Fieldwork Projects
Church is NOT Closed
Never say your church is closed! We must remember that the church is not closed. Church is now doing ministry in new and creative ways, but the church is still open for business.
Open Air Easter Sunday Service – Norman Bendroth, UCC
We plan to hold Easter Service in the field of clover where our Church once stood, after burning to the ground in 2018. It will be a community effort.
Healing Spiritual Wounds: Reconnecting with a Loving God After Experiencing a Hurtful Church
Healing Spiritual Wounds: Reconnecting with a Loving God After Experiencing a Hurtful Church by Carol Howard Merritt An effective plan to help those suffering from wounds inflicted by the church find spiritual healing and a renewed sense of faith. Raised as a...
Holy Conversations: Strategic Planning as a Spiritual Practice for Congregations – By Martin Homan
Holy Conversations: Strategic Planning as a Spiritual Practice for Congregations Gil Rendle and Alice Mann The Alban Institute, 2003. xxvi & 289 pages. The authors provide the Intentional Interim Pastor with an extremely useful book filled with numerous tools....
Don’t Wait until the Pastor Leaves – By Alan Mead
Don’t Wait until the Pastor Leaves Planning for Ministerial Transition Helps Ensure that One Successful Minister Follows Another Written by Michael Durall Book Review by Rev. Alan Mead Although it doesn’t appear by the title to be a book of interest to interim...
10 Things You Can Do Right Now to Reduce Anxiety in Your Congregation, By Susan Beaumont
10 Things You Can Do Right Now to Reduce Anxiety in Your Congregationby Susan BeaumontThe effects of anxiety on human thinking and behavior are both observable and predictable. In his book Congregational Leadership in Anxious TimesPeter Steinke describes the impact of...
The American Congregation 2015: Thriving and Surviving
The American Congregation 2015: Thriving and Surviving Reviewed by Rev. Alan Mead Have you wondered lately what in the world is happening in congregational life and mission? There are continuing reports of decline, both in numbers of people and in resources, with an...
Making Connections: Transitional and Multicultural Ministry
Making Connections: Transitional and Multicultural Ministry By Dr. Mark Smutny Attending the Annual Conference of the IMN Annual Conference for the first time was like being invited to a sumptuous Thanksgiving Day feast. The two keynoters were like Grandpa and Grandma...
Congregational Closure – By Rev. Dennis Alger
Be prepared for the work ahead by going to your nearby worker-friendly retailer and purchasing sufficient quantities of facial tissue; there will be tears. It is a factor of our time. Mainline congregations are experiencing decline; many of us find that faithfulness...
Discovering the Other: Asset-Based Approached to Building Community Together – by Martin Homan
October 10, 2014 Cameron Harder. Discovering the Other: Asset-Based Approached to Building Community Together. Herndon, VA: The Alban Institute, 2013 (Kindle edition). Review by Martin Homan Cameron Harder writes this book to assist the reader to find the other –...