Recommended Reading

Furey, Robert J.
Called By Name:
Discovering Your Unique Purpose in Life.
New York:The Crossroad Publishing Co., 1996.

• Furey, as does Bankson, seeks to separate vocation from religious underpinnings. In the end he cannot and reverts to religious language and concepts to describe a process that he sees as arising from one’s natural psychic development. He creates a particularly strong tie between the notion of individual vocation and successful mentoring.

Block, Peter .
The Answer to How Is Yes:
Acting on What Matters.
San Francisco, CA:
Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2001.

• The Answer to How Is Yes compels us to attend to those ideals and commitments that truly matter-both in our individual lives and in our institutions and communities.

Cullinan, Alice R.
Sorting It Out: Discerning God's Call to Ministry. Pennsylvania : Judson Press, 1999.

Sorting It Out defines a vocational call, provides examples of people who have received a call, considers the different kinds of available ministry opportunities, and advises on how to proceed once one determines God's will.

Dawn, Marva J., Eugene Peterson.
The Unnecessary Pastor: Rediscovering the Call . Grand Rapids, MI : Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1999.

Using the Pastoral Epistles and Ephesians, authors Marva Dawn and Eugene Peterson help us understand that pastors are called not to fulfill cultural expectations, but to serve only Christ -with a most important role of reconciliation.

Diehl, William.
The Monday Connection: On Being an Authentic Christian in a Weekday World.
San Francisco, CA : HarperSanFrancisco, 1991.

• One of the best known writers in this area explores five ways of carrying ministry and spirituality into daily life: competency, presence, ethics, change, and life-style.

Easum, William.
Sacred Cows Make Gourmet Burgers:
Ministry Anytime Anywhere by Anyone.
Nashville : Abingdon Press, 1995.

• Author Bill Easum believes that a church is most effective when individuals are given permission to live out their God-given gifts in becoming disciples of Christ.

Farnham, Suzanne G., Stephanie A. Hull,
R. Taylor McLean.
Grounded in God: Listening Hearts Discernment for Group Deliberations.
Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Publishing, 1999.

• "This book has been written to provide a resource for church groups that would like to approach their deliberations in the spirit of discernment."

Farnham, Suzanne.
Listening Hearts: Discerning Call in Community. Pennsylvania: Morehouse Publishing, 1991.

• Discerning a call to ministry and vocation can be aided by the insight and support of a community that helps us discover the answers to important questions of the heart.

Levoy, Gregg.
Callings: Finding and Following an Authentic Life. New York: Harmony Books, 1997.

• Another secular perspective on calling that argues that theological categories are unnecessary, Levoy writes a passionate if sweeping survey of what it means to experience both call and response as a modern American. Of particular assistance may be his chapter on the meaning of resistance in the search for vocational authenticity.

Myers, William H.
God's Yes Was Louder Than My No:
Rethinking the African American Call to Ministry. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans , 1994.

Nemeck, Frances and Coombs, Marie T.
Called by God: A Theology of Vocation &
Lifelong Commitment.
Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1992.

Long known for their expertise in spiritual direction, Nemeck and Coombs now distill years of work in this field to explore the mystery of living a vocation. The key to their theology is a commitment to the sovereignty of God in the process of hearing and responding to a call to the Christian life. They weave an understanding of a vocation as being inseparably linked to and an extension of one’s response to God in faith. 

Palmer, Parker J.
Let Your Life Speak:
Listening for the Voice of Vocation.
San Francisco, CA : Jossey-Bass, 2000.

• Let Your Life Speak is an ideal resource for discernment groups supporting prospective clergy, for groups determining their paths of lay ministry, and for any groups or individuals who seek an authentic fulfillment of their "calling."

Bugbee, Bruce.
What You Do Best in the Body of Christ.
Grand Rapids, MI : Zondervan Publishing House, 1995.

• This book is a practical handbook for every individual wanting to further explore his or her passion, spiritual gifts, personal style and life calling.

Church of the Resurrection Resources.
Serving from the Heart
Finding Your Gifts and Talents for Service
Participant Book
Abingdon Press, 2002.

Griend Vander, Alvin.
Discover Your Gifts and Learn How to Use Them.
Grand Rapids , MI: CRC Publishers, 1996.

• This book introduces a seven session course for identifying gifts and how to use them.

Kise, Jane A. G., David Stark, Sandra Krebs Hirsh.
LifeKeys: Discovering Who You Are,
Why You're Here, and What You Do Best.
Minneapolis, MN : Bethany House Publishers, 1996.

• Use these stories, self-tests, and other tools to identify your interests and talents and guide your quest for meaningful volunteer opportunities or career change.

Mayer, David P.
Our Gifts: Identifying and Developing Leaders.
Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress Press, 2002.

• David Mayer provides a simple and practical, yet theologically rich, guide for equipping all of God's people as disciple leaders.

Network: The Right People...In the Right Places...
for the Right Reasons (Media)
Distributed by Zondervan Publishing House.

