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Emerging Leaders Resources
There is almost an endless array of resources regarding calling, spiritual gifts, mentoring, and leadership. We have attempted to sift through some of what's out there in order to point you toward material that will help you as you try to identify, nurture, equip, deploy and reinvest Emerging Leaders within your church.
Of course, we don't make any claim to have found everything that is worthwhile. If you are aware of other resources that you think we should list, please submit a recommendation.
Calling
Children
- Barton, Cheryl. Call to Ministry Curriculum, Track One: God is Calling, Ages: 9-10. USA , Warner Press.
- Barton, Cheryl. Call to Ministry Curriculum, Track Two: God is Calling, Ages: 11-12. USA , Warner Press.
Youth
- Bogart, Gregory C. Finding Your Life's Calling. Dawn Mountain Press, 1995.
- Burrage, Yvonne and Neil Knierim. God's Call - The Cornerstone of Effective Ministry . Nashville : Convention Press, 1997.
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Drury, Keith. The Call of a Lifetime: Is the Ministry God's Plan for Your Life? Tennessee, Smokey Mountain Books.
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Kent, Carol and Karen Lee-Thorp. Six Steps to Clarifying Your Calling. Kentucky, NavPress, 2000.
- Mathewson, Dana. Call 2 Ministry. Xulon Press, 2003.
- 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."
- Schuurman, Douglas J. Vocation: Discerning Our Callings in Life. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2004.
- Smith, Gordon T. Courage & Calling: Embracing Your God-Given Potential . Downer's Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 1999.
Adults
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Badcock, Gary D. The Way of Life: A Theology of Christian Vocation. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1998.
- Badcock seeks to reclaim the discussion of vocation from what he views as a secular misunderstanding of a biblical concept. Framing his work in a textual hermeneutic, he develops a theology of vocation centered on one’s lived response to God’s claim through the cross event.
- 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.
- Beaudoin, Tom. Virtual Faith: The Irreverent Spiritual Quest of Generation X. San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 1998.
- Less a discussion of vocation than current generation trends, nonetheless Beaudoin provides a most insightful look at the spiritual yearnings of the post-Boomer generations. Using his insights, current vocations workers can shape future efforts that will meld rather than conflict with the needs of the church’s future leaders.
- Blackaby, Henry T. and King, Claude V . Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing His Will. Nashville : Broadman and Holman Publishers, 1998.
- Bogart, Gregory C. Finding Your Life's Calling. Dawn Mountain Press, 1995.
- 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.
- 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.
- Bridges, William. Transitions. Colorado: Perseue Publishing, 1980.
- Buechner, Frederick. Now and Then: A Memoir of Vocation. San Francisco : HarperCollinsPublishers, 1991.
- Chinen, Allen. Once Upon a Midlife. New York, NY : Putnam Pub. Group, 1993.
- Companions in Christ , a 28 Week experience. Nashville: Upper Room Books, 2000. Authors: Gerrit Scott Dawson, Adele J. Gonzalez, E. Glenn Hinson, Rueben P. Job , Marjorie J. Thompson, Wendy M. Wright.
- 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.
- Dozier, Verna, ed., The Calling of the Laity. Alban Institute, 1988.
- 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.
- Eldredge, John. Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul . Nashville : Thomas Nelson Inc., 2003.
- 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.
- Graybeal, Lynda and James Bryan Smith. Forward by Richard J. Foster. A Spiritual Formation Workbook: Small-Group Resources for Nurturing Christian Growth, A Renovare Resource for Spiritual Renewal. San Francisco : HarperCollinsPublishers, 1999.
- Guinness, Os . The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life. W Publishing Group, 1998.
- Johnson, Ben Campbell. Hearing God's Call: Ways of Discernment for Laity and Clergy . Grand Rapids, Mi: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2002.
- Johnstone, Patrick, Robyn Johnstone, and Jason Mandryk. Operation World: When We Pray God Works. United Kingdom: Paternoster, 2001
- Kent, Carol and Karen Lee-Thorp. Six Steps to Clarifying Your Calling. Kentucky, NavPress, 2000.
- 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.
- Magill, Alice. How God Called. Nashville: Convention Press, 1986.
- Mathewson, Dana. Call 2 Ministry. Xulon Press, 2003.
- Montgomery, Felix E. Pursuing God's Call: Choosing a Vocation in Ministry . Nashville : Convention Press, 1981.
- 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 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."
- Parker, Ronald E. Do I Belong in Seminary? Bethesda , MD : The Alban Institute, 1998.
- Ronald Parker demonstrates that there are different kinds of "calls"-including but not limited to the call to the pastorate-and that seminary may be the answer for many of them.
- Peterson, Eugene. Under the Unpredictable Plant: An Exploration in Vocational Holiness . Grand Rapids, MI : Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1992.
- Issuing a major challenge to clergy, author Eugene Peterson urges a paradigm shift from Pastor-as-Program-Director to Pastor-as-Spiritual-Director.
