Book Notes - Three Concise Reviews of New Resources

Leadership Essentials: Practical Tools for Leading in the Church
by Carol Cartmill and Yvonne Gentile, Abingdon, 2006

This book is a concise but information-rich resource for congregational leaders. Ministry team leaders will find help in areas where many leaders say they have not had sufficient training. These topics include making meetings productive, planning, communicating, leading change, and managing conflict. Other sections give solid guidance on visioning, strategic planning, and making disciples - guidance that is suitable for use within ministry teams or for the congregation as a whole. The appendix contains nineteen templates and worksheets to assist readers in utilizing the lessons from the book. The authors have extensive experience in lay ministry and have written other widely-used resources on mobilizing and training congregational leaders.

Children's Ministry
by Judy N. Comstock, Abingdon, 2006

This is an ideal resource for any staff or volunteers working in children's ministry. Every chapter in this small book has several ideas you can implement immediately to take your children's ministry to a higher level. Some suggestions will not fit your situation but many more will. Use this book with your children's ministry council or team to identify the changes you can make in the next six weeks to six months. Making your choices and sharing the responsibilities for implementation will add energy to the group and mean much to children and parents in your congregation. This is the first book in a new Ministry Guides series produced by Abingdon Press and the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection.

Simply Strategic Growth: Attracting a Crowd to Your Church
by Tim Stevens and Tony Morgan, Group, 2005

This book begins with the assumption that it is a good thing to have as many people as possible together to worship God. The authors provide 99 brief chapters, each around a practical theme related to reaching more people. Every reader should come away with at least a dozen ideas for changes that will improve the ability of a congregation to reach people in its community. Some examples of chapters are: Launch on Easter, Assume Everyone is a Newcomer, Love Your Guests, and Give Hope to the Hopeless. The authors are on the pastoral staff at Granger Community Church in Granger, Indiana.

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