Book Description
Churches that bombard people with too many "little ideas" can miss the Big Idea.
Community Christian Church embraced the Big Idea and everything changed. They decided to avoid the common mistake of bombarding people with so many "little ideas" that they suffered overload. They also recognized that leaders often don't insist that the truth be lived out to accomplish Jesus' mission. Why? Because people's heads are swimming with too many little ideas, far more than they can ever apply.
Customer Reviews:
High Impact.......2007-09-25
The Big Idea is helping our pastoral staff focus. The longer you're in ministry the more you need to focus. This book is really helping our dialog about what we are doing as a church. WE have the why nailed down it is the what and how that gets diluted. Ferguson makes an interesting case for little tuths and big biblical truths that must translate into action - helpful. Dan Boyd
Overcome Information Glut & Decision Paralysis at Church.......2007-08-17
I am an information junkie. I read newspapers, magazines, books, and blogs. I watch TV and listen to talk radio. I consider myself a well-informed guy. But being well-informed is not the same thing as being wise or effective. Indeed, too much information can paralyze our ability to make decisions.
Our churches often contribute to this glut of information. The pastor preaches on one topic, Sunday school teachers teach on another, the worship leader sings new songs with multiple verses, and the announcement guy rambles on with the church's upcoming events. No wonder parishioners get stuck in their spiritual lives. They have too much information to act on. They know more than they can do.
In their new book, The Big Idea, Dave Ferguson, Jon Ferguson, and Eric Bramlett tackle the topic of information-glutted, decision-paralyzed churches. They argue that churches should teach one big idea per week, and that this big idea should be reinforced in all the church's venues (worship services, Sunday school classes, and small groups). They demonstrate the multiple benefits of the big-idea approach. And they offer practical guidelines for how to implement this model of ministry in your church based on their own experience.
Do you want to make more and better followers of Jesus Christ? Do you want to see a greater connection between people's faith and works? Then, as The Big Idea's subtitle puts it, "focus the message" so that you can "multiply the impact." Teach your parishioners one thing a week. They can do more with less.
Great book, truly, I just want the moon.......2007-05-08
This highly practical book on not just preaching, but church-wide discipleship, is written by one of the leading, Biblically conservative churches today in the areas of creative communication, team-based ministry, evangelism and leadership development. Community Christian Church in Chicago is also recognized as one of the top five leading multi-site churches.
The authors make a clear case that most of our churches send anywhere from 30 to 100 messages a week as to what we want our people to respond to in their growth. Our Sunday services, alone, often send 20-50 messages. In The Big Idea, the authors make a case for focusing the message to one Big Idea throughout the entire worship experience for the week and asking for clear response to that one idea in all areas of our church. They convincingly make the case that, in the long term, better discipleship occurs if we can yield a greater application response to the messages being sent--so people are living what they know rather than knowing far more than they live.
Don't be intimidated by the author's success and size of church--they communicate very simply. Along the way they give suggestions for how smaller churches can begin to use some or all of what they share. This is not a book about a program, rather it is a book with lots of practical leadership process steps that can be gleaned from and subsequently contextualize to your own style, leadership and setting. You will quickly note this approach to communicating for discipleship is used by their multi-site mega church as well as church plants.
After reading the first two chapters, I thought this book would make it on my top 10 list of must read leadership skills books for pastors. By the end of the book it was still in my top 25 and probably top 20. While the book is well illustrated throughout, I was left longing for just a few more varied examples. I especially was hoping that the authors would deal more with expositional preaching from the perspective of using that style of preaching to demonstrate good personal spiritual disciplines as a way of modeling. They did a very short, excellent bullet point treatment of ways to approach topical preaching--though this was the primary area I wished for more detailed illustrations of each approach (even if the examples were simply web links to sermons that could be listened to so as to learn more about how to effectively construct each kind of approach). If the authors had more extensively illustrated some of these ideas I would be telling you this is the best book on discipleship and preaching I have ever read. As it stands, it is still a great book that is sure to provide you with helpful ideas you can begin to implement quickly.
Two Thumbs Up for The Big Idea.......2007-04-11
Dave Ferguson shares some great ideas and strategies in this book. I like it because it wasn't just a "here's how we did it" church growth text...there are some philosophical principles and transferable ideas. The way that they have outlined a planning process for ministry is really helpful.
Spectacular Book.......2007-04-11
If you are searching for a way to simplify what your families are learning in church and get everyone on the same page this book is for you.
Book Description
This popular book on lifestyle evangelism encourages Christians of all ages to use their giftedness to draw friends to the Savior. Read how God uses cherry pies, hammers, and baby-sitters in His divine plans.
Customer Reviews:
Disturbing Yet Important Glimpse At End-Times Mind-Set.......2004-07-16
After reading "Gentle Persuasion" by Joseph Aldrich, I began wondering what a space alien might think of fundamentalist Christianity's relentless hoping for the snuffing out of human civilization, which to them would fulfill the so-called biblical "prophesies." Our author, whose mind has been hijacked and reprogrammed by the most powerful tool of psychological manipulation in human history, the Bible, would surely make a fascinating study for an extraterrestrial creature. Fundamental Christianity's most cherished wish for all of us: that the world will end in a blaze of nuclear glory, is horrifying indeed. What could possibly be more disturbing and Orwellian than listening to the type of happy double-speak, robotic sloganeering, redefining and appropriating mainstream words for creedal purposes, all of which are Mr. Aldrich's stock in trade within these pages. Mr. Aldrich's brand of evangelism is simple enough: Everybody needs HIS information, and at the same time, there is nothing anybody could ever teach HIM about the nature of existence and our universe. The scientific, logical and reason-based aspects of these grandest of questions are ones which Mr. Aldrich seems blissfully uninterested in.
Deliver a freshly-baked cherry pie to the new neighbors! Help an overburdened co-worker at the office! Fix someone's broken car and don't charge them for the work! But don't perform any of these acts out of pure human kindness or good old-fashioned compassion; Perform them because every avenue for the author's style of stalking evangelism must be pursued. If all goes according to plan, the new recruit can be softened up by a series of initial contacts until, when the time seems ripe, he or she can be proselytized mercilessly into brainwashed submission.
