In this issue:

Becoming a Tribe of Remembering Encouragers

Book Notes

The Right Question

Every time we see a new church plant start with a bang and fall apart a couple of years later, we know somewhere along the way running the church took precedence over inviting people to Jesus and to the church.

Jim Griffith and Bill Easum

Becoming a Tribe of Remembering Encouragers
By Marc Brown, Kathy Ashby Merry, and John Briggs

Just as the congregation of Israel was composed of twelve tribes, today's churches have different voices that are heard in their communities of faith. Transformational pastoral leaders understand the importance of each tribe. Leading into a future that is different than the past, they understand that these voices, or tribes, need to be heard since they may either give permission or opposition to ministry plans. Rather than viewing the tribes as competitors for their church's vision, they understand the value of hearing each voice as they influence the present and future opinion of their congregations. Some of the tribes or voices that may be heard in many churches are the following.

The Tribe of the Good Old Days

This tribe is primarily concerned with memory preservation of the perceived past glory days of a congregation. It sees the church as a place that harbors the security of past memories in the midst of a changing world. While this tribe is not opposed to new people in the church, it is understood that these new people's primary role is to support the church's present ministry structure and not to rock the boat. We hear the voice of this tribe through such questions and statements as: "I remember when our pews used to be filled and our Sunday school rooms were overflowing with children"; "Why can't we do things like we used to?"

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BOOK NOTES

Snapshots of Three New Books for Church Leaders

Beyond the Burning Bush: Hearing and Answering God's Call, edited by Vicki Brown, Meg Lassiat, and Sharon Rubey, General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, 2009

Twenty-eight men and women serving in or preparing for ordained ministry in the United Methodist Church share their personal call narratives in this attractively designed, glossy volume intended to encourage and inspire young people exploring God's call on their lives. These intimate, unique stories are a compelling witness to how God's call is experienced, affirmed, and lived out in a diversity of life experiences, a range of ministry choices, and through the support of a variety of initiatives of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

Does Your Church Have a Prayer?: In Mission Toward the Promised Land by Marc Brown, Kathy Ashby Merry, and John Briggs, Discipleship Resources, 2009

This innovative congregational planning tool is grounded in a reassuring yet provocative scriptural truth: God does indeed expect something great of your church — that it "be completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me." (John 17:23)

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The Right Question

Leaders do not need answers.
Leaders must have the right questions.

The tendency to continue efforts that are not fruitful might be avoided by asking this question:

Are there things we are trying to do better that we should no longer be doing at all?

Editors:  Lovett H. Weems, Jr. and Ann A. Michel
Production and distribution: Carol Follett