19th Jan 10
PastorJohnI was doing some work for a presentation and came across some helpful resources for small congregations. I haven’t read all the books listed on this page, but they looked interesting, so I thought I’d share.
http://www.congregationalresources.org/ShowCat.asp?TC=108
If you can find a copy, another interesting book is, “24 Effective Ideas for the Small Membership Church” by Steven M. Murray. The book is a little dated, since it was written in 1996, but it still has some good suggestions. Here’s an article by the same author: http://www.gbod.org/evangelism/programs/offeringchrist/small_church.html
The best book on the topic I have read is “Small, Strong Congregations” by Kennon Callahan. If you are serving a small congregation, it is immensely helpful.
pastorpaul
January 21st, 2010 at 19:03
I’ve also really appreciated Shannon Jung’s work in collaboration with others, Discovering Hope and its follow up. Though these books are pointed at rural congregations, their content is applicable to any congregation and the stories are inspirational.
admin
January 25th, 2010 at 18:31
If anyone is looking for the book Pastor Paul suggested you can find it on the Augsburg Fortress website. The title is: Discovering Hope: Building Vitality in Rural Congregations by L. Shannon Jung. The link is: http://www.augsburgfortress.org/store/item.jsp?isbn=9780806641478 .