If you're worried that the author might take offense at such an unromantic description of his motives, let me put your mind at ease. He doesn't care what anyone else thinks about him. His deeply-indoctrinated psyche wouldn't allow it. And moreover, author Aldrich himself is one of the most shameless name callers and ad-hominem slingers I've yet come across among Christians. Here are a few examples of his bald-faced disrespect for wonderful people:
1. Assault the enemy. Page 84
2. ... if you've got the disease of carnality. Page 94
3. The proud, the pushy, the arrogant, the impure, the tainted, the cruel. Page 102
4. Our non-Christian friends are doomed to everlasting darkness. Page 111
5. Notice that it is their MINDS that are dysfunctional. Page 112
6. Pray that our hearts will be moved by their lostness. Page 112
7. They are intellectually handicapped. Page 113
8. Most are religiously unsophisticated. Page 116
9. Christians can smell sin on them. Page 117
10. How do you recognize human "dogs" and "pigs?" Three clues are given: (a) their frame of reference is secular, not sacred. (b) they are insensitive to that which is of value. (c) They are dangerous. Page 119-120
11. The prohibitions set up by the Lord do not mean that "dogs" and "pigs" are beyond salvation. Page 120
12. It may not be wise for you to expose yourself or your family to such people. Page 121
13. I backed up the evangelical dump truck and pulled the lever. Page 130
14. I don't mean you should ignore the troubled, the unruly, or the vile. Page 160
15. ...was a fornicator. His language was vile, his associates ungodly. Page 171
16. He worshipped power, sex, pickup trucks, guns, RV vehicles, the open road, and the next woman. Page 171
17. To win the weak, we must become weak, throttling back our intellect, holding in check our brilliance and logic. Page 171
18. One of the sad discoveries you'll make is that many non-Christians have no real friends. Page 187
19. Sometimes a fish fights the hardest when it's closest to the boat. Page 192
20. ...why get involved in debate over things which take away from focusing on Jesus? Page 198
21. I'm always a bit ill at ease with non-Christians. Page 202
22. A few carefully placed comments may be all it takes to steer them away from enslavement to the lie. Page 223
23. By and large, people want you to make a decision for them. Page 231
24. God isn't going to put healthy babies in a diseased incubator. Page 232
25. LOVE NON-CHRISTIANS! PAGE 125
This last one is a good example of the Christian penchant for word redefinition. Obviously no sane person would consider the sick and hatemongering examples just given "love" in any sense of the word. Also note that the author makes references to how people whom he has ideological disagreements with, "smell," and compares them to "pigs" and "dogs." These devices are right out of the Hitler/Nazi lexicon. So THERE, you loving Christian guy you.
Presently, the United States is relentlessly chasing Al Qaeda down to the ends of the earth, and rightfully so - because of their stated goal to end Western civilization. Yet, we are surrounded by fundamentalist Christians today like the author of this book. Additionally, dozens of major political figures in office at this very moment share his belief that we are in the "end times." Even more frightening, they WANT to be in the "end times" because as they see it, when the world blows up and human existence comes to an end, this fulfills the sick Bible "prophesies" they pine for on a daily basis. I believe in free speech. And I'm using mine to proclaim that these people are SICK. The author is far less dangerous than a man named George W. Bush whose fingers rest on the nuclear button. Human thought must evolve NOW as we relegate dangerous religious dogmas such as "end-times" theology, to the dust bin of history.
The universe will be around for many billions of years to come. Our children are counting on us to pave the way for a safe and beautiful future. It is time to fight for the future of humanity. The time is now.
It works for selling Amway too!.......2000-05-27
I found this book very helpful in not only making believers out of non-believers, but sending my Amway conversions through the frigg'in roof! I closed my poor aunt Selma four months and now she's putting $2k/month into my pocket today. Gold mine baby (or should I say TOUCHDOWN JESUS!)
Don't read in one sitting........1999-09-14
Aldrich's book is best absorbed a page or two at a time. Keep it next to your devotional literature and pray through it on a daily basis. It is an encouraging, inspiring, and thought-provoking look at the most important aspect of religious conversion-- the one-on-one connection established with another human soul. That is the hardest and most time-consuming aspect of witnessing, something the hit-and-run methods of evangelism are (perhaps purposefully) ignoring. Don't read this unless you want to see your in-laws, neighbors, boss, and co-workers become believers.
Customer Reviews:
Must read!.......2007-01-09
If you've read, "Generation to Generation" by Edwin Friedman or are familiar with "family systems theory" you'll understand of the value of "Creating a healthier Church". Richardson playfully compares two Churches "Valley view" and "Third Church" to juxtapose healthy Churches and dysfunctional Churches. The main ideas in the book: How well do the people in a system handle two types of anxiety (Acute/Chronic), the problems of triangulation, and for the minister to be able to mess with the congregation yet have a sense of individuality or healthy separation from the group. As a Minster of just over 13 years, I recommend the book highly. It has been labeled as an introductory level book by several others, but I think even veterans will gain immense value from reading it. The book will provoke thought and introspection while providing applicable methods to better minister to the complex groups we work with.
Help for merging churches.......2006-11-04
We have bought many copies of this title for our church library and the minister has asked us all to read and study it to help us get through a very difficult church merger. Two aging Methodist churches in our downtown area voted to merge before we agreed on such important issues as which church to keep and who would be the new church officers. I hope no other churches make this mistake, but am counting on this book to help us achieve harmony between factions. There are pointers here that should help us learn to at least "get along". Virginia Gleason
Very helpful.......2006-10-21
Drawing on the work of Murray Bowen, Richardson presents a valuable discussion of the emotional system that is part of a congregation's life. The book begins with an introduction titled "When Bad Things Happen in Good Churches," in which he paints a portait of two different congregations dealing with similar issues. One of the portraits is laced with anger, hostility, resentment, and blame. The other portrait demonstrates responsible deeds and words on the part of all parties in the system. The difference between the two is stark, and Richardson attemps to describe in these pages what healthy congregations actually look like, and how a congregation can become one.
The book incorporates the learnings of family systems theory and applies them to a congregational setting. Richardson discusses anxiety, forces for togetherness and individuality, pursuers and distancers, fusion and differentiation, patterns of reactivity (including compliance, rebellion, power struggle, and emotional distancing), triangles, and leadership. One chapter is devoted to "signs of serious problems in a church" (which includes a section on overfunctioning and underfunctioning). Along the way, Richardson offers some reflection on biblical passages to support the theory, though it felt to me as if this material were added in later, after the bulk of the book had been presented; the biblical material did not feel integrated into the whole of the book.
One chapter is devoted to birth order and leadership style, drawing on the work of Walter Toman. Personally, I have not found Toman's work as helpful (or as "on-target") as I have found Bowen's family systems theory.
The final two chapters, which are very helpful, are devoted to "assessing your congregation's emotional system" and "becoming a better leader" (which includes a discussion about self-differentiation and the negative reactions that differentiation usually leads to, initially).
All in all, this is a very helpful book. I found it to be a useful summary of what I had learned about family systems theory and its applicability to congregational settings from other writers, notably Edwin Friedman. Richardson does not write with the wit and passion that Friedman writes with, making this book to be somewhat more bland, but Richardson's book may be more organized than Friedman's books are. After soaking in Friedman, I did not find much here that was new. Also, if I hadn't soaked in Friedman, I'm not sure I would have fully grasped the power of the model that Richardson offers. This is a very helpful book; I just wish that reading it were a bit more exciting!
