Lexham Ministry Guides – serie

A Better Way to Choose and Train Your Next Pastor· Offers a new perspective on the qualifications for ministry· Practical help to identify a potential future pastor within the church· Advice for mentoring and trainingIn too many church cultures, potential pastors are identified primarily by their intelligence, giftedness, or willingness. Instead, Jared C. Wilson sees the Bible emphasizing the character, spiritual maturity, and Christlikeness of congregational leaders. These characteristics are best discerned and cultivated in the context of a local church. In Pastoral Mentoring: For the Care of Souls, Wilson argues that, while formal theological education plays an important role, the local church is uniquely equipped to train its shepherds. This book empowers pastors and church leaders to identify and mentor future ministers right where they are.

Whether high church, low church, or somewhere in between, every church has a liturgy--a structure that guides the order of service, influences the way we worship, and reflects our relationship with God. The questions we must ask ourselves are· Is our worship something we do for God or a testament of what God has done for us?· Do the words we say, hear, and sing emphasize the work of Christ?· Does our order of service help us receive the gifts that Jesus desires to give?In Worship and Liturgy, Paul J. Grime helps ministry leaders answer those questions in order to faithfully lead their churches to worship in spirit and truth. Covering the vital topics of preaching, prayer, the lectionary, the sacraments, and more, Grime helps you center your services around Christ, who desires to meet with his people and give us what we need. Whether you are starting from scratch with a new church plant or hoping to revitalize and recenter the worship in a long-standing congregation, this resource will help you recognize liturgy not as merely an order of service but more significantly as the unique and life-giving work of Christ, who laid down his life for the benefit of the whole world.

Inviting others into God's good work· Learn how to empower laity in leadership· Understand a theology of leadership· Gain practical wisdom for your own contextThe church is ordered so that good can run wild. God appoints leaders to commission the laity in the church's ministry and mission. Pastors and ministry leaders serve and organize the church in such a way that people in their care can pursue their unique gifts.In Lay Leadership: For the Care of Souls, Aaron Perry empowers pastors to empower laity in leadership. Perry helps leaders recognize the challenges and pursue the opportunities in sharing vision, inviting participation, delegating roles and responsibilities, and equipping people for sustained ministry. With theological structure and practical wisdom, Perry provides a foundational theology of the laity and specific actions for leaders to apply in their own context.