PRACTICAL WISDOM FOR LEADING CONGREGATIONS
The top five stories of 2017
 
As we begin new seasons in our ministries, we dream big dreams. We encourage our churches to be creative and think outside of the box. We launch new programs, start new groups, or re-brand our services. But what if we cast big visions while neglecting the things that really matter?

 
Don't begin the conversation with the expenses to cut. Instead, focus on your organization's assets and how they can be leveraged in service of your missional impact, writes the executive director of Leadership Education at Duke Divinity.

 
Pastors seeking to support justice movements should let people on the front lines lead. This means clergy are going to have to get used to being uncomfortable, writes a pastor from Charlotte, North Carolina.

 
Although church leaders often worry that switching from full-time to part-time clergy will lead to decline, congregations across the country are finding new vitality by reimagining the roles of clergy and laypeople.

 
A theologian who works in the discipline of trauma studies says that Christians need to pay more attention to Holy Saturday. Believing in the promise of resurrection doesn't eliminate suffering -- and in witnessing this suffering, we are about the work of redemption, she says.

 
NEW IN THE ALBAN LIBRARY IN 2017
by Kevin E. Lawson and Mick Boersma 

Surveys of pastoral staff repeatedly show that senior or supervising pastors consistently rate their working relationships with their associate staff members higher than do the associate staff members. Satisfaction levels follow similar patterns. In many cases, supervisors are not aware of or attentive to the concerns of their staff, and yet, these staff members are critical to the success of the church. 

Supervising and Supporting Ministry Staff is a research-based guide to the senior/associate staff relationship that is filled with real-life stories and practical advice to help readers negotiate their staff relationships successfully. The book focuses not only on the business mechanics of the supervisor/supervisee relationship, but also the full experiences of the associate staff, including emotional and spiritual needs. This helpful resource addresses congregations of all sizes across denominations and discusses a range or supervisor/supervisee relationship types. 
 
 edited by Matthew Floding

Theological field education, in which a ministry student steps out of the classroom and begins practicing with the supervision of a mentor, is a critical part of accredited ministry programs. Engage equips both students and their supervisor-mentors to engage in this important opportunity with energy and imagination, and it prepares students for the challenging work of integrating theory into real-world practice. 

Engage provides coaching from recognized experts in the arts of ministry: preaching, administration, evangelism, pastoral care, public ministry, leadership, faith formation, liturgical arts and more. Other chapters address themes such as race, gender, and ministry across faith traditions (or no faith tradition). The book addresses field education in a range of contexts-from churches to non-profits. 

Engage offers a valuable resource for students making the most of their transition from the classroom into real world ministry with all its joys and many challenges
 
From all of us at Alban at Duke Divinity School, we wish you a very happy holiday season. Your ministries inspire everything that we do here. So, we thank you for the leadership and ministry you offer through communities of faith around the world. We look forward to serving you in 2018. 

The Alban Weekly will return on Monday, January 8, 2018.
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