Excellent Perspective on Church Dynamics!.......2006-06-27
After speaking with a friend about systems theory and its relation to churches, I decided to buy this book. Pastors who have no understanding of this topic need to read this work, which provides a good summary of how systems function within congregation. I have observed the dynamics of closeness/distance, triangles, and anxiety levels for years in churches, but now am able to understand them much better.
I recommend this title highly as a good summary and overview of systems theory as it applies to churches. The knowledge gained is well-worth the price of the book!
Good introduction to Family Systems within a Church.......2006-03-11
Ronald Richardson is a retired pastor and counselor who has written "Creating a Healthier Church" as an introduction to and explanation of Family Systems Theory and especially how such emotional systems operate in a church. The book begins with a description of a series of stressful events that (coincidentally) take place at two neighboring churches on a Sunday morning; one church reacts reasonably calmly to the events while the other church quickly sinks into a pattern of alternately attacking and withdrawing from one another. One can understand these events though an understanding of Family Systems.
While Family Systems Theory is complex and requires an understanding of many interlocking parts, Richardson does an admirable job of explaining the various components that explain why people act the way they do. His method is eclectic as he uses many object with which the reader is probably familiar (a mobile, the concept of wisdom, etc.) to explain the various motivations of people in church situations and the way in which these people relate to one another. Especially interesting in this book is a chapter on the relationship between birth order and personality traits-a topic not normally included in Family Systems books.
This reader found the book both well written, well explained, and helpful. Personalizing (via the above mentioned fictitious accounts as well as other stories) was appreciated as was the order in which various concepts were introduced. However, while Systems Theory was explained well, where the author is weak is his advice on how to conduct oneself within a System...yet the idiosyncratic nature of particular Systems make such a section difficult to author. I agree that self-differentiation (definition) and presenting a non-anxious presence is always helpful; the advice on how to avoid being caught in a "triangle" is also helpful, but Richardson seems to assume that most people in a System (church, workplace, etc.) will naturally just get along if it were not for all their outside stress. In many cases, this is simply not true as there exist people who genuinely want to cause disruption and hurt others...even in a church. Furthermore, Richardson would have done well to warn the reader that self-differentiation has the potential to cause a System to unite in its opposition to the "rebel who won't go along with what we want." Finally, Richardson's advice concerning when a person ought to leave a system (versus when to remain within one) would also have been helpful.
Yet in spite of my minor criticisms of "Creating a Healthier Church," I would definitely recommend it to pastors or anybody else in a church leadership position. It increased my understanding of the way diverse people operate and helped me to understand my own role within a church System.
Book Description
Why is it important to rethink the church? Today many leaders focus on how their ministries can be run more efficiently. But the foundational question, according to James Emery White, should be Why do we have this ministry? and then, Why do we do this ministry the way we do? Is it effective? Rethinking the Church helps pastors and lay leaders work through questions that must be answered if a church is to rethink evangelism, discipleship, ministry, worship, community, and the structure of the church. Break old molds, check assumptions, and be sensitive, says White. He uses the language and aims of ''seeker-targeted'' churches but urges readers not to tie themselves to any model without understanding the individual purpose of their church. Now thoroughly revised and expanded, Rethinking the Church contains more emphasis and key material on how to move from rethinking to transition. White blends biblical reflection and hands-on experience and uses the early church as described in the Book of Acts as the ultimate example.
Customer Reviews:
Why your church must change to be effective.......2007-05-16
White writes one of the best works available on why a church must be flexible to be effective and how that flexibility is created. For a church or leader contemplating changing styles to be more effective this is a must read. For a church that has already made the changes needed to be effective or for a newer church plant, this work is a great resource to help new people that come from a traditional background to understand flexibility in style.
Challenging the way evangelicals "do" church.......2007-05-14
Dr. White's book is an excellent overview of the some of the problems with the way most churches are doing church. Along with the problem, Dr. White offers some solutions. This is a must-read for anyone in church leadership.
Great Book.......2006-11-10
I really enjoy reading the book and wished I had read it a long time ago.
A must read for every church leader.......2006-09-04
This is an excellent book that brings us to rethink who the church is and what the church is about. James Emery White takes us through rethinking evangelism, discipleship, ministry, worship, structure and community... every aspect vitally important to the life of any church.
In his introduction, Emery states 8 reasons people give for not attending church:
1. There is no value in attending (74%).
2. Churches have too many problems (61%).
3. I do not have the time (48%).
4. I am simply not interested (42%).
5. Churches ask for money too frequently (40%).
6. Church services are usually boring (36%).
7. Christian churches hold no relevance for the way I live (34%).
8. I do not believe in God, or I am unsure that God exists (12%).
When you read a list like that, how do you feel? Would you feel compassion for the lost, or would you feel that we are not here to please the lost? The book does not ask us to compromise God's standards, but to look closely what we hold on to, and whether they are God's standards, or just something we created to protect God's standards.
When Emery talks about "rethinking", he is referring to the effectiveness of the church, i.e. doing the right things. Any church can be efficient, i.e. doing things right, but efficiency does not mean that the church is effective in what she does. Emery does not give us a set of methods to follow, but draws for us the picture of the current culture and society that we live in, asks questions for us to reflect on what is happening, and at the end of the day, we need to decide what needs to change and how the change is to take place.
As Emery states, "the biggest barrier to reengineering is the past success of the institution", we need to look past our past successes and look at the now, and the future. In the past, churches use big tent revival meetings very effectively to reach the lost, but does that mean that we must do the same today? Emery helps us to understand the difference in culture 40 years ago as compared to today, e.g. 40 years ago, there is a general sense that there is a God, but today, many question if there is a God. So, by seeing the change in culture and values of society, it may be seen that big tent revival meetings may not be the best way at reaching the lost because the church is preaching to a group of people who are at different levels of receptivity. This is one example of how this book helps us rethink the church.
One aspect that I like about this book from many other books on church or leadership is that Emery brings in God in his writings. I have read many books that makes it seem that if we do all of what it says, the church will grow... but Emery looks at Prov 21:32 that "victory rests with God, but we must prepare the horse to the best of our abilities."
Good Introduction.......2004-01-27
Rethinking The Church explores the nature of the church with a view to making the necessary changes that will ensure that the church remains relevant to our culture. The author proceeds from the foundation that much of what we do and see in today's churches is derived from 17th to 19th century culture, and as such has lost much of its relevance to our postmodern society. We need to critically examine our churches to discern to the world today and what is simply tradition holding over from days gone by.
White draws heavily on the writings of Rick Warren, Bill Hybels and George Barna: so heavily, in fact, that it often seems he has little to say that is truly original. If you have read The Purpose Driven Church and are familiar with Hybels' writings, you will find a lot of repetition in this book. Still, at only 128 pages it is an easy read and still worth your while. If you have not read books on this topic before, this makes an excellent introduction.