• Replacing antiquated, ineffective "time and talent" surveys, the Network system offers a way to help people in congregations discover their unique ministries.

Ware, Corinne.
Ministry Specialities Test.
Bethesda , MD: The Alban Institute, 1995.

• Corinne Ware helps interested persons discern gifts in the following areas of ministry: theology, pastoral care/social services, counseling, administration, teaching, spiritual direction, preaching, missions, youth ministry, liturgics, and music.

Anderson, Leith.
Leadership That Works: Hope and Direction for Church and Parachurch Leaders in Today's Complex World. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 1999.

• Jargon-free and experientially based, Leadership That Works addresses the numerous complexities and tensions of leadership.

Becker, Carol E.
Leading Women: How Church Women Can Avoid Leadership Traps and Negotiate the Gender Maze.
Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1995.

• This book describes the status of women in church leadership, based on interviews with female and male clergy, lay professionals, and volunteers in Protestant denominations.

Bennis, Warren, Joan Goldsmith.
Learning to Lead: A Workbook on Becoming a Leader.
Boulder, CO: Perseus Books, 1997.

• Using wisdom from the world's best leaders, helpful assessments, and dozen of one-day skill-building exercises, this book invites you to discover the joy of leadership.

Depree, Max.
Leadership Jazz.
New York , NY: Doubleday, 1993.

• Like good jazz musicians, effective leaders must joyously embrace the expected and unexpected, and easily adapt to a changing environment and group of players.

Heifetz, Ronald.
Leadership Without Easy Answers.
Cambridge, MA:
Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1994.

• The book offers key distinctions regarding leadership and works through them in theoretical and practical ways. Although not aimed at religious leaders, it will be useful to them.

Ludwig, Glenn.
In It for the Long Haul:
Building Effective Long-Term Pastorates.
Bethesda, MD: The Alban Institute, 2002.

• Seminarians are typically taught how to become theologians-in-residence at their churches, rather than trained leaders who resist becoming overtaxed and can therefore remain "for the long haul."

Reinventing Leadership (video).
Distributed by Guilford Publications.

• This video describes how communities become dysfunctional when they are gripped by anxiety and how such communities tend to sabotage healthy leadership.

Sitze, Bob.
Not Trying Too Hard.
Bethesda, MD: The Alban Institute, 2001.

• Sitze illustrates the perils of church leaders who try too hard to control all things, be all things, do all things, and understand all things.

Stanley, Andy.
The Next Generation Leader: 5 Essentials for those who will Shape the Future.
Oregan: Multnomah Publishers, 2003.

Stream, Carol.
Leadership: A Practical Journal for Church Leaders.
IL: Christianity Today, Inc.

• Leadership is a quarterly journal for clergy and church leaders.

The Vision of Teams (Video)
Distributed by Star Thrower.

• This 30 minute video comes with a leader's guide and team activities. The workbook further develops the concepts by having participants reflect on their own experiences and connect insights gained from the story.

Weems Jr., Lovett H.
Church Leadership: Vision, Team,
Culture, and Integrity.
Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1993.

• Lovett Weems makes the case for a leadership that is heroic only in the context of the larger community.

Bouman, Walter R. and Setzer, Sue M.
What Shall I Say: Discerning God’s Call to Ministry?
Division for Ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 1995.

• This primer is written in light of two emerging realities in the Church: the dearth of Generation X and Y young people committing to full-time ecclesial service and the biblical and faith “illiteracy” of those same Christians. This excellent parish resource seeks to guide pastors and youth workers in helping young people discern a uniquely Christian call to service in light of these two contextual realities.

Burroughs, Esther. 
A Garden Path to Mentoring:Planting Your Life in Another and Releasing the Fragrance of Christ.  New Hope, 1997

Ellison, Edna and Tricia Scribner. 
Woman to Woman:Preparing Yourself to Mentor.New Hope, 2005.

Engstrom, Dr. Ted W. and Dr. Ron Jenson.
The Making of a Mentor
9 Essential Characteristics of Influential Chrisitian Leaders.
Authentic Media, 2005.

Farnham, Suzanne G., Stephanie A. Hull,
R. Taylor McLean.
Grounded in God: Listening Hearts Discernment for Group Deliberations.
Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Publishing, 1999.

• "This book has been written to provide a resource for church groups that would like to approach their deliberations in the spirit of discernment."

Farnham, Suzanne.
Listening Hearts: Discerning Call in Community. Pennsylvania: Morehouse Publishing, 1991.

• Discerning a call to ministry and vocation can be aided by the insight and support of a community that helps us discover the answers to important questions of the heart.

Holderness, Ginny Ward.
Career and Calling: A Guide for Counselors, Youth, and Young Adults.
Geneva Press, 2001.

Jones, Laurie Beth. 
Jesus Life Coach:  Learn from the Best.
Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2004.

Klasen, Nadine and David Clutterbuck.
Implementing Mentoring
Schemes - A Practical Guide to Successful Programs.
Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, 2002.

Pue, Carson.
Mentoring Leaders: Wisdom for Developing Character, Calling & Competency.
Baker Publishing Group, 2005.

