Local church life is changing radically and clergy deployment with it. Multi-congregational groupings are increasingly the norm with fewer stipendiary clergy. As ministry increasingly becomes the responsibility of local congregations and priesthood more about supervision, this guide explores the theology of this model and how it works in practice.

The population of the United States is changing. By 2042, U.S. census figures indicate that the majority racial population will no longer be white. In addition, churches are dying as congregants age and fail to add younger members to sustain their ministry. These shifting demographics represent a significant challenge and opportunity for the church. Derek Chinn proposes an overlooked solution: join congregations together to create a multiracial church. For this unique concept, Chinn offers a biblically grounded and practical perspective on what it takes to make this ministry approach viable. The heart of this ministry approach is redemption--of tired or shrinking ministries, of assets that God has given His people to advance the local church, and of brokenness due to racial and ethnic differences. This book is for church leaders, church planters, cross-cultural ministry leaders, and those involved with urban missions.

The traditional landscape of Anglican parish ministry is irrevocably changing. Priests have traditionally understood themselves as maintaining centres of prayer and spiritual care for people in a particular place, but urgent pressures on parish ministry are changing this. For God's Sake seeks to discern what priests are called to do in the new shape the church is taking. It looks for signs of God’s kingdom in today’s signs of the times, and ways of being both faithful and creative in the face of an uncertain future. A range of contributors explore first-hand the contradictions and paradoxes of a priest’s daily life, reflecting on how the wisdom of the past and the new initiatives of evangelization are shaping their vocation to prayer, study and speaking the good news of Jesus Christ.

Governance and Ministry has proven to be an indispensable guide for leaders and clergy on how to work together to lead congregations. In this second edition, veteran congregational consultant and minister Dan Hotchkiss updates the book to reflect today’s church and synagogue landscape and shares practical insights based on his work with readers of the first edition. Governance and Ministry highlights the importance of reaching the right governance model for a congregation to fulfill its mission—to achieve both the outward results and the inward quality of life to which it is called. Hotchkiss draws on governance research from business, non-profits, and churches, as well as deep experience in a variety of denominations and congregations to help readers determine the governance model that best fits their needs. The second edition has been streamlined and reorganized to better help readers think through leadership models and the process of change. The book features new material on the implications of congregation size, the process of governance change, policy choices, and the lay-clergy relationship. It also features two appendices with resources often requested by Hotchkiss’s consulting clients: a style guide for policy-makers and a unified example of a board policy book. Written with energy and humor, and offering plenty of practical examples, the second edition of this helpful resource is ideal for anyone involved in church leadership to assist in framing critical questions, creating a vision, and implementing a plan.

Beginning Ministry Together is about the transition period between the announcement that one pastor is leaving and the time when another pastor is well settled. The message brought by Roy Oswald and colleagues Jim and Ann Heath is that this is not an impossible time to be survived only with a lot of expert help. Rather, even though the task is complex, committed congregational leaders can handle it—with the help of people who have been on this journey before. Oswald describes how clergy and congregations can better end and begin pastorates. He shows them how to say good-bye and discern their needs for the future—how to use the open space between pastorates for evaluation and preparation for a new day.

Strategic thinking about ministry and mission has tended to focus on the challenges of communication and presentation. Less attention has been paid to the effects that this thinking has on ministry. There is an unacknowledged dilemma for churches insofar as they are caught between the challenge to re-shape ministry in response to cultural change and the belief that there are certain God-given, immutable foundations for ministerial order that must be retained. Arguing that what is needed is a provisional approach to ministry which recognises that all forms of ministry are, and always have been a response to social and cultural context, this book brings theological and practical insight to bear on the question of ministry’s provisionality. In the end, it asks, is the only way through this dilemma a kind of Ecclesianarchy?