This book does a good job of showing the importance and, to some extent, the methodology of taking a critical look at the church to evaluate if it truly is an effective tool for God's work. I appreciated that on the whole the author treats the traditional church with respect, seeing the beauty of traditional parts of the worship service and traditional music. At the same time I appreciated his harshness on the necessity of being willing to make changes where changes are necessary.
Book Description
Are you a bridge builder? Communicating the Scriptures is much like building a bridge. However, instead of ravines or rivers, the teacher must span both cultural boundaries and great gulfs of time between the present and the past of Moses, David, Jesus, and Paul. This bridge must reach even further. The student must be able to cross both into the past and into his own future.God's Word is 'living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword' (Hebrews 4:12). It is contemporary. Relevant. But it is the teacher who has the task of helping the student to see its vast treasures. This is no easy task, but it can be done through creative Bible teaching. Together, Richards and Bredfeldt have written a book on bridge-building that reveals the following five-step process by which Christian educators can construct a bridge across time, geography, and culture. Step I: Studying the BibleDevelop an understanding of the nature, role, study, and interpretation of the Bible. Get the help you need in preparing biblically accurate lesson plans.Step II: Focusing the MessageLearn how to teach for student learning. Be guided in the process of translating learning theory into lesson preparation.Step III: Structuring the LessonDevelop a lesson plan using the HOOK, BOOK, LOOK, TOOK structure.Step IV: Teaching the ClassLearn about the five key principles of teacher effectiveness. Discover how these principles can lead to a more dynamic and satisfying teaching experience within various age groups.Step V: Evaluating the ResultsEvaluate your own effectiveness by assessing the outcome of your teaching.
Customer Reviews:
Books of Excellance.......2006-11-21
I am a Christian Educator and director of Christian Education for my local church and organization. I found Creative Bible Teaching a most important book to add to my library. It is a resource that cannot be matched.
Detailed and helpful.......2006-02-22
Creative Bible Teaching has shown me many dimensions I had not known, regarding teaching. I think it to be of tremendous assistance especially to those who are just beginning as teachers and to those who are using it as part of an independent or online study course.
A comprehensive book on teaching.......2006-01-17
The book is divided into five sections: (1) "Studying the Bible," (2) "Focusing the Message," (3) "Structuring the Lesson," (4) "Teaching the Class," and (5) "Evaluating the Results." The question that is posed is, "How is it that a book (the Bible), given by God to transform, seems so unproductive when taught in the very churches where it is most honored and best known?"(29). It is that particular inquiry that drives the authors to find an answer. Their findings showed the lack of an effective teaching method. Through this book, the authors hope to educate ministry leaders and teachers the "hook, book, look, and took" technique of Bible teaching. The foundation of any Bible teaching starts with a clear understanding of who God is (that He is the Creator) (28) and how He speaks (that God used people to write the Bible) (38). The Bible provides the human race with God's plan for salvation and reconciliation. Richards and Bredfeldt discusses various ways to read and understand the Bible. For example, they suggest that while reading the Bible, one should ask probing questions like "Are there any repeated words or phrases?" (79). When teaching the Bible, it is imperative that the age of students is factored into the lesson. The authors point out that the task for teaching adults is different than teaching preschoolers. For instance, adults desire a challenge and an emotional supportive learning environment (245), while preschoolers learn best in an active, participatory play setting (296). The inclusion of the "summary of developmental characteristics" and "spiritual developmental tasks" for students from preschool to adulthood is helpful, but the student's needs assessment seems too complicated for the average Sunday school teacher to complete (106). The section entitled, "Questions for Discussion and Further Study" facilitates the application of the information read (333).
Practical, Thorough, Well Illustrated, Step-by-Step.......1998-11-29
This book takes the reader through a five step process of biblical lesson preparation. It begins with Studying the Bible. This step assists the lay person, Bible college student or seminarian in the study of the Bible for the purpose of teaching the Bible. The second step is entitled "Focusing the Message". The reader is instructed in how to take the message of the passage and make it relevant to the modern day learner. Teachers are given practical help in assessing student needs and in designing the class to targe those needs. The third step involves Structuring the Lesson. Here readers are taught how to structure a lesson for maximum impact and student involvement. The fourth step is the teaching step. Here the actual teaching process is explored. The final step is the evaluating step. Effective teaching depends on evaluation and imporvement. This section of the book helps teachers gain insights into their teaching and assists in developing ways to improve. All in all the book is designed to be a systematic presentation of the lesson preparation process.
Book Description
Ed Young and his ministry team used creativity to help develop what is now one of the ten largest churches in the United States. The Creative Leader teaches the importance of creativity among visionaries and those who benefit from it, detailing how creative pastors, ministries, and churches are made. The book even gives hope to those who consider themselves creatively challenged.
Customer Reviews:
BUY THIS BOOK!.......2006-02-02
I have to admit, I bought The Creative Leader Wednesday, and now, Friday evening I am already finished. I could not put it down. It is filled to the brim and overflowing with Ed's amazing insight into the world of creative communication! Anyone, staff members, lay members, students, I repeat anyone who wants to serve God in the most cutting-edge and creative ways needs to read this book. I can't stress enough how much I have learned in the past few days, and I can not wait to begin applying the principles and suggestions Ed outlines to begin reaching people creatively and compassionately. I read it, and now I am going back through reading again, studying and taking notes. BUY THIS BOOK! It will change the way you do church. In Him, Michael Davila
Real Answers from a Dynamic Leader.......2006-01-14
Ed has written a great book for pastors, church planters, and those with a stake in the local church.
He doesn't sugarcoat his leadership journey that began as a small church plant to one of the largest churches in America. One of my favorite chapters is "3 Things They Didn't Teach Me in Seminary."
Ed's unique leadership style and creative bent makes this book a must read. He gives a real insight into his church with help such as: how to improve your creativity, how to hire and fire staff members, etc. This book is unlike other leadership books that are mainly philosophical in nature.
I believe this book will give you real answers and fresh ideas to better lead in your own context.
Get it!
Book Description
Among the most helpful and widely acclaimed resources for addressing church conflict and the quality of church life is Richardson's groundbreaking volume Creating a Healthier Church (Fortress Press, 1996). His application of family systems theory to congregational life has enormously clarified its operative systems and especially its emotional system.
In this sequel, Richardson employs the same methodology to address the roots of personal issues that may hinder pastors' ability to function effectively as leaders within their congregations, and may in fact cause them deep difficulties. He especially addresses pastors' own families of origin, a major but often hidden component in how they function emotionally in their congregations. When anxiety arises, unresolved familial issues and old family patterns return, often unhelpfully. Richardson explores these patterns, how they operate in church situations, and how pastors can do their own family-of-origin assessment. His volume will become a standard tool for analysis of patterns in ministerial behavior and developing strong personal effectiveness.
