How to Thrive as a Small-Church Pastor

How to Thrive as a Small-Church Pastor PDF

Author: Steve R. Bierly

Publisher: Zondervan

Published: 2010-08-03

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13: 0310877555

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Pastoring a small church is no small job. It can be physically, emotionally, and spiritually exhausting. Read this book for a relief . . . And a turning point. Steve R. Bierly offers the seasoned reassurance of one who has been in the trenches of small-church pastoring. He understands your unique needs and problems not just as a pastor, but as a person. And he shows that, by God's grace, you can fulfill your calling and thrive in the face of its challenges. With humor and fatherly wisdom, Bierly helps you reframe your perspectives on - God - Your ministry - Your relationships - Your personal needs . . . And more. Drawing on years of experience, he offers assurance that you're not alone, a fresh outlook on the successes of your ministry, and an upbeat, practical approach to spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being. How to Thrive as a Small-Church Pastor will help you face realistically the rigors of your vocation . . . and reclaim your first love of ministry.

How to Thrive as a Pastor's Wife

How to Thrive as a Pastor's Wife PDF

Author: Christine Hoover

Publisher: Baker Books

Published: 2022-03-01

Total Pages: 326

ISBN-13: 1493434039

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Every pastor's wife is a faithful servant and leader in her own right. She has great influence on her church, her community, her family, and her husband, and she finds joy in seeing God move in the lives of others. Yet she also faces unique challenges that too often go unnoticed and unaddressed. At times, a pastor's wife may feel she can't talk about her struggles even with those who are closest to her, which can leave her feeling alone, depleted, and misunderstood. She may settle for this way of living, but that's not God's desire for her. Christine Hoover knows firsthand the unique struggles and opportunities afforded a pastor's wife--she's been filling that role for more than 20 years. Coming alongside as an understanding friend, she offers encouragement and guidance to the struggling pastor's wife, showing her how to make meaningful personal relationships with God, her husband, her children, her church community, and other women--relationships that will sustain her and help her thrive.

Small Church Essentials

Small Church Essentials PDF

Author: Karl Vaters

Publisher: Moody Publishers

Published: 2018-03-06

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 0802496369

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Do you lead a small church? Big churches get all the love. Articles, books, conferences—they mostly feature leaders of large congregations. Yet big churches are a small part of the ecclesial landscape. In fact, more than 90 percent of churches have fewer than 200 people. That means small churches play a big part in what God is doing. Small Church Essentials is for leaders of these smaller congregations. It encourages them to steward their role well, debunking myths about small churches while offering principles for leading a dynamic, healthy small church. Based on the popular six-hour lecture that Karl Vaters delivers to church leaders across the country, Small Church Essentials will affirm small church leaders and show them how to identify what they do well, and how to do it even better. Readers will: Be assured that leading a small congregation does not make them ministry failures Come away inspired to lead with passion, regardless the size of their church Have field-tested principles for leading a church in their context Possess new metrics for biblically measuring vitality in small churches Have a toolkit of resources to use in their everyday ministry Karl Vaters has been a small church pastor for 30 years, is the author of The Grasshopper Myth: Big Churches, Small Churches, and the Small Thinking that Divides Us (2013), and travels extensively to churches and conferences to speak about leading a small church well. If you are pastoring a small church, this book will be a breath of fresh air. It will affirm your calling while giving you fresh tools to help you lead. It will help you: Stop believing lies about small churches Lead your church to fulfill the role only small churches can Understand your congregation’s strengths and weaknesses Turn around a dying or unhealthy church Identify good trends and bad in church and culture

Leading Small Groups That Thrive

Leading Small Groups That Thrive PDF

Author: Ryan T. Hartwig

Publisher: Zondervan

Published: 2020-08-11

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 0310106710

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Nearly every church is trying to help their congregants build relationships with others, grow as disciples, and/or engage in meaningful service through small groups. Many have argued that these small groups are the preferred vehicle for relationship building, disciple making, and membership assimilation in the local church, especially in large, multisite churches. Leading Small Groups That Thrive shows small group leaders, step by step, how to plan for, launch, build, sustain, and multiply highly effective, transformational, healthy small group experiences where people grow spiritually together. Based on a large-scale research study of small group pastors, leaders, and members, Leading Small Groups That Thrive gives church leaders both what they want--practical, straightforward, actual small group member voices and experiences, and compelling guidance on how to build transformational groups complemented with real-life examples and data of successful small groups--and what they need--substantial, challenging insights and a data-driven model grounded in the latest research on church small groups.

