Unbinding Your Church: Pastor's Guide

by Martha Grace Reese, Dawn Weaks, and Catherine Riddle Caffey BOOK PREVIEW Pastors are busy. This collection of fully integrated resources will help your church work and pray through the Unbinding the Gospel Series. Included are step-by-step planning tools as well as worship resources to allow you-the pastor-to spend time on prayer, teaching, and working directly with others in your church. Download the Best Practices for Establishing The Unbinding Series in Your Church See what others are saying about this series: Click Here to View the FREE Video <br > What is an E-vent? View the free video below to find out. Click Here to View the FREE Video Pastors are busy. This collection of fully integrated resources will help your church work and pray through the Unbinding the Gospel Series. Included are step-by-step planning tools as well as worship resources to allow you-the pastor-to spend time on prayer, teaching, and working directly with others in your church. The planning tools include calendars, checklists for church staff, weekly scripture tie-ins, sample church newsletter campaigns, diagrams, simple to elaborate E-vent planning suggestions, Web site ideas, specific lesson plans, and much much more. Worship resources include sermons, prayers, and forms that have been placed on the Web for FREE and easy access and downloads. Change Habits, Not Just Minds From the Unbinding the Gospel Series   Endorsements "...the 'don't ask, don't tell' evangelism program will not reverse the trend. Humor, whimsy, and joy in the faith will serve us better. Reese's book is written to provoke, to tease, and to charm us back into telling our story." —The Christian Century "...with clarity and sound theological grounding, we are invited into a grand adventure...a watershed book for mainline Protestantism." —Alban Institute, Congregations magazine "Don't miss this one!" —Evangelism Connections "This new interesting book on the "E word" (Evangelism), based on studies of 150 churches and interviews with over 1000 people, will be a breath of fresh air in thousands of congregations who have not (at least within memory) had their "apostolic act" together. As I read it, other "E" words came to mind--like engaging, encouraging, energetic, and even entrepreneurial and exhilarating. The book makes the relevant statistics interesting, while telling us the stories of people who were reached, the churches that learned relevant ways to reach them, and the principles they learned. The book even tells churches how to get started!" —George G. Hunter, Distinguished Professor of Evangelization, Asbury Theological Seminary "The Real Life Evangelism Series is a great resource for congregations! It is inspirational, motivational, and a great model and companion for congregations as they seek to be faithful stewards of the Gospel." —Belva Brown Jordan, Assistant Dean, Philips Theological Seminary, formerly Harvard Divinity School “This book combines research and hard data with warm stories of real people growing their churches in healthy ways. The anecdotal material inspires each of us as followers of Jesus to grow more comfortable in sharing our faith. But as important is the research that informs our church leaders about congregational dynamics that impact the growth or stagnation of our churches. Reese has put together an approach to sharing the gospel that works in main line denominational churches. We are using this book as the primary resource for our elders in an upcoming leadership retreat.” —Bruce Humphrey, Senior Pastor, Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church, San Diego, California "Martha Grace Reese had written an interactive exciting work on Evangelism....It is practical, biblical, hospitable, it answers rudimentary questions. It is convicting and filled with grace. The exercises were simple yet engaging. I found myself laughing, and having moments of profound insight as I answered questions, and engaged the exercises. This book will be a great resource for small groups, churches, pastors who are ready to be instruments of unleashing God's awesome Spirit in the world." —Yolanda Villa, Executive Pastor of Congregational Care, The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, Leawood, Kansas "There is nothing quite like solid research to dispel the sort of misconceptions and self-serving biases and attitudes we of mainline churches have harbored for so long. Solid research is what Martha Grace Reese gives us, along with clear, thoughtful analysis and concrete prescriptions for how we can move forward in faithful and effective evangelism. She manages to do all this in a book that is completely accessible to both clergy and lay people and fun to read! It is an amazing and timely accomplishment!" —Richard L. Hamm, former Disciples General Minister and President, currently President of The Columbia Partnership