Customer Reviews:
So, tell me about your mother..........2007-04-13
Ronald Richardson is a retired pastor and counselor who has written "Becoming a Healthier Pastor" as an aid to pastors who want to begin a process of self-differentiation. The author advances the idea that a major obstacle to effective self-differentiation (which leads to regular, patterned conflicted relationships) is unresolved issues within the family of origin. To be an emotionally, relationally healthy person, it would be highly beneficial to engage in "family of origin" work. As he writes, "This current book has one simple premise. Our development and experience within our family of origin is a major but usually hidden component of how we function emotionally within our congregations as pastors."
The author then takes the reader through the process of addressing his family of origin through diagramming, contacting family members and talking (even the "black sheep" of the family), and other helpful means. Throughout, Richardson gives very helpful tips on how to conduct one's self within a system, what kinds of questions are to be avoided (as they raise anxiety in the other) and what kinds of questions are to be asked (because they really ask the same thing in less aggressive language). A great emphasis is placed in how one projects a "less-anxious presence" and the emotions/anxiety/problems one might experience when doing family of origin work. Richardson frequently makes strong connections between the successes of "family of origin" work and functioning within the congregational system.
Richardson's final unit deals with how a pastor might want to begin getting his parishioners to research and come to grips with their own families of origin. Tips and techniques concerning both private counseling and group work are presented.
"Becoming a Healthier Pastor" is a very readable book for being technical. The author uses liberal anecdotes--including anecdotes about his own conflicted family--which illustrate his points and make for entertaining reading. The emphases on self-differentiation process and awareness of triangles were helpful, but the most helpful by far was his strong emphasis on what you will probably be feeling/experiencing as you try to research your family, bond with them, and define yourself as a distinct and unique person within that family. Also if great importance is Richardson's emphasis that there is no cause-and-effect excuse to patterned behavior; every person can change the way he relates to others through deliberate effort to self-define.
While the book is thorough, and is a help to clergy and laity alike, the author has failed to convince me of the extraordinary importance of family of origin work. The author has presented anecdotal evidence concerning growth he experienced through his own family-work and successes he's witnessed through counseling, but these anecdotes come across as descriptive rather than universal principles. While this reader admits that family is highly influential in forming a child's relationship schemas, family-work will most likely not be the "silver bullet" for all people.
That being said, this book is highly recommended. As Richardson focuses on family-of-origin work, he gives the reader a virtual cornucopia of valuable advice that can be applied in nearly every system. This book did much to increase my understanding of Bowen Systems Theory and how to effectively conduct myself within a system.
Understanding How Your Own Family Helps You to Help Others Better.......2006-10-05
Richardson's book is part of the Creative Pastoral Care and Counseling Series published by Fortress Press.
The main premise of this book is that the pastor has to have his or her own family issues in perspective in order to effectively deal with providing pastoral care and counseling to the congregation they serve. Utilizing the work of renowned family systems therapist, Murray Bowen, Richardson provides a quick and dirty review of family systems theory, its strengths and how family issues in the pastor's life can contribute to providing quality pastoral care in the parish. Richardson also provides some helpful suggestions on how to use family systems theory to look at the life of a parish and work with individual members of congregation.
For persons already grounded in an understanding of family systems theory this books is and excellent review. For the new comer it is a good introduction. The chapter on triangulation is most helpful and the concept of coaching members to work through their family issues rather than counseling them is most helpful, especially when working with Older Adult congregational members, who have picked up a `the need for counseling is bad' message from society.
The premise of Family Systems theory and Richardson's book is that there is much we can learn about our selves and our lives of faith from our family of origin. Suggestions on how to run a family of origin group in the church is provided in the last chapter. This is the `gold mine' for those in Older Adult Ministry for two reasons. The wealth and richness of lived faith that will come from the process of helping our Older Adult members work with each other in their family of faith to resolve issues that may not have been resolved in order to help them grow to their full potential. Richardson's main caveat is that the pastor or person doing this kind of work and facilitating such a group must first have a good handle on their own family of origin issues.
I would recommend this book on a number of levels, first to those who want a basic understanding of family systems theory and how it can be used in the congregational setting. I would also recommend this book to those working with Older Adults as a way to help the eldest of God's Children become more whole.
Want to be a pastor? It's more than Greek and Hebrew, Systematics and History.......2005-07-20
Richardson does an excellent job of challenging the reader to identify his/her own issues and understanding what makes oneself tick in the emotional systems from which we have come, and how we are bringing those systems with us into our ministry. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to pick up the challenge to be a healthier pastor, and even more from Richardson's perspective, be a healthy human being who is capable of a greater level of differentiation from others, enabling true and genuine pastoral care and authentic love.
My tradition does not place much emphasis in understanding the self (at least in practice), and this book (and his Creating a Healthier Congregation) were gifts from God to me as I finished my seminary career. Yet, I think there is much to mined no matter how long or short you have been in the ministry.
It is hard work to get to know yourself, but it has been, and is, well worth it.
Average customer rating:
- Tips for a new ministry.
- pastor's manual
- Correcting the Efficiency Bias
- Beyond Prescriptions
- Inadequate
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Creative Ministry
Henri Nouwen
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The Wounded Healer: Ministry in Contemporary Society
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Reaching Out
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Theology of Ministry (Theological Inquiries)
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An Introduction to Catholic Theology
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Intimacy - Reissue
ASIN: 0385126166
Release Date: 1991-08-01 |
Book Description
According to Henri Nouwen, the bestselling spiritual writer, every Christian is a minister—trying to live his life in the light of the Gospel. Creative Ministry is a thoughtful examination of the various complex tasks that are part of that way of life.Separate chapters treat each of the five areas that Nouwen considers the primary responsibilities of the minister: teaching, preaching, counseling, organizing, and celebrating. He shows how these main functions are inextricably tied to the minister’s spiritual life and why they must be directed toward a creative dialogue with other Christians if they are to be rewarding. It is also essential, he maintains, that the minister leave himself open, take risks, and “lay down his life for his friends” in order to give new life.“There is today a great hunger for a new spirituality,” observes Nouwen, a hunger that requires new and creative forms of ministry. Citing numerous examples from his rich experience, the author offers practical advice for infusing daily pastoral work with meaning. The result is an insightful presentation and a resonant spiritual guide for every man and woman who wants to be of service.
Customer Reviews:
Tips for a new ministry........2006-07-10
I found it presented many thoughts for a more effective and creative ministry for today.
pastor's manual.......2005-05-10
I frequently suffer from bouts of depression. One cause is that I have a great burden to minister to believers but a crippling sense of inadequacy over my own abilities, particularly my speaking and social skills. Moreover, I have suffered from debilitating doubts about the adequacy of ministry itself as the roles of psychiatrists, counselors, and other professionals increasingly seem to make the clergy less and less relevant. Henri Nouwen's Creative Ministry (Image, 1971) explains why ministry is relevant and how one's feelings of inadequacy may be a necessary part of ministry.