- Pennington, Basil M. Called: New Thinking on Christian Vocation. New York: The Seabury Press, 1983.
- Preston, Terry-Anne. Your Call Is Waiting: How to Recognize God's Purpose for Your Life . Augsburg, 2001.
- Schuurman, Douglas J. Vocation: Discerning Our Callings in Life. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2004.
- Sinetar, Marsha . Do What You Love, the Money Will Follow: Discovering Your Right Livelihood . New York, NY : Dell Books, 1989.
- The author concludes that success and self-actualization comes from doing what makes us happy.
- Sinetar, Marsha. Ordinary People as Monks and Mystics: Lifestyles for Self Discovery . Mahwah, NJ : Paulist Press, 1986.
- The author sought out 40 people who have found inner peace by detaching emotionally from a comfortable and familiar life to lead a solitary, simple existence that becomes focused on caring for other people.
- Smith, Gordon T. Courage & Calling: Embracing Your God-Given Potential . Downer's Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 1999.
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Veith, Gene Edward. God at Work: Your Christian Vocation in all of Life. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2002.
- Willard, Dallas. In Search of Guidance: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God. New York: Harper Collins, 1993.
- Wingren, Gustaf. Translated by Rasmussen, Carl C. The Christian’s Calling: Luther On Vocation. Edinburgh: Mulenberg Press, 1957.
- This is a classic if somewhat technical treatment of the great reformer’s contribution to vocational theology. Modern Protestants have often neglected the impact of Luther’s thought in this area, for he advocated that God calls all who claim Christ to live out that identity in their work in the world, no matter what task that entails. This contrasted sharply with the entrenched clericalism of the Roman Catholic Church against which Luther agitated.
- Zikmund, Barbara Brown, Adair T. Lummis, Patricia M. Y Chang. Clergy Women: An Uphill Calling . Louisville, KY : Westminster John Knox Press, 1998.
- From a comparative study of male and female clergy in 15 Protestant denominations, the authors conclude that clergy women are reinventing ministry and guiding the whole church to rethink its leadership and membership.
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Spiritual Gifts
Children
Youth
- McLuen, Dennis and Chuck Wysong. The Student Leadership Training Manuel for Youth Workers. Youth Specialities/Zondervan, October 2000.
- Powers, John S. and Phillip Herring. Body Life Journey for Students . Nashville : Lifeway Press, 2001.
Adults
- Berglas, Steven. Reclaiming the Fire: How Successful People Overcome Burnout . New York, NY : Random House, 2001.
- Steven Berglas has written a psychological treatise on success and burnout that can help church people who give and receive vocational ministry.
- Bolles, Richard Nelson. What Color Is Your Parachute? A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers . Berkeley, CA : Ten Speed Press, 2000.
- The 2003 edition of this outstanding annual guide for job seekers includes online searches.
- Bryant, Charles. Your Spiritual Gifts Inventory, from Rediscovering Our Spiritual Gifts . Nashville : Upper Room Books, 1997.
- Buckingham, Marcus, Curt Coffman. First, Break All The Rules: What The World's Greatest Managers Do Differently . New York, NY : Simon & Schuster, 1999.
- Just as great managers focus on employee talents, great congregational leaders effectively learn how to implement programs and leadership opportunities by honoring each person's individual, spiritual gifts.
- Buckingham, Marcus, D. O. Clifton . Now, Discover Your Strengths . Free Press, 2001.
- Used in connection with an exploration of spiritual gifts, this resource has the potential to produce a substantial contribution to the ministry of the congregation and its members.
- Bugbee, Bruce, Don Cousins, and Bill Hybels. Network: The Right People.In the Right Places.For the Right Reasons . Michigan : Zondervan Publishing House/Willow Creek Resources, 1994.
- This book is "Understanding God's Design for You in the Church."
- 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.
- Callahan, Kennon. The Future That Has Come: The Possibilities for Reaching and Growing the Grass Roots . San Francisco, CA : Jossey-Bass, 2002.
- This resource calls modern congregations and pastors who want to deal with the implications of our current culture and build strong, healthy, grassroots congregations and lives.
- Carbonell, Mels. Uniquely You In Christ : Combining 23 Spiritual Gifts With 4 (DISC) Personality Types . 2003.
- Cartmill, Carol and Yvonne Gentile. Serving From the Heart: Finding your Gifts and Talents for Service. Nashville : 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.
- Felts, Stephen . Start A Revolution: Nine World-Changing Strategies for Single Adults . Life Way Press, 1996.
- Hunt, T.W. and Catherine Walker. Disciple's Prayer Life: Walking in Fellowship with God . Nashville : Life Way Press, 1997.
- Johnson, Reginald. Your Personality and the Spiritual Life . Chariot Victor Books, 1995.
- This book identifies an individual's psychological type as the "soul print" given by God allowing us to intentionally journey through life with a greater understanding of our spiritual preferences.
