What It Takes to Reach Men The local church is an ideal place for men to learn and grow in fellowship. Stu Weber
Rating:Not yet rated $2.99
Several years ago, I watched a local television talk show about men who had attended a seminar with Robert Bly, author of Iron John. I thought, Now I'll get to see what the men's movement is all about. But I was struck by how confused the men appeared as they shared their stories of disappointment and pain. As I saw what was happening, a dream began to take shape: Wouldn't it be great to gather a ...
Big and Strong Men's Groups Focus on all-male fellowships gives men an entry point into the church. Lyle Schaller
Rating:Not yet rated $2.99
Over the past two decades, the all-male fellowship has made a comeback in the local church. Thousands of congregations report the men's fellowship is a vital element of the total program and the entry point for many new men into the church.
Reasons for the Increase
• Organization. Excellent planning has been going into the creation of the new groups. The United Methodist Men, for example, organized ...
Six months into our church plant, the two most influential families had a fight. Nasty words were exchanged, battle lines drawn. Both sides began recruiting people to their cause. Something had to be done, but what? I held separate meetings with the two parties, but that just made things worse.
"Lord, help me," I prayed desperately. I set up another meeting with both families.
Anatomy of a Church Fight How would you handle this real-life story of a lightning strike that ignited a firestorm? Leadership Journal
Rating:Not yet rated $2.99
The following account of a true-life political crisis in a church was prepared by the Harvard Business School for classroom discussion. Leadership sent copies to six pastors in five different states and invited them to kibitz—to look over the shoulder of Walnut Avenue Church and suggest where to go from here.
After reading the six responses, think what your advice would be. While no outsider can ...
Animal Instincts Five ways church members will react in a fight. Norman Shawchuck and Robert Moeller
Rating:Not yet rated $2.99
The women's ministries board was meeting, and you could cut the tension with a spatula.
"If the church won't provide baby sitters for the Friday Bible study, I won't be coming back," Susan said, her voice trembling with anger. "I don't need to spend my Friday mornings in a nursery, changing diapers and holding crying babies, when I can do that at home. I come here for a break, not more work. And I'm ...
Surviving a Power Play When the smoke cleared, this pastor was still standing. Marshall Shelley
Rating:Not yet rated $2.99
Church conflict can take many forms. Sometimes it's just random sniping—isolated complaints, but dangerous enough to keep you always wary: "I have some concerns about our church, Pastor, which I've been sharing at our prayer group."
Other times, the conflict is confined to border skirmishes—different groups squabbling over "turf"—who gets to decide the Sunday school curriculum or who ...
When the teachers in our village went on strike, it nearly tore our congregation apart.
Our congregation includes many teachers and a number of administrators and board of education members. Other church members work as librarians, nurses, and secretaries in the local schools. Naturally, the strike pitted teachers against the administration and the board of education.
"You may feel called to go to the ends of the earth as a missionary, honey. But I don't."
While in some respects a career move can cause problems in any marriage, pursuing an overseas missionary career puts unique stress on a marriage, especially if both partners aren't equally committed. My husband, Grey, and I faced this dilemma when Grey felt led by God to be a career missionary in Indonesia, and ...
I was about to snap as I entered the bathroom late that night. I had lost perspective on why we had moved to Asia. I'd become obsessed with the details of our work, and I was spending way too much time in front of the computer. My wife was feeling ignored and generally unappreciated. We weren't communicating much or praying together. Despite the fact ...
Brian and Carol sat in silence, too exhausted to talk. Brian escaped to the computer, hoping for diversion from another bad day. For a while he forgot the sharp words he'd given an African colleague who had asked him for another loan. Brian was ashamed of his response but angry that others saw him as a moneyman for whatever crisis came along. If he could just do his own work, things would be so much ...
Printer view of these results