When I picked this book up a few months ago, I was particularly down and desperately wanted relief. I was in no mood to read anything theoretical or clichéd. What recommended this book, besides its brevity, was its first page.
The author begins by sharing a difficult personal experience of his in counseling a young woman dying of Hodgkins disease. If you know anything about Nouwen, this comes as no surprise. Nouwen's philosophy of ministry is represented by the title of one of his books, The Wounded Healer. He believes that a person best ministers to others by making available his own painful experiences. Through showing one's vulnerability, rather than presenting oneself as a spiritual superman, a person can be a more effective witness of the transforming power of the gospel. He can testify to others not merely as to what God did 2,000 years ago but to what God is doing still, for example, in his life. This principle is evident throughout Creative Ministry.
If the first page of this book pulled me in, I hope the following quote from the last page will pull readers who are not ordained ministers in to read this important book. He concludes: "Ministry means the ongoing attempt to put one's own search for God, with all the moments of pain and joy, despair and hope, at the disposal of those who want to join this search but do not know how. Therefore, ministry in no way is a privilege. Instead, it is the core of the Christian life. No Christian is a Christian without being a minister." (p.114)
What follows are just a few of the grains I have personally gleaned from each of the five chapters of this insightful book.
Chapter one: Teaching - beyond the transference of knowledge
On the teacher's task, Nouwen offers this analogy: "In many ways we are like the busy man who walks up to a precious flower and says: 'What for God's sake are you doing here? Can't you get busy someway?' and then finds himself unable to understand the flower's response: 'I am sorry, sir, but I am just here to be beautiful.'" In other words, the teacher's role is first to help a person realize who he is in Christ, and then by that fact, what he is to do. (p.11)
Nouwen renounces fostering an atmosphere of fear caused by competition (mainly over grades), taking advantage of one's position of authority, or treating class time as merely a means to some future end (and not relevant for the hear and now). These common methods of teaching result in closed-minded students who do not seek to understand the views of their colleagues, who are intimidated from reflecting on their own thoughts, and who feel alienated from reality.
Nouwen suggests that the task of the teacher instead is to engage in a "redemptive method" that consists of an evocative, bilateral, and actualizing process. (p.10) He explains, "[W]hen schools are places . . . where people can live together without fear of each other, and learning can be based on a creative exchange of experiences and ideas, then there is a chance that those who come from them will have an increasing desire to bring about in the world what they experienced during their years of formation." (p.14)
Before closing his chapter on teaching, Nouwen gives an important caveat on the obstacles to the redemptive process of learning. He points out that we all suffer from blind spots which result in "endless academic quarrels in a world filled with atrocities" and "much talk about hunger by people suffering from overweight" and "allows church people to indulge in comfortable discussions about the Kingdom of God while they should know that God is with the poor, the hungry, and the dying." (p.16) Nouwen suggests that only in a redemptive method, which requires introspection and respect for others' opinions, can our blind spots be overcome.
Chapter two: Preaching - beyond the retelling of the story
Nouwen begins this chapter with a disquieting quote by a church-basher: "There is perhaps no greater hardship at present inflicted on mankind in civilized and free countries, than the necessity of listening to sermons." (p.23)
Though sympathetic with the quotation's sentiments, Nouwen nevertheless upholds the necessity of "every preacher . . . to assist men in their ongoing struggle of becoming." He states that this is done by dialogue and by availability. (p.34) Dialogue means "a way of relating to men and women so that they are able to respond to what is said with their own life experience." (p.35) It creates the following kind of response in the audience: "What you say loudly, I whispered in the dark; what you pronounce so clearly, I had some suspicion about; what you put in the foreground, I felt in the back of my mind." (p.35) How the preacher does this is by making himself available. Nouwen explains, "A preacher who is not willing to make his understanding of his own faith and doubt, anxiety and hope, fear and joy available as a source of recognition for others can never expect to remove the many obstacles which prevent the Word of God from bearing fruit." (p.37)
The profound premise behind availability is that "[w]hat is most personal is most general." (p.39) He writes, "Repeatedly I have found, to my astonishment, that the feelings which have seemed to me most private, most personal, and therefore the feelings I least expect to be understood by others, when clearly expressed, resonate deeply and consistently with their own experience." (p.39) Therefore, Nouwen concludes that the gift the preacher can give to his congregation for their spiritual growth is security: "When a man listens to a preacher who is really available to himself and, therefore, able to offer his own life experience as a source of recognition, he no longer has to be afraid to face his own condition and that of his world because the one who stands in front of him is the living witness that insight makes him free and does not create new anxieties." (p.39)
Chapter three: Individual Pastoral Care - beyond the skillful response
Ministry is relevant because the age old question, which ministry alone can sufficiently answer, is still being asked by most people: "What happiness can there be in the world where everyone is born to die?" (p.48)
Nouwen states that pastoral care, or spiritual counseling, is "the continuing search for God in the life of the people we want to serve." (p.63) This section consists of Nouwen's analysis of his seminary student's bad experience of trying to counsel a terminally ill cancer patient in the hospital. The chapter is somewhat complex and subtle, so I'll leave it to the reader to study it more in depth on his or her own. I'll just summarize this chapter with the following quote: "The paradox of the ministry indeed is that we will find the God we want to give in the lives of the people to whom we want to give Him." (p.63)
Chapter four: Organizing - beyond the manipulation of structures
Nouwen describes the importance and dangers of the minister engaging in social justice. The importance is manifest in the question that any minister with a conscience inevitably asks: "Why do I spend so many hours talking about the individual pains of people, while I leave the society that creates these pains unchanged?" (p.69) But the danger for the minister, according to the author, is the temptation of viewing such problems politically rather than spiritually, being caught up in power grabs, and becoming proud through one's blind spots.
Nouwen's analysis of the danger of being caught up in power grabs is particularly insightful. He writes, "The most subtle desire for power, and the most difficult to overcome is thanks. As long as people keep thanking us for what we have done for them, they are, in effect, admitting that they were at least for some time dependant on us." (p.75) Nouwen states that the minister is tempted to work on behalf of the community in order to establish "a small kingdom of thankful people who are willing to say that without him they would not be who they are now or do what they do now." (p.76)
In order to combat this temptation for power, Nouwen stresses that the minister must be willing to receive from those he is trying to help. Nouwen states, "As long as a man sees only distatestful poverty, he is not really entitled to give." Only when a person can see that among the impoverished "there is hidden so much richness and beauty, so much affection and human warmth" is he ready to minister. "[W]hen we start discovering that in many ways we are the poor and those who need our help are the wealthy, who have a lot to give, no true social agent gives in to the temptation of power since he has discovered that his task is not a heavy burden or a sacrifice but an opportunity to see more and more of the face of Him whom he wants to meet." (p.84)
Nouwen emphasizes the importance of hope, which gives patience and vision, in mobilizing a community to achieve social justice. Christian hope "believes that God will fulfill his promises" and "this perspective of hope. . . makes man free to look beyond the immediate needs of the community and understand his activities in a larger perspective." (p.82) Nouwen offers the leadership of Martin Luther King, who could fight the good fight even though he would not see the promised land, as a case in point.
