Governance and Ministry

Governance and Ministry
Author: Dan Hotchkiss
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 263
Release: 2016-01-14
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1566997712

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.

The Lord's Service

The Lord's Service
Author: Jeffrey J. Meyers
Publisher: Canon Press & Book Service
Total Pages: 448
Release: 2003
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1591280087

The Lord's Service is a description and defense of covenant renewal worship.

The Holy Trinity (Paperback)

The Holy Trinity (Paperback)
Author: Carl L Beckwith
Publisher: Luther Academy
Total Pages:
Release: 2016-08-19
Genre:
ISBN: 9781935035183

The Holy Trinity, volume 3 of the Confessional Lutheran Dogmatics series, explains the difficulties we face in confessing the Trinity in our world today and how we overcome these challenges by placing Christ and the Gospel at the center of our preaching and teaching. The Holy Trinity returns us to Scripture and shows how the Old and New Testaments carefully and decisively present the indivisible oneness and irreducible threeness of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Finally, The Holy Trinity introduces readers to the sound pattern of words used by the Fathers and Lutheran reformers to clarify and defend the trinitarian witness of Scripture. We confess, worship, and glorify the Holy Trinity rightly when we boldly proclaim the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ. Carl Beckwith is professor of church history and doctrine at Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Alabama.

Wholly Citizens

Wholly Citizens
Author: Joel Biermann
Publisher: Fortress Press
Total Pages: 228
Release: 2017-05-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 150642225X

Wholly Citizens addresses the relation between the church and the world in light of the Reformation teaching of the two realms—especially as presented by Luther. Rather than exploring again the usual texts of Luther from the 1520’s, this book begins with a careful reading of Luther’s Commentary on Psalm 81 (1531), and then considers subsequent interpreters of Luther, both faithful and otherwise, and the dubious legacy they have left the church. The book argues that both the corporate church as well as individual believers are responsible for the world, and that each must speak directly about and to the world in meaningful ways. The final section of the book addresses the concrete situation facing believers in the early 21st century in light of faithful Reformation teaching about the two realms. Following this path leads to conclusions not entirely expected, including the forthright rejection of “a wall of separation” between church and state, and also a rebuke of the familiar clamor for the preservation of the rights of Christians and the church. Heedless of the status quo, Wholly Citizens offers an engaging and bracing picture of Christian life in today’s world—a picture framed in theological truth.

Called to Believe, Teach, and Confess

Called to Believe, Teach, and Confess
Author: Steven P. Mueller
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 590
Release: 2005-07-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1725242966

Called to Believe, Teach, and Confess offers an overview of the major doctrines of Christianity in a comprehensive, but accessible way. Written from a Lutheran perspective, this book is a helpful resource to those within that tradition and to others who seek a deeper theological understanding. Firmly rooted in Scripture, this book emphasizes the interrelatedness of all Christian teaching, with its central teaching being the doctrine of justification by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. This book is ideal as a text for university students and other educated Christian adults who seek to expand their knowledge of God's revelation and its application in human lives. It introduces and uses classical theological vocabulary and terminology, while offering clear definitions and application. Key terms, study questions, glossary, and sidebars help make this a valuable resource. Suggested readings from Scripture, the Lutheran Confessions and other secondary sources guide the reader into deeper study.

Outline of Christian Doctrine

Outline of Christian Doctrine
Author: Wilfried Harle
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Total Pages: 643
Release: 2015-04-14
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0802848427

In this book Wilfried Hrle so distills Protestant Christian teaching as to bring fresh insight both to new students and to experienced readers of systematic theology. Outline of Christian Doctrine, however, is not merely a translation of Hrle's classic German text: Nicholas Sagovsky has also entirely adapted the original work to the needs and resources of English-speaking readers. Biblically rooted, contextually sensitive, alert to philosophical issues, and relevant with respect to debates about the world as we know it today, Hrle's Outline of Christian Doctrine: An Evangelical Dogmatics is an ideal contemporary theology book for both class use and individual study.

Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification

Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification
Author: Lutheran World Federation
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Total Pages: 52
Release: 2000
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780802847744

This volume presents in English the official Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, confirmed by the Lutheran World Federation and the Roman Catholic Church in Augsburg, Germany, in October 1999. The result of decades of Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialogue, this primary document represents an ecumenical event of historical significance. Included in the volume are the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification and the Official Common Statement with its Annex. These texts are recommended for careful study in seminaries and parishes and for reading by individual Christians. It is hoped that the Joint Declaration will deepen understanding of the biblical message of justification and also serve to further reflection within the wider ecumenical movement.