Resources
For Evangelism in the Episcopal Church Tradition
The Celtic Way of Evangelism by George Hunter III.
The
Church, in the Western world, faces populations who are increasingly
"secular" -- people with no Christian memory, who don't know what we
Christian s are talking about. But in the face of this changing Western culture,
many Western Church leaders are in denial; they plan and do church as though
next year will be 1957. Further, many Western Church leaders do not know how to
engage the epidemic numbers of secular, postmodern people outside our churches.
There is however, a model upon which Western Christians can draw as they face
this daunting new situation. The ancient movement known as Celtic Christianity
can show us some ways forward in the 21st century. Hunter explores how Celtic
Christianity, first under the leadership of Patrick, formed people in community
and mission, how the gospel was communicated, what was their missionary
perspective, and what the 21st century church can learn from the Celtic
Christianity. A fascinating book that draws parallels to today's church and can
help us push back the boundaries of our understanding of evangelism and what it
means to be the Church today. George Hunter is Dean of the E. Stanley Jones
School of World Mission and Evangelism and Profession of Evangelism and Church
Growth at Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky. He is also author of Church
for the Unchurched and How to Reach Secular People. All are published
by Abingdon Press
When Members are the Missionaries by Wayne Schwab.
This
book, the result of several years of studies with members of congregations
across the country, is designed to help church members connect what they say and
hear during Sunday worship with the rest of their week. “In
daily life, we all have our missions,” said Schwab in a recent interview.
“They recognize that they are joining God in the struggle” to build
up their community and the wider world. The
first half of the book consists of interviews with 15 church members –
missionaries – from across the country. The
second part explores how congregations can organize to support their members as
missionaries. Member Mission
Press.
Reclaiming the Great Commission: A practical model for transforming denominations and congregations by Bishop Claude E. Payne.
Imagine
your congregations and diocese transformed.
Imagine it as a place of profound community, of spiritual growth, of
miraculous expectation and of personal transformation.
Imagine it with other congregations of our diocese as part of One Body
living the Great Commission and the Great Commandment.
This book describes a biblically based model for mission driven
congregations. Developed and
implemented in the Diocese of Texas, and now used widely around the church.
The Rt. Rev’d Claude E. Payne is the recently retired bishop of the
Diocese of Texas. Published by
Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Welcome! Tools and Techniques for New Member Ministry. by Andrew D. Weeks.
This
toolkit of intentional and compassionate strategies takes an encouraging,
incremental approach to help even small groups get started quickly. Adapt an
additional 34 pages of template forms, brochures, and procedures to your needs
while employing Weeks' point-by-point recommendations to: * make sure your signs
and property invite, not confuse; * create powerful, welcoming ads and print
communication; * train and prepare greeters; * develop programs to incorporate
and track newcomers during their critical first 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. Alban
Institute.
Andrew Weeks' website, "The Magnetic Church" is here: www.magnetic-church.com.
Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson, M.D.
This
is a simple parable that reveals profound truths about change. It is an amusing
and enlightening story of four characters who live in a “Maze” and look for
“Cheese” to nourish them and make them happy.
Two are mice named Sniff and Scurry.
And two are “little people” – beings the size of mice who look and
act a lot like people. Their names
are Hem and Haw. “Cheese” is a
metaphor for what you want to have in life—a good job, money, a church that
never changes. And “The Maze”
is where you look for what you want – the organizations you live in.
In the story, the characters are faced with unexpected change.
Eventually, one of them deals with it successfully, and writes what he
has learned from his experience on the maze walls.
When you come to see “The Handwriting on the Wall,” you can discover
for yourself how to deal more successfully with change. (G.P. Putnam’s Sons,
NY. Training products and curricula available from www.whomovedmycheese.com)
So You Can’t Stand Evangelism? A Thinking Person’s Guide to Church Growth by James R. Adams.
The
word “evangelism” evokes both fear and negativity for many people today.
James R. Adams offers the church an alternative to conversion under
pressure: a strategy for a thoughtful evangelism that welcomes people just as
they are, even – or especially – those who are doubters and skeptics.
He includes practical suggestions and ideas for congregations who are
reexamining their attitudes toward church growth.
This is a way of addressing honestly and directly the spiritual and
theological questions of evangelism common to us all. This book also provides a
thoughtful basis for discussion by leadership and newcomer committees of the
deeper issues behind church growth and evangelism. Offers practical suggestions and questions for discussion.
The Rev’d James Adams is an Episcopal priest, theologian and
sociologist of the church. He was Rector of St. Mark’s in Washington D.C. for 25
years. He now directs The Center
for Progressive Christianity. Cowley Publications.
Good Fences: The Boundaries of Hospitality by Caroline Westerhoff.
“Good
Fences” are those boundaries that define who we are, whether we are
individuals, families, communities, or organizations.
All living systems need meaningful boundaries in order to thrive, yet in
our desire to be accepting and inclusive – to be all things to all people—we
run the risk of blurring those boundaries and losing touch with our core
identity. Drawing on her training
as a biologist and church consultant, Westerhoff explores the theological
questions raised by boundaries. She
uses stories of families, individuals, neighborhoods, communities, and churches
to show us what happens when boundaries are too rigidly maintained – or when
they erode, shift, or are deliberately moved, when the old ways and the old
definitions no longer work. This
book will help both individuals and congregations as they make complex decisions
about the identity of the church, the defining of social outreach ministries,
and the practice of true hospitality. Caroline
Westerhoff is the Canon for congregational Life and Ministry in the Diocese of
Atlanta. She is also the author of
Calling: A Song for the Baptized. Cowley
Publications. Includes questions
for discussion.