Chapter five: Celebrating - beyond the protective ritual
"The Christian minister is the one whose vocation is to make it possible for man not only to fully face his human situation but also to celebrate it in all its awesome reality." (p.94) In order to celebrate, according to Nouwen, a person must be able to face his past truthfully (thereby making it a source of recognition for ministry), to live fully aware of the present (thereby giving others his undivided attention), and to live in hope for the future.
Nouwen remarks that a minister can help others celebrate by obeying nature's call of the preciousness of life (reminding us that life does not have to be), by obeying people's profound desire "to see what he saw, to hear what he heard" as the minister helps unveil the unseen reality of the universe, and by obeying God's vision for the world that is seen primarily through prayer. (pp.103-8) On this last point, Nouwen states, "Only a man of prayer can lead others to celebration because everyone who comes in contact with him realizes that he draws his powers from a source they cannot easily locate but they know is strong and deep." (p.108)
Conclusion:
Nouwen concludes that psychiatrists and other professionals cannot replace the minister because in teaching, preaching, individual pastoral care, organizing, and celebrating the minister's calling is self-sacrifice (John 15:13). He writes, "There are many people who, through long training, have reached a high level of competence in terms of the understanding of human behavior, but few who are willing to lay down their own lives for others and make their weakness a source of creativity. For many individuals professional training means power. But the minister, who takes off his clothes to wash the feet of his friends, is powerless, and his training and formation are meant to enable him to face his own weakness without fear and make it available to others. It is exactly this creative weakness that gives the ministry its momentum." (p.112)
One criticism that needs to be made of this book is that it mostly leaves open the question of how one is to make himself vulnerable to others? He provides reasons as to why one must make himself available. But how does one gain the courage and strength to make his personal weaknesses known, rather than hidden, as a source of ministry? The answer lies in Nouwen's other books, as represented by one of his titles, Life of the Beloved. Only when a person has been justified by Christ, that is, clothed with His righteousness, can a person be unashamed and no longer self-conscious about opening himself fully to others and to himself. Nouwen emphasizes over and over again in his more than thirty works that a person must have the assurance that he is loved by God in order to lead the life of God.
If you benefit from Creative Ministry, I would highly recommend Reaching Out : The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life as the next must-read book by Nouwen.
Correcting the Efficiency Bias.......2003-06-18
A Master of Divinity or a Master of Business Administration: which degree program best prepares one for ministry? Whether it being pondered by divinity students or critics of seminary education, incipient in this question is a measure of misgiving regarding what best prepares one for life in the parish. Should the ideal minister be spiritual, sagacious, and scripturally grounded? Or have the intricate economic realities of modern days rendered such leadership a luxury and thus less requisite than skills of one formed by pragmatic, efficiency-minded, schools of commerce and administration? This question should not be taken as hyperbole as it is asked daily by search committees, fledgling ministers, and seminary curricularists.
In CREATIVE MINISTRY Henri Nouwen facilitates a possible answer to this question by advancing what he calls a "spirituality of ministry.E Nouwen posits that ministry is much more than the just skilled labor of a professional; it is the action that naturally grows out of an inner vibrancy made possible by the Spirit and one's own devotion. "A Christian minister will never be able to be a minister if it is not his own most personal faith and insight that forms the core of his pastoral workE(xx). Having this as a guiding conviction, Nouwen laments what he calls a "professionalizationEof the ministry.
Seeking to legitimize their vocation in the helping industry, Nouwen suggests that ministers have learned to trust so much in their competency that the vulnerable and spiritual sides of pastoral work lie neglected. This is not to suggest that the author advocates an ill-informed cleric who, in the name of relying on the Spirit, ignores the contributions of academic and clinical experts. In fact, CREATIVE MINISTRY finds Nouwen drawing more directly upon his psychological training than in his other works. The aversion to professionalization, than, arises out of his conviction that "individual pastoral care can never be limited to the application of any skill or technique since ultimately it is the continuing search for God in the life of the people we want to serveE(63).
Moving beyond the vaporous nature pre-packaged technique one can combine skill with spirituality in all of ministry's activities. In five core chapters he considers how (1) teaching is more than transference of knowledge, (2) preaching is more than retelling of the story, (3) pastoral care is more than skilled response, (4) organizing is more than manipulation of structures, and (5) celebrating is more than protective ritual. Each chapter moves in typical Nouwen fashion by dividing and subdividing the topic into separate, yet related components.
Though Nouwen saw his identity as a priest, one does not find a host of Scriptural references in CREATIVE MINISTRY (this is true in many of his other works as well). Perhaps this was to protect the book from being seen as the result of detached, sterile exegesis or to make it accessible to wider audience. Whatever the case, a possible outcome result of leaving Scripture out of this pastoral care text is an unaccountability to the biblical idea of a ministry. The text also exposes itself to marginalization, as one could argue that these are merely the eclectic and meandering ideas of one person's experience. While there are certainly strengths in such uniqueness, Nouwen could use this opportunity demonstrate that the most personal is also the most universal (a key theme in other works) by intersecting his distinctive experiences with the sacred text.
CREATIVE MINISTRY is one possible answer to the Skill vs. Spirituality quandary. While the book does not have all the answers and even admits its own ambiguity in a telling Epilogue, it does offer a needed corrective to efficiency-oriented ministry that results from the behaviorist curriculum of certain seminaries and the cookbook-like fascination with "how toEprograms proffered by Christian publishers. In illustrating how a minister can be a professional and yet not succumb to manipulative professionalizaion Nouwen has provided a curative salve to the sometimes one-dimensional pastoral care cannon.
Beyond Prescriptions.......2003-05-20
A Master of Divinity or a Master of Business Administration: which degree program best prepares one for ministry? Whether it being pondered by divinity students or critics of seminary education, incipient in this question is a measure of misgiving regarding what best prepares one for life in the parish. Should the ideal minister be spiritual, sagacious, and scripturally grounded? Or have the intricate economic realities of modern days rendered such leadership a luxury and thus less requisite than skills of one formed by pragmatic, efficiency-minded, schools of commerce and administration? This question should not be taken as hyperbole as it is asked daily by search committees, fledgling ministers, and seminary curricularists.
In CREATIVE MINISTRY Henri Nouwen facilitates a possible answer to this question by advancing what he calls a "spirituality of ministry." Nouwen posits that ministry is much more than the just skilled labor of a professional; it is the action that naturally grows out of an inner vibrancy made possible by the Spirit and one's own devotion. "A Christian minister will never be able to be a minister if it is not his own most personal faith and insight that forms the core of his pastoral work" (xx). Having this as a guiding conviction, Nouwen laments what he calls a "professionalization" of the ministry.
