A little while ago, Pastor Rich Grudt (Trinity United, Waukegan) posed this question to his colleagues in the North Conference:
“I'm considering a book study for this Lent, where the congregation would all read a book together and I would comment on chapters/ideas during Wednesday night worship, or perhaps the Sundays during Lent. Any suggestions? And why you suggest that title?”
Here are the responses he received:
From Pastor Nathan Anderson (All Saints, Fox Lake):
“Last Lent we included Greg Mortenson's Three Cups of Tea in both the book & video format. Greg's approach is both global & intimate, a Christian witness filled with respect and compassion, very tangible and humbl
e, yet courageous and unrelenting. He has been able to comprehend a foreign culture and religion in ways that governmental strategists have not explored, and now the Pentagon & politicians seek Greg's guidance. Would that any of us have such impact! I'm currently reading his follow-up book: Stones into Schools." 
From Pastor Sue Beadle (Christ, Vernon Hills):
“I recommend Becoming a Blessed Church: Forming a Church of Spiritual Purpose, Presence, and Power by N. Graham Standish. It may be a book that works better in small group settings. Very meaty, but excellent. I'm leading the council through it now. I also liked The Honest to God Church by Doug Bixby.”
From Pastor Bob Davis (Holy Cross, Libertyville):
“Peter Gomes....The Good Life and The Good Book are both good reads that I have used with different sized groups and have generated some good thoughtful conversation. Marcus Borg's The Heart of Christianity will stir the soul and mind. Another good read tha
t we used with an interfaith group of about 175 Muslims, Jews, and Christians is Jonathan Sacks book The Dignity of Difference. He is the chief rabbi for Great Britain. I also used this book with a group of 40 when we traveled to the Holy Land and found a number of Palestinians that we met who had read the same book. It provided a nice platform for quality discussion. I personally enjoy some of the Living the Questions material. The first video series is a 21-part series of which you could select some for the Lenten series and maybe continue with the others in the summer for a different kind of sermon series. Finally, The Parables is a great series by Compass Films with small-group material that could easily be adapted to a mid-week series. We are looking at the The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller and the Book of Faith Initiative's Lenten Journey...40 Days with the Lord's Prayer.”
From Pastor Dawn Mass (Messiah, Wauconda):
“For a book on spiritual practices, I would suggest Marjorie J. Thompson's Soul Feast: An Invitation to the Christian Spiritual Life–very practical, readable, inspiring, and filled with great quotes! A group study guide is included.”
From Pastor Richard Holmer (St James, Lake Forest):
“We had a good response to Henri Nouwen’s book Making All Things New: An Invitation to the Spiritual Life.”
From Pastor Brad Davick and Pastor Caroline Satre (St Paul, Waukegan):
“Here are a few things we've used:
Reclaiming the L Word by Kelly A. Fryer: A good read by a great storyteller that helped our folks explore what it really means to be ‘Lutheran’ in today's context.
The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren: Won't recommend this. We did this the year 'Purpose' was everywhere. Given that the book was everywhere and we knew people would read it, we decided we'd rather have them read it with us than with someone else, to maintain the integrity of Lutheran theology. We wrote our own material as a study guide to go along with the readings.
If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat by John Ortberg: Another great storyteller. Used the book to help people have conversation on change and strategic decisions we faced.
Real Faith For Real Life by Mike Foss: A felt need for spiritual growth had been identified. We had a retreat-style worship using movie clips (Armageddon, Bruce Almighty, Wizard of Oz, e.g.) to teach the marks of discipleship for people who strive to live as followers of Jesus.
We’ve done Why Christian? by Douglas John Hall: Good stuff, but a tough read.
Nooma videos by Rob Bell: We've used assorted Bell videos the last two years and they are fantastic; people loved them!
This year we're doing ‘Luther and Les Miserable.’ It's in the development phase currently; thematically it's going to be a Law/Gospel, Grace/Suffering focus.”
From Pastor Don Wink (Atonement, Barrington):
“We're doing Tim Keller's The Prodigal God. It rocks. Plus they have small group discussion guides, etc. and a great bulk purchase rate direct through Zondervan. Last year, we did Faith and Doubt by John Ortberg. Also very solid, but there were no support resources (may or may not be by now), so we wrote our own stuff.”
From Pastor Ellen Arthur (St Stephen, Antioch);
“So many good books to consider! I'd like to add one more to the list: An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith by Barbara Brown Taylor (‘concrete ways to discover God in the small things we do and see’). Chapters that can be read independently include ‘The Practice of Paying Attention,’ ‘The Practice of Getting Lost,’ and ‘The Practice of Saying No.’”
Someone asked me this: “What are the benefits to my congregation if we opt in to the Turnaround Synod Initiative?” In other words, “Why opt in?”
Opting in to the Turnaround Synod Initiative is a lot like signing a petition for a cause you believe in...and giving your phone number. You put your signature on the petition to show your support and your willingness to have your name associated with that cause. You give you phone number so that other people who feel the same way can keep you informed about their work for the cause a
nd sometimes ask for your input or your help. (When you write your number on the petition, you think to yourself, “If I can help when they call I will. If I can’t, or if I don’t want to right then, I’ll say no.”)