In this book, Dr. Matthew Todd looks into the anecdotal reporting of high numbers of Canadian-born Chinese leaving Western Canadian Chinese churches--what is termed the silent exodus. Some of the fastest-growing Canadian churches are Chinese, yet reportedly the highest dropout rates are among Chinese and Asian church adult ministries. This book recommends solutions towards the retention of Canadian-born Chinese adults in Chinese bicultural churches through empowerment. To address retention, the key factors that contribute to a silent exodus are established through qualitative research with participants of diverse church affiliations. Todd examines various models and proposed solutions the Chinese church has used to retain its English-speaking congregants, and gives attention to a theological basis for being inclusive in mission initiatives and for empowerment through passing the leadership baton. Todd makes some recommendations on the new wave of an emerging congregational model that requires negotiation with Chinese church leadership to give power away to English ministry leaders and congregations. He anticipates that this will permit transformational leadership practices that contribute to shalom, community transformation, and lasting congregations.

"e;The subject of the Belhar Confession is an academic one which has enjoyed international attention, with congregations in the West having adopted it as one of their confessions for use. The content of this book is aimed chiefly at a scholarly community with ample knowledge of confessional documents and is a contribution on the subject of the Belhar Confession. The current challenges to the church and theology are discussed. Racism is one issue that poses an increasingly huge challenge to South Africa today. The book demonstrates what needs to be done extra to deal with the scourge of racism that seems to have percolated through virtually all aspects of our existence and particularly the church today in South Africa."e; - Prof. Rothney Tshaka (University of South Africa)

Bridges to People is designed and written as a practical tool for Christian people and Christian ministry leaders desiring to accomplish effective ministry among the present global culturally diverse society existing in North America and throughout the world. Focusing on the possibilities of developing healthy growing multi-ethnic church congregations, Bridges to People will serve as a catalyst in helping people and churches become mission focused - missional. This tool will empower readers to develop a comprehensive ministry approach. Utilizing demographic historical and ethnographic research, contextualization, church growth strategies, evangelism thinking, visionary thinking, and leadership values, Bridges to People will guide readers to accomplish the task of communicating the gospel with meaning and effectively minister to the whole life needs of people living in culturally diverse communities. Sean O'Neal has traveled throughout the world working among many people groups including African American, Romanian, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Pakistani, East Indian, Latino, Korean, West Indian, American Born Caucasian, Filipino and Haitian. Sean has worked as local church youth pastor, urban missionary, consultant, conference speaker, local church pastor, and currently serves in regional church leadership. While serving as the Senior Pastor of the Narragansett Church of God in Chicago the church experienced exciting growth in attendance including ministry among 12 different ethnic groups, the planting of two new church congregations including a Latino ministry primarily reaching first and second generation Mexican people, and a Bulgarian Church. Sean earned the Bachelor of Arts degree from Lee University in Intercultural Studies, a Master of Arts degree in Urban Ministry from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and the Doctor of Ministry degree in Urban Missions from Westminster Theological Seminary.

The general papers in Volume 29 of Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion cover a range of topics including psychological type, prayer, nature and well-being, psychobiography, coping with addiction, and the role of place in spirituality. The first special section on congregational studies draws on a range of large datasets from the National Church Life Surveys in Australia. Papers examine the factors that predict individual sense of belonging in Catholic parishes as well as congregational-level aspects of vitality, collective confidence, and innovativeness. The second special section examines the Ideological Surround Model and how it can help to better understand expressions of faith related to psychological constructs such as mindfulness, fundamentalism, and the ‘Dark Triad’ of Machiavellianism, Narcissism, and Psychopathy. Contributors are: Tania ap Siôn, Amanda (Mandy) Aspland, Dharma Arunachalam, Joel Gruneau Brulin, Zhuo Job Chen, Victor Counted, Giuseppe Crea, Robert Dixon, Martin Dowson, Deepti B. Duggi, Leslie J. Francis, Nima Ghorbani, Pehr Granqvist, Gill Hall, Douglas Hall, Nicole Hancock, Magnhild Høie, Ralph W. Hood Jr., Shanmukh Vasant Kamble, Thomas Lindgren, Ronald J. Morris, Miriam Pepper, Ruth Powell, Brooke M. Ruf, Sam Sterland, Fazlollaha Tavakoli, John-Kåre Vederhus, David C. Wang, P. J. Watson, and John K. Williams.