Seeking to legitimize their vocation in the helping industry, Nouwen suggests that ministers have learned to trust so much in their competency that the vulnerable and spiritual sides of pastoral work lie neglected. This is not to suggest that the author advocates an ill-informed cleric who, in the name of relying on the Spirit, ignores the contributions of academic and clinical experts. In fact, CREATIVE MINISTRY finds Nouwen drawing more directly upon his psychological training than in his other works. The aversion to professionalization, than, arises out of his conviction that "individual pastoral care can never be limited to the application of any skill or technique since ultimately it is the continuing search for God in the life of the people we want to serve" (63).
Moving beyond the vaporous nature pre-packaged technique one can combine skill with spirituality in all of ministry's activities. In five core chapters he considers how (1) teaching is more than transference of knowledge, (2) preaching is more than retelling of the story, (3) pastoral care is more than skilled response, (4) organizing is more than manipulation of structures, and (5) celebrating is more than protective ritual. Each chapter moves in typical Nouwen fashion by dividing and subdividing the topic into separate, yet related components.
Though Nouwen saw his identity as a priest, one does not find a host of Scriptural references in CREATIVE MINISTRY (this is true in many of his other works as well). Perhaps this was to protect the book from being seen as the result of detached, sterile exegesis or to make it accessible to wider audience. Whatever the case, a possible outcome result of leaving Scripture out of this pastoral care text is an unaccountability to the biblical idea of a ministry. The text also exposes itself to marginalization, as one could argue that these are merely the clectic and meandering ideas of one person's experience. While there are certainly strengths in such uniqueness, Nouwen could use this opportunity demonstrate that the most personal is also the most universal (a key theme in other works) by intersecting his distinctive experiences with the sacred text.
CREATIVE MINISTRY is one possible answer to the Skill vs. Spirituality quandary. While the book does not have all the answers and even admits its own ambiguity in a telling Epilogue, it does offer a needed corrective to efficiency-oriented ministry that results from the behaviorist curriculum of certain seminaries and the cookbook-like fascination with "how to" programs proffered by Christian publishers. In illustrating how a minister can be a professional and yet not succumb to manipulative professionalizaion Nouwen has provided a curative salve to the sometimes one-dimensional pastoral care cannon.
Inadequate.......2000-07-31
In "Creative Ministry" by Henri Nouwen, pages are filled with unsettling information that both, would be ministers and those directing their energy toward a life of service, must read. He separates a ministry into five aspects: teaching, preaching, pastoral care, organizing, and celebrating. Although Nouwen concentrates on a life of dialogue and care that will naturally overflow into surrounding relationships and situations, he does not neglect the prevading questions and doubts that haunt those preparing to serve. His words are directed toward the one, who will serve the many, and does not allow that one to make a moral, spiritual, or social distinction between him or herself and those to whom he or she ministers.
Customer Reviews:
Big Book of Disappoinment!.......2005-07-28
I bought this book thinking I would find tons of interesting and fun ideas to do with my students. This is NOT what I found. The crafts were not creative and very mundane. You can find better crafts and activities that are on-line for free.
Too many secular activities...........2005-03-15
This book has many charming, useful, and varied ideas; however, I rated it just two stars due to the following:
1. There are WAY too many secular activities in this book; since the title reads "...for Faith Formation" I expected the activities to be all (or mostly) faith-related. For example, there are seven activities that begin with the word "Easter" and only two of these mention Jesus or Christ. (My FF students get enough bunnies and butterflies at public school.)
2. Some activities are cost-prohibitive; one immediatly comes to mind that requires the purchase of a soccer ball for each student. (I have 24 students in my class and am a volunteer; there is no funding except for what comes out of my own wallet.)
3. At least a couple of the activities I read about required the use of a stove and said the activity was appropriate for "all ages." A stove activity is NOT appropriate for all ages (unless the leader is doing most of the work, and what fun is that for the little ones?). Also, many FF leaders don't have access to a stove in or next to their classrooms.
4. The index is, thankfully, sorted by themes but the book itself has an impractical alphabetical activity layout (for example, there are seven consecutive activities that begin with the word "Easter" but a few pages later you'll find an activity about the stone being rolled away from the tomb that begins with a word other than Easter). So, rely on the Index if you don't want to overlook a particular theme activity.
Now for the positive:
1. The "month by month" pages are a marvelous resource.
2. Secular activities can always be tailored to a faith theme and are sometimes very appropriate for FF.
3. The activities seem equally distributed for the entire primary age range (4-10).
This book, overall, is not the resource I was hoping for. It might be a *perfect* fit for your needs, though!
God bless you as you lead Faith Formation. :-)
Excellent book school or family.......2004-12-01
This book is such a great resource. This is one of those books that you may find yourself wishing you had owned all along. I am impressed with the number of fun, simple craft ideas and activities. I appreciate that this was generously published in one book rather than forcing us to buy a book from a series for each type of activity.
Whether you are teaching a Bible story, discussing any of the many wonderful gifts of our Faith, or simply want to use something with a religious twist in your regular curriculum, this is a great resource.
THIS BOOK WOULD MAKE A GREAT GIFT for a CCD or other religious education teacher, a youth group leader, a homeschooling family, or anyone who loves and cares for a child from ages 3 to 10.
The index has projects listed under the following subheadings: Community Building
Conversation starters
cooking/recipes
creation, faith shapers
family
friends
games/movement
gift ideas
holidays
liturgical seasons
lent/Easter
Prayer/Blessings
Puppets
Saints
fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
self-esteem
service
songs and fingerplays
stories
signs and symbols
teacher aids
Book Description
As a part of The Ideas Library the Creative Meetings, Bible Lessons, & Worship Ideas is your storehouse of proven, youth-group tested ideas, complete with theme lessons, reproducible game "boards", and much more.
Customer Reviews:
Using for middle school aged children.......2007-04-03
I like the ideas in this book. But some of the games are very difficult and hard to understand how to set them up to play.
Great ideas with fun times for the kids........2006-06-26
I have been using this book ever since it arrived. It is not always easy to find ways to worship with 12 year old girls. I think this book and the work of the spirit has been at work here acheiving the goal.
Books:
- The Celestine Prophecy
- The Cheese and the Worms: The Cosmos of a Sixteenth-Century Miller
- The God Delusion
- The Gospel According to Judas by Benjamin Iscariot
- The I Ching or Book of Changes
- The Jesus Family Tomb: The Discovery, the Investigation, and the Evidence That Could Change History
- The Killer Angels
- The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief
- The Last Week: A Day-by-Day Account of Jesus's Final Week in Jerusalem
- The Nature of Consciousness : The Structure of Reality: Theory of Everything Equation Revealed : Scientific Verification and Proof of Logic God Is
Books Index
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