The Turnaround Synod Initiative has two major components: a goal and an offering.
The goal that the bishop has set is that fifty percent of the declining congregations in the synod would be seeing an upward trend in average worship attendance by the end of his term in June 2013. With two of every three congregations in the synod currently in statistical decline, this is clearly a challenging goal. When a congregation “opts in,” the leaders and members of that congregation are offering the support of saying, “We, too, would like to see this happen in our synod.”
The offering is an offering from the synod staff and volunteers of help and support for churches that undertake a focused effort to revitalize their congregational life and mission. When a congregation “opts in,” the leaders and members of that congregation are saying, “We are open to having someone call and ask us to share news and ideas with other churches.” Like any petition-signer, you can say to yourself, “I can say yes or no, depending on what’s being asked and the timing of it.”
Opting in is really pretty simple. You are showing support and joining a loose circle of
“Opt-in Congregations.”
Now, beyond simply opting in, your congregation may want to volunteer to be a “Resource Congregation” or ask to be considered to be a “Focus Congregation.”
Resource Congregations will for sure get phone calls asking for specific help to support the initiative and the congregations who are doing focused renewal work.
Focus Congregations will receive regular and intentional support for their revitalization efforts from synod staff, coaches, and others.
To request an opt-in packet that includes an explanatory cover letter, an opt-in form, and a dozen copies of the Turnaround Synod Initiative brochure, please get in touch with Dina Tannous (dtannous@mcselca.org; 773-248-0021, ext. 14). If you have questions or comments about TSI, please call or e-mail Carol Breimeier (cbreimeier@mcselca.org; 773-248-0021, ext. 13).
A Renewal Enterprise is offering a one-day workshop called "Treasure in Clay Jars: The Renewable Organization (TM) for Faith-Based Groups." First site is LSTC, 1100 E. 55th St., Chicago. For info, go to the A.R.E. website.
Next year: The Center for Parish Development will offer a three-day Missional Church Convocation with featured speaker Dr. George Hunsberger, July 22-24, 2010. Click here to go to their website.
To share your thoughts about resources (websites, books, consultants, curricula, workshops...) that have fueled renewal in your congregation, sparked evangelism, or opened people's eyes in some way, send a post via email to Carol Breimeier at cbreimeier@mcselca.org.
If you tried something that you'd recommend against using, help save someone else's time--send a note!
COURAGE, LEADERSHIP, AND FORGIVENESS
1. God has a Dream: A Vision of Hope for Our Time by Desmond Tutu The book is an excellent read for councils, small groups, reading groups, and staff. If you are looking for a place to start on the journey – this is it. http://godhasadream.com/
Echoing the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., Desmond Tutu says: "God says to you, 'I have a dream. Please help me to realize it.’ It is a dream of a world whose ugliness and squalor and poverty, its war and hostility, its greed and harsh competitiveness, its alienation and disharmony are changed into their glorious counterparts."
2. Global Leadership Group – founding member is Bishop Tutu http://www.theelders.org/elders/tutu.aspx
3. Resources and Books by Parker J. Palmer http://www.couragerenewal.org/parker
Parker J. Palmer focuses on vocation, leadership, spirituality, and hospitality. He works to support teachers and leaders in serving their communities. Some books include:
The Active Life: A Spirituality of Work, Creativity, and Caring (1999)
Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation (1999)
4. The Fetzer Institute http://www.fetzer.org/
The Fetzer Institute and the Center for Courage & Renewal have "Courage to Lead" programs for clergy and community leaders.
The mission of the Fetzer Institute is to: foster awareness of the power of love and forgiveness in the emerging global community, rests on our conviction that efforts to address the world's critical issues must go beyond political, social, and economic strategies to their psychological and spiritual roots (fetzer.org)
5. A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix by Edwin Friedman. 2007
Published after his death, Friedman considered this book to be the culmination of his ideas and learning. Basic knowledge of family systems theory is helpful when reading the book – but not necessary. The book is dense and powerful. Would be a good to read with another person to discuss and contextualize.
P. 32 – “The great lesson of this turnaround is that when any system is imaginatively gridlocked, it cannot get free simply through more thinking about the problem.”
6. Lombard Mennonite Peace Center (Lombard, IL) http://www.lmpeacecenter.org/
LMPC offers resources, training, and support for congregations in relationship to leadership, organizational health, and reconciliation or conflict management.
7. Thriving Through Ministry Conflict by Understanding your Red and Blue Zones by James P. Osterhaus, Joseph M. Jurkowski, Todd A. Hahn
From the back cover: Two of the greatest challenges facing ministry leadership are expectations and conflict. Ironically, the more a pastor cares, the more he or she is set up to fail. The solution is not that the effective minister learns to care less, but that he or she cares within legitimate expectations….
Continue reading Courage, Change, Growth--recommendations from Sarah Stumme.
Transforming Church by Kevin Ford
As a consultant to ministries across the country, Ford has helped hundreds of churches experience genuine change and growth. Filled with eye-opening insights, Transforming Church identifies five dysfunctions of an unhealthy church, and shares the five key indicators of a healthy, vibrant congregation. You’ll discover the keys for creating a church that transforms lives, your community, and the world.
Continue reading Book Suggestions from John Holm.