- 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.
- Motivation: The Key to Matching Right People to Right Jobs (Media) Distributed by Volunteer Management Associates.
- 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.
- Trumbauer, Jean M. Sharing the Ministry: A Practical Guide for Transforming Volunteers into Ministers . Minneapolis, MN : Augsburg Fortress Press, 1999.
- Moving beyond the "fill 'em and forget 'em" volunteer recruitment model, the author presents a new paradigm of volunteer ministry which emphasizes shared ministry and each member's unique gifts.
- Trumbauer, Jean M. Created and Called: Discovering Our Gifts for Abundant Living . Minneapolis, MN : Augsburg Fortress Press, 1998.
- Recognizing that most mainline congregations do not assist members in discovering their gifts, this manual provides a comprehensive approach to recognizing different kinds of gifts, integrating these gifts, and applying them to the world's needs.
- 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.
- Wilson, Marlene. How to Mobilize Church Volunteers. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Books, 1983.
- Encouraging church leaders to identify gifts rather than simply fill empty volunteer slots, the author suggests guidelines and exercises for motivating lay members to offer their talents in the church and community.
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Mentoring
Children
Youth
- Elmore, Tim. Intentional Influence: Investing Your Life Through Mentoring. Nashville, LifeWay Press, 2003.
- Elmore, Tim. The Greatest Mentors in the Bible: 32 Relationships God Used to Change the World. Colorado, Kingdom Publishing House, 1996.
- Successful Youth Mentoring: A Step-by-Step Guide - 24 Practical Sessions to Impact Kids' Lives. Colorado: Group, 1998.
Adults
- Briscoe, Stuart and Bob Russell. (2003) Lasting Influence. (Volume IIIV Number 3) 24-30.
- Elmore, Tim . The Greatest Mentors in the Bible: 32 Relationships God Used to Change the World. Colorado, Kingdom Publishing House, 1996.
- Parks, Sharon Daloz. The Big Question, Worthy Dreams: Mentoring Young Adults in Their Search for Meaning, Purpose, and Faith. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Inc., 2001.
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Leadership
Children
- Elmore, Tim. Nurturing The Leader Within Your Child What Every Parent Needs to Know . Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 2001
- Greer, Colin and Herbert Kohl. A Call to Character: A Family Treasury of stories, poems, plays, proverbs, and fables to guide the development of values for your and your children . New York : HaperCollins Publishers, 1995.
- Lingo, Susan. Servant Leaders: 13 Fun Filled Bible Lessons About Serving God. Standard Publishing, 2000.
Youth
- Eims, Leory. Be the Leader You Were Meant to Be: Growing into the Leader God Called You to Be. Cook Communication Ministries International, 2002.
- Holderness, Ginny Ward (with Forrest C. Palmer, Jr.) Career and Calling: A Guide for Counselors, Youth, and Young Adults. Louisville, Geneva Press, 2001.
Adults
- 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.
- Blanchard, Ken. The Servant Leader . J. Countryman Books, 2003.
- Cetuk, Virginia Samuel. What to Expect in Seminary: Theological Education as Spiritual Formation . Nashville : Abingdon, 1998.
- 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.
- Dibble, Ken. Youth Ministry From the Ground Up. 2001.
- Greenleaf, Robert K. Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1977.
- Calling for institutions to continually develop people's servant leadership capacity, author Robert Greenleaf explores the "servant leadership" concept in three in stitutional settings: the church, the academy, and the corporation.
- Handy, Charles. Beyond Certainty: The Changing Worlds of Organizations . Boston, MA : Harvard Business School Press, 1996.
- While not intentionally directed toward religious organizations this book would be of interest to those concerned with leadership development, as well as spirituality and the workplace.
- 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.
- Kimball, Dan. The Emerging Church . Michigan : Zondervan, 2003.
- 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."
- Maxwell, John. Reality Leadership Video Training Curriculum
- McNeal, Reggie . A Work of Heart: Understanding How God Shapes Spiritual Leaders . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2000.
- Net Results: New Ideas in Church Vitality. Lubbock, TX : Net Results, Inc.
- This monthly journal features writing on such key leadership issues for congregations as stewardship, conflict, assimilating new members, and growth and redevelopment.
- 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.
- Sine, Christine & Tom. Living on Purpose. http://www.msainfo.org, Seattle, Washington : Mustard Seed Associations, 2003.
- 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.
- Sofield, Loughlan, Rosine Hannett, Carroll Juliano . Building Community: Christian , Caring, Vital. Ava Maria Press, 1998.
- These authors appreciate the realities of living in community, call the difficulties normal, and offer strategies for working through the tensions and problems
- 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.
- Warren, Rick. The Purpose Driven Life . Michigan : Zondervan Publishing House, 2002.
- 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.
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Calling
Leadership
Spiritual Gifts
Mentoring
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