Ministry, Counselling and Pastoral Care
A broad range of creative and practical resources and initiatives for ministers, church leaders and everyone involved in pastoral care.
· Essential reading for any leader wishing to refresh their ministry
Many in church leadership roles know the truth of Bonhoeffer’s words, but there seem to be obstacles and barriers that get in the way of that sort of
quality of listening. We seem to live with the illusion that speaking and doing are more important than listening. In the face of all the many challenges for
the church the temptation is for more strategies for success, more pressure to turn things around. Listening – in whatever form – easily gets marginalized.
Here, Chris Edmonson outlines why listening is so essential to good leadership. He looks at the barriers to good communication, at the importance of silence and stillness, and the challenges of listening to those
from whom we differ. He emphasizes the essential elements of discernment and prophecy, looking closely at what those terms really mean, and offers some practical ways forward for leaders wishing to create a more listening culture in their church communities.
Price: £12.99 Pages: 144 ISBN: 9780232527360
A deeply moving story that can reveal our woundedness but also our hope. Jean Vanier.
This beautifully illustrated, moving and revelatory book will inspire readers to see that it is often that which gives us the deepest sorrow in life that can bring us the greatest joy. “Great love and great suffering are part of the spiritual journey” writes Chris Goodchild, who has Asperger’s Syndrome. “Suffering can not only break us down, it can also break us open.”
William Noblett reveals life inside Britain's prisons through themed reflections and case studies, and offers insight, information, resources and support for all those involved in prison ministry.
'If you've ever wondered what life was like inside a prison, step inside the pages and the prayers of this book.'
From the foreword by Rt Rev James Jones, Bishop of Liverpool and Anglican Bishop to Prisons.
Steven Croft
Ideal for discussion and aimed at all those involved in clergy training and ordained ministers across all denominations.
In Ministry in Three Dimensions, Steven Croft outlines the challenges - greater geographical and social mobility, and older, smaller congregations, for example - that today’s society presents to the churches, explaining that models of mission and ministry which were once perfectly adequate no longer work in this new situation.
The author identifies some of the potentially harmful ways in which attempts have been made to meet these new challenges, suggesting the use of secular management models as one such false trail. Far better and more fruitful is to recover a biblically-based understanding of ministry. In scripture and through Church history he explores the dimensions of ministry indicated by three different Greek words found in the New Testament: diakonia, presbyteros and episcope, uncovering the rich tradition surrounding what it means to be an ordained leader in the Church.
Steven Croft draws out insights from which a new, relevant understanding of ordained ministry can be built across the denominations, and explores how to put these insights into practice, suggesting ways in which each minister can balance the three dimensions in their own setting.
To fall in love, isn’t that what we all desire? But what happens when love turns to obsession, or if the object of our affection is already married, abusive or simply emotionally unavailable?
In Addicted to Love journalist and broadcaster Clare Catford describes with great honesty her own struggles with love addiction and depression and chronicles how she has begun to find release by re-evaluating and rebuilding her faith.
Essential reading for anyone who has struggled with personal difficulty through addiction of any kind. Clare Catford explores what it means to develop intimacy with ourselves and with God, and details the often painful process involved in discovering the true freedom that comes with finding peace of mind.
To learn more about Clare Catford visit www.clarecatford.co.uk
There are times in our lives when the spiritual journey seems clear and openings and insights light the way. More usually the path to God can feel hidden – we move in the darkness and can become very lost. We lose a sense of where we are and how we might continue on our way.
The Four Steps of Love offers us signposts for our spiritual journey in the shape of St Bernard’s four stages of love: ‘We love ourselves for ourselves; we love God for what he gives us; we love God for himself; we love ourselves for God’s sake.’ Fiona Gardner takes these stages and links them with four questions that Jesus asks in the gospels: ‘What are you looking for? ‘But who do you say I am?’ ‘Do you know what I have done to you?’ ‘For whom are you looking?’ Through this framework, she explores the concept of metanoia, or change of heart – a continuous process that is never quite perfected in this life.
Drawing on the experience of others and complete with practical exercises for prayer and meditation, The Four Steps of Love is a perfect guide for all those seeking inspiration and guidance on their spiritual journey.
In a new and fully revised edition of a classic text, Jean Vanier examines the significance and sources of human sexuality.
Drawing on his years of experience of Christian community life with and for people with disabilities, he explores the implications of the relationship of man and woman from a Christian and community standpoint.
DOXA (meaning ‘GLORY’) is an 18-week discipleship course which can be done as a whole or in sections, for example as a Lent Course or short three week Advent series.
Complete with clear instructions and notes for facilitators, DOXA offers a new and different way of exploring discipleship.
• The third and final part of the new and ground-breaking series, Using the Bible in Pastoral Practice.
• A fully illustrated workbook and an essential resource for practitioners and scholars.
A lively and interactive workbook that will help practitioners reflect upon and improve their use of the Bible in Christian ministry. The text is packed with activities, models, case studies and techniques that will help the reader reflect on what is good practice, and come to a deeper understanding of the ways in which the Bible can be used in pastoral ministry.
The workbook has been designed for use by individuals or groups in a variety of settings. It is aimed primarily at those who are training for leadership within the church at any level, and offers essential tools for anyone involved in pastoral ministry. Each unit is self-contained and designed to be worked through in three hours. Readers can be flexible about which units to follow, and can create their own pathway through the workbook.
A creative and critical resource, Using the Bible in Christian Ministry: A Workbook will make a real difference to the ways in which practitioners use and view the Bible and enable others to interact with it.
- The third and final part of the new and ground-breaking series, Using the Bible in Pastoral Practice.
- A fully illustrated workbook and an essential resource for practitioners and scholars.
This lively and interactive workbook will help practitioners to reflect upon and improve their use of the Bible in Christian ministry. In a comprehensive series of units readers are enabled to review and evaluate their use of the Bible in their every day life and work. The text is packed with activities, models, case studies and techniques that will help the reader reflect on what is good practice, and come to a deeper understanding of the ways in which the Bible can be used in pastoral ministry.
The workbook has been designed for use by individuals or groups in a variety of settings. It is aimed primarily at those who are training for leadership within the church at any level, and offers essential tools for anyone involved in pastoral ministry. Each unit is self-contained and designed to be worked through in three hours. Readers can be flexible about which units to follow, and can create their own pathway through the workbook.
A creative and critical resource, Using the Bible in Christian Ministry: A Workbook will make a real difference to the ways in which practitioners use and view and the Bible and enable others to interact with it.
For an introduction to this project and the materials in the book go to:
www.biblesociety.org.uk/transmission
or contact the Bible Society for a free copy of The Bible in TransMission Summer 2007 on:
Tel: 01793 418100
Email: contactus@biblesociety.org.uk
For Christians, community is not an optional extra but God’s intention for his people. It isn’t just a new buzzword, or a good strategy for church growth or a new way of doing church, although it may be all those things. Community begins in the heart and very nature of God, in the three persons of the Trinity relating to each other, and calling us into relationship. It lies at the centre of what we are seeking to do when we come together as ‘church’.
Celebrating Community traces the history of Lee Abbey, a community founded in Devon in 1946. Now a nationwide movement, the community’s mission and calling is to share Christ through relationships, through practising community living, reaching out to others, playing a distinctive part in renewing and serving the church, and developing a deeper relationship with God.