Stoddard, David.
The Heart of Mentoring: Ten Proven Principles For Developing People To Their Fullest Potential. Navpress Books & Bible Studies, 2003.

Zachary, Lois.
The Mentor’s Guide: Facilitating Effective Learning Relationships.
Jossey-Bass, 2000.

Bankson, Marjory Zoet.
The Call to the Soul: Six Stages of Spiritual Development.
Philadelphia: Innis Free Press, 1999.

• A professional retreat leader and center director, Bankson, opposing Badcock, wants to liberate the idea of vocation from ecclesial structures. For her, the concept centers on the individual search for meaning. Her experience has led her to posit six stages of varying understanding, resistance, and acceptance of vocation.

The Relevant Church: A New Vision for Communities of Faith

Ashley, Jennifer

Reenvisioning Theological Education: Exploring a Missional Alternative to Current Models

Banks, Robert

Real Teens: A Contemporary Snapshot of Youth Culture

Barna, George

Revolution

Barna, George

Getting Real: An Interactive Guide to Relational Ministry

Baugh, Ken & Rich Hurst

Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith

Bell, Rob

Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission

Bosch, David

Making Sense of Church: Eavesdropping on Emerging Conversations about God, Community and Culture

Burke, Spencer

The Way of Jesus: A Journey of Freedom for Pilgrims and Wanderers

Campbell, Jonathan

The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical

Claiborne, Shane

Organic Church: Growing Faith where Life Happens

Cole, Neil

The Church in Transition: The Journey of Existing Churches into the Emerging Culture

Conder, Tim

The Radical Reformission

Driscoll, Mark

Being Disciples of Jesus in a Dot.Com World: A Theological Survival Guide for Youth, Adults, and Other Confused Christians

Foote, Ted, & Alex Thornburg

The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st Century Church

Frost, Michael & Alan Hirsch

Emerging Churches: Creating Christian Community in Postmodern Cultures

Gibbs, Eddie & Ryan Bolger

Red Moon Rising: 24-7 Prayer and the Coming Spiritual Awakening

Greig, Pete

The Vision & The Vow: A Call to Discipleship

Greig, Pete

A Primer on Postmodernism

Grenz, Stanley

The Gutter: Where Life is Meant to be Lived

Gross, Craig

Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America

Guder, Darrell, ed.

Reimagining Christianity: Reconnect Your Spirit Without Disconnecting Your Mind

Jones, Alan

Postmodern Youth Ministry

Jones, Tony

The Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for New Generations

Kimball, Dan

Emerging Worship: Creating Worship Gatherings for New Generations

Kimball, Dan

The Pursuit of God in the Company of Friends

Lamb, Richard

Adventures in Missing the Point: How the Culture-Controlled Church Neutered the Gospel

McLaren, Brian & Tony Campolo

A Generous Orthodoxy

McLaren, Brian

A New Kind of Christian: A Tale of Two Friends on a Spiritual Journey

McLaren, Brian

More Ready Than You Realize: Evangelism in a Post-Modern Matrix

McLaren, Brian

The Church on the Other Side

McLaren, Brian

The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church

McNeal, Reggie

The Revolutionary Communicator: Seven Principles Jesus Lived to Impact, Connect and Lead

Medefind, Jedd & Erik Lokkesmoe

Blue Like Jazz

Miller, Donald

Searching for God Knows What

Miller, Donald

The Millennial Matrix

Miller, Rex

EmergingChurch.Intro

Moynagh, Michael

The Search to Belong: Rethinking Intimacy, Community and Small Groups

Myers, Joseph

Church Re-imagined: The Spiritual Formation of People in Communities of Faith

Pagitt, Doug

Preaching Re-imagined: The Role of the Sermon in Communities of Faith

Pagitt, Doug

Following Jesus: A Non-Religious Guidebook for the Spiritually Hungry

Roberts, Dave

Practitioners: Voices within the Emerging Church

Russlinger, Fred & Alex Field

Planting New Churches in a Post-Modern Age

Stetzer, Ed

A is for Abductive: The Language of the Emerging Church

Sweet, Leonard, et al

Carpe Mañana: Is Your Church Ready to Seize Tomorrow?

Sweet, Leonard

Post-Modern Pilgrims: First Century Passion for the 21st Century World

Sweet, Leonard

The Church in Emerging Culture: Five Perspectives

Sweet, Leonard, ed.

The Post-Evangelical

Tomlinson, Dave

The Coffeehouse Gospel: Sharing Your Faith in Everyday Conversation

Turner, Matthew Paul

The Younger Evangelicals: Facing the Challenges of the New World

Webber, Robert

Ancient-Future Faith

Webber, Robert

The Divine Conspiracy

Willard, Dallas

Renovations of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ

Willard, Dallas

Revolution of Character: Discovering Christ’s Pattern for Spiritual Transformation

Willard, Dallas

Stories of Emergence: Moving from Absolute to Authentic

Yaconelli, Mike, ed.