Resources for Ministers

Heidi B. Neumark, Breathing Space, A Spiritual Journey in the South Bronx, Beacon Press, Boston, 2003. Winner of a 2004 Wilbur Award.
Here is a book that will remind you of what ministry is, and could be, and should be. Heidi Neumark writes of her experience of eighteen years as pastor of a multi-cultural Lutheran congregation in a community of great, and sometimes nearly overwhelming need. She tells the stories of the people of the church and the neighborhood, and weaves those stories together with the call of the gospel to compassion, justice and transformation. An advocate for the forgotten and oppressed people of the Bronx, Neumark is rooted in her ELCA tradition, and deeply aware of the power of sacramental living. Breathing Space is well written and engaging, and includes a treasure of story after story of how one congregation and their pastor have lived out their faith in the redeeming love of God.

Wayne Muller, Sabbath, Finding Rest, Renewal and Delight in Our Busy Lives, Bantam, 2000.
Pastors know that part of their responsibility is to tend to their relationship with God and to take care of themselves. However, for many pastors, finding time for Sabbath observances is so difficult that a true Sabbath is a rare experience, often coming only during vacation or study leave times, if at all. Muller's wise and sometimes funny book offers help for ministers and church members alike in why, how, when and where to take time for Sabbath observances and Sabbath rest.

Dean R. Hoge and Jacqueline E. Wenger, Pastors in Transition, Why Clergy Leave Local Church Ministry, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2005.
A summary of research done by the authors exploring whether clergy are leaving parish ministry more frequently than in the past, why clergy leave parish ministry, and what might be done to prevent that. This book will be helpful to pastors as well as those who work with pastors and those who are considering ministry as a vocation.

Ronald W. Richardson, Becoming a Healthier Pastor, Family Systems Theory and the Pastor’s Own Family, Fortress Press, 2005.
This companion to Richardson’s earlier book, Creating a Healthier Church, helps the ministry professional understand more clearly how one’s experiences with one’s own family of origin impact one’s work as a leader within a congregation.

George B. Thompson, Jr, Alligators in the Swamp, Power, Ministry, and Leadership, Pilgrim Press, 2005.
A helpful collection of essays reflecting on the nature of power dynamics in ministry. Thompson and the other writers understand that everyone has at least some power, and many pastors have more power than they think they do. Pastoral leaders are called to use their power wisely and well and always for the sake of the people they serve.

Evangelism Church Development Resources

Tentmaking or Bi-Vocational Ministry
There are times when a particular church may wish to call a minister who is able to find sources of support other than the particular church.

Resources for Committees on Ministry

Print resources

COM Advisory Handbook

Our goal in preparing this handbook is to encourage Committees on Ministry (COMs) to focus on building relationships with congregations and church professionals, and nurturing healthy ministries in their presbyteries.

• Order from the Presbyterian Distribution Service.
  
• Download the latest COM Advisory Handbook as a pdf.
  
• Download the latest COM Advisory Handbook as a Word document.
  

Guidelines for Leadership with Committee on Ministry
Helping new committee moderators get organized to lead the COMs. "The Toolkit for COM Moderators."

New Times — New Call: A Manual of Pastoral Options for Small Churches
A Resource for small church leaders and presbytery committees to use to guide a dialogue about meeting the pastoral leadership needs of small churches. Revised in 2003 by the Office of Evangelism and Church Development.

$4.00
PDS # 7231203001

Link of interest: Presbyterian Small Church Ministry Network

Middle Governing Body Search Committee Guidelines
The contents of this manual are the results of sharing the experiences of persons across the church and over the years.

Resources about specific types of ministry

Resources about Commissioned Lay Pastors
Features CLP Resources, Other Books and Resources useful in CLP Training and Ministry, reference books, books on reformed theology, Sacraments, Polity, Preaching, Teaching, Worship, Pastoral Care, Church Administration, Spirituality, software, Web Sites, magazines and other resources.

Resources for Christian Educators
Contains links to order resources for Christian Educators.

Interim Ministry
The Interim Ministry Consortium is the gathering of representatives from Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) related interim education site and other entities directly concerned with Interim Pastor Education. These representatives work collaboratively to coordinate and improve the education of interim pastors.

Triennial Visits
What is the Purpose of the Triennial Visit? The Committee on Ministry's responsibility "... to facilitate the relations between congregations, ministers, and the presbytery ..." (G-11.0501a) is accomplished in part through its triennial visit with each session of presbytery.

Orderly Exchange of Ministers Among Formula Partner Churches
The Division for Ministry aims toward four inter-connected outcomes: the Culture of Call; Theological Conversation for All; Cadres of Servant Leaders; and Fruitful Institutions.

Models of Ministry
List of types of ministries in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)