Church Growth and the Power of Evangelism: Ideas that Work by Howard Hanchey (Cowley Publications, www.cowley.org)
At
a time when church attendance is dropping and fears of church closings are
widespread, Howard Hanchey insists that we keep a proper perspective on
evangelism. The health and growth
of a church depends not on the size of its membership, but on its openness to
the spirit of God displayed by the congregation and clergy.
Howard Hanchey, an Episcopal priest, is professor of Pastoral Theology at
Virginia Theological Seminary and author of several other books.
Morehouse Publishing.
Discerning Your Spiritual Gifts by Lloyd Edwards.
We
have all been given spiritual gifts for ministry.
This book will help each of us find our particular spiritual gifts
through step-by-step exercises and challenging self-evaluations.
It is also a complete resource for leading workshops on spiritual gifts,
encourage people to discover the talents and skills they have been given to
carry out ministry in the congregation, home and workshop.
Lloyd Edwards is an Episcopal priest in this diocese, and serves as vicar
of Church of the Cross in Columbia. Cowley
Publications
In the Name of Jesus: Reflections of Christian Leadership by Henri Nouwen.
These
reflections come out of Nouwen’s own openness to personal struggle and growth
when he first became priest and pastor to the L’Arche Community in Canada.
He provides stimulating and provocative conclusions on the nature of
Christian ministry and leadership. (CrossRoads)
Curricula
for studying evangelism
° Via Media, a new 8 week curriculum from Every Voice Network. www.everyvoice.net. Designed for weekly meetings that incorporate a shared meal, worship, fellowship and study. Theologically middle of the road.
°
The Alpha Course consists of a series of talks addressing key
issues relating to the Christian faith. Designed for weekly meetings that
include a shared meal. Theologically
right of center. www.alphacourse.org.
Developed in the Britain, but now used widely in the US.
°
How To Share Your Faith Without
Losing Your Friends by The Rev’d Canon B.W. Wait, III (Diocese of Florida)
and the Rev’d Canon Harold Percy (Canada). Copies are available online at http://members.aol.com/ENE2020.
This is a 5-week course on sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. It is
intended to be offered on a week-night for 2 hours, but can be adapted to Sunday
mornings over more than 5 weeks. The five topics are: Introduction to
Evangelism; Where Do I Begin?; Telling Our Personal Stories; The 5 Elements of a
Faith-Sharing Conversation; Anticipating Difficulties. Recommended
that the class be team taught by two lay leaders or lay leader and clergy.
Recommended for adult groups.
°
Into the World: The Acts of the
Apostles—a Kerygma curriculum. A fourteen week course on the how the early Christian church
developed and grew. Leader’s and
participants books.
Abingdon
Press
Alban
Institute
Cowley
Publications
CrossRoads
Press
Jossey-Bass
Publishers
The
Kerygma Program
Morehouse
Publishing
Member
Mission Press
Paraclete
Press
A
20/20-minded series that offers church leaders practical advice form moving from
the survival mode to growth. Robert
Brandt outlines ways for identifying a church’s mission, reaching the
unchurched, using small groups and the need for visionary leadership.
Adults. Workbook included. Four
30-minute parts.
Hospitality
is inviting the stranger to a place at the table. Evangelism is the hand of the church that reaches out and
shares the bread of life. Hospitality
Evangelism is inviting the stranger to share the bread of life around the
church’s table of worship and fellowship.
When open hands and open hearts come to the table, Christ is made known
in the breaking of the bread. But
how can we learn to be intentionally hospitable?
This curriculum can help you do just that! Leader’s Guide, Participant Guides and video (four 5-minute
segments). Adults.
A
classic video that tells a modern parable of the joy-filled life in Christ, and
our responsibilities to share that joy. In
the tradition of Christ’s parables and the allegorical fiction of C.S. Lewis,
this film tells the story of a man stuck in a joyless life who is surprised by a
group of gospel-singing, tuxedoed angels. 28 minutes. Jr. High-Adults.
The
purpose of this video is to introduce people to an evangelism approach that
assumes that the basic evangelism ministry is carried on by laity in the daily
places of their life – work, homes, communities, leisure activities, and at
churches. The approach is easy and
natural. It does not require
formulas but rather sharing what god, Christ, the Holy Spirit and the Church
mean to you. Adults. 7 minutes. Study guide included.
Basic
instruction for churches interested in improving their newcomer preparedness.
Steve Schuneman, Episcopal priest, talks to people about their
experiences of being welcomed into the church, what attracted them, and the
different roles clergy and lay people play.
Adults. 15 minutes
National
Church www.episcopalchurch.org
20/20
site
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/congdev/2020home.html
Episcopal
Network for Evangelism
http://members.aol.com/ENE2020/
To
subscribe to online press releases from the National Church send an email to:
enlist@epicom.org
Diocese
of Texas www.epicenter.org
Diocese
of Maryland (good evangelism materials)
www.ang-md.org/
Diocese
of Albany (study guide for “Reclaiming The Great Commission”) -
http://www.albanyepiscopaldiocese.org/equipping/reclaiming.html
Congregational
Development Trainers
www.cditrainers.org
Percept
(Demographics)
www.perceptnet.com
Link2Lead
(Percept resources for congregations)
www.link2lead.com
Forward
Movement (reasonably priced resources for the Church, including the 2 volume
“Vestry Resource Guide”)
www.forwardmovement.org
Episcopal
lectionary readings online
http://www.io.com/~kellywp/
Daily
Office online
http://www.missionstclare.com/
Book
of Common Prayer online
http://www.holycross-raleigh.org/bcp/
Online
Leadership Newsletter. To subscribe send an email to: Lnextra@leadnet.org
Practical
tools for evangelism
www.churchtoolbox.org
For more information, contact:
Ms. Carolyn Chilton
