8. Other minor spot revisions and updates throughout the book."

Understand the roles of these three unique professions and how collaboration can make each more effective!This is the first book to clarify the roles and interprofessional dynamics of these three professions and describe how they can best work together. Here you’ll find theological perspectives on each profession, practice models of collaborative programs, and new resources to aid your professional growth. In addition, this book gives you a thorough historical overview of parish nursing and an introduction to health care chaplaincy as well as insightful analyses of the relationships of clergy and congregation to health care institutions.Parish Nurses, Health Care Chaplains, and Community Clergy: Navigating the Maze of Professional Relationships is a vital addition to your reference shelf. This unique book, written by experts in all three fields, provides: the necessary background to be an effective parish nurse, including information on spiritual formation, clinical pastoral education, and more instruction on starting a parish health ministry effective ways that the disciplines can work together in congregational health ministries to provide the best possible spiritual care successful practice models that your ministry can emulate an examination of the health care institution’s role in forming the spiritual care team resources to use to increase your ministry’s effectivenessParish Nurses, Health Care Chaplains, and Community Clergy is a must for practitioners, educators, and students who will be entering these vital professions!

Church weddings, funerals, and most Sunday services reflect the values and dramas of their communities, even when the ministers are the main or sole actors. This point is illustrated by examples ranging from American television masses to the Zairean three-hour services in the Congo. Of greatest interest to readers might be the Sunday services at ordinary parishes, which also range from friendly but uninspiring to innovative and inviting. There are also two exceptionally vital churches analyzed here: an evangelical church in the Pentecostal tradition and a social justice parish in the tradition of Martin Luther King Jr. Today one can hardly buy an item in a store or on the Internet without being asked for an evaluation, yet church services are seldom evaluated. There can be no improvement without evaluation. This book proposes a method of evaluation in eight steps that must be rigorously scientific and at the same time offer a vision for spiritual growth. The prophet Elijah found God in earthquakes and fire, but most people find mystery through art, music, rhythm, chanting, expressive readings, evocative rituals, and enlightened homilies. Today people expect “mystagogy” rather than routine performances. Mystagogy can be learned and improved through evaluation, to which this book desires to make a major contribution.

Self-identifying as “evangelical” is risky business these days. What is Evangelicalism? Is it a historical artifact? A political philosophy? A set of doctrines? A litmus test for genuine faith? Perhaps more important, what will come to mind when future generations hear something described as “evangelical”? The authors of Routes and Radishes approach this issue from various points of influence within evangelical organizations, denominations, and institutions. They believe that the historical distinctive of Evangelicalism is too powerful and too positive to be abandoned. Yet they all desire that the Evangelicalism of the future break away from common pitfalls in the task of loving people toward a vital relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Each author brings a different but vital perspective to the conversation this book represents. They chart a path that, while not monolithic, takes seriously the past and potential of the evangelical movement. Furthermore, they invite you to digest, participate, question, and make the future of Evangelicalism a meaningful part of your walk of faith.