Help for the Small-church Pastor

Help for the Small-church Pastor PDF

Author: Steve R. Bierly

Publisher: Harper Collins

Published: 1995

Total Pages: 148

ISBN-13: 0310499518

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Churches with fewer than 150 people will always be a bastion of Christianity despite today's megachurch emphasis. Pastors dealing with the strengths, problems and opportunities of smaller churches will value Bierly's timely guidance and encouragement. Knowing what makes small churches tick helps their leaders invest time and energy wisely into the kind of growth that matters.

Gospel Eldership

Gospel Eldership PDF

Author: Robert H. Thune

Publisher: New Growth Press

Published: 2016-03-16

Total Pages: 120

ISBN-13: 194257262X

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Biblical church leadership requires more than good management principles or theological knowledge; it calls for deep, personal roots in the gospel. Gospel Eldership is a ten-lesson workbook to help pastors develop elders who are strong in the gospel and able to apply it to the real-time needs of the church.

Thriving Youth Ministry in Smaller Churches

Thriving Youth Ministry in Smaller Churches PDF

Author: Rick Chromey

Publisher: Simply Youth Ministry

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780764440519

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A small youth ministry has the flexibility and qualities to be nimble and relational, two qualities that will serve teenagers better than a big budget. This resource demonstrates how to create a ministry teens will love to be a part of. (Ministry & Pastoral Resources)

The Strategically Small Church

The Strategically Small Church PDF

Author: Brandon J. O'Brien

Publisher: Bethany House

Published: 2010-08

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 0764207830

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Pastor and Leadership journal editor shows how small churches are uniquely equipped for success in today's culture, offering encouragement and help to pastors and leaders.

Teams That Thrive

Teams That Thrive PDF

Author: Ryan T. Hartwig

Publisher: InterVarsity Press

Published: 2015-03-10

Total Pages: 276

ISBN-13: 0830897577

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Readers' Choice Award Winner Outreach Magazine's Resources of the Year It's increasingly clear that leadership should be shared—for the good of any organization and for the good of the leader. Many churches have begun to share key leadership duties, but don't know how to take their leadership team to the point where it thrives. Others seriously need a new approach to leadership: pastors are tired, congregations are stuck, and meanwhile the work never lets up. But what does it actually mean to do leadership well as a team? How can it be done in a way that avoids frustration and burnout? How does team leadership best equip the staff and bless a congregation? What do the top church teams do to actually thrive together? Researchers and practitioners Ryan Hartwig and Warren Bird have discovered churches of various sizes and traditions throughout the United States who have learned to thrive under healthy team leadership. Using actual church examples, they present their discoveries here, culminating in five disciplines that, if implemented, can enable your team to thrive. The result? A coaching tool for senior leadership teams that enables struggling teams to thrive, and resources teams doing well to do their work even better.

Resilient Ministry

Resilient Ministry PDF

Author: Bob Burns

Publisher: IVP Books

Published: 2013-02-04

Total Pages: 313

ISBN-13: 9780830841035

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What does it take to have fruitful ministry over the long haul? The stresses of pastoring are well known and can be a match for even the best-prepared, most experienced in ministry--multiple tasks, long hours, taxing responsibilities and, yes, some challenging personalities. Too often the results can be burnout, being run out or just feeling worn out. To find out how pastors can thrive as well as survive, the authors undertook a five-year in-depth research project among working pastors. Here in this ground-breaking book is the distilled wisdom of dozens of pastors who have been on the front lines of ministry. We hear from them what works, what doesn't and what distinctive issues people in ministry face. The authors uncover five key themes that promote healthy, sustainable ministry that lasts--spiritual formation, self-care, emotional and cultural intelligence, marriage and family, leadership and management. These themes are unpacked from the vantage point of ministry on the ground. Questions for personal evaluation and reflection are included throughout the book to bring home the significance of each section. This is the perfect companion for a peer cohort of pastors to read together. It can also be of value to church boards and others who want to better understand how to help sustain their pastors in ministry. In short, this is a book pastors can't live without.