Presbygrow

Jim Collins, author of the book, Good to Great, did an interivew with the Leadership Journal.  It’s a very interesting read.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2006/002/7.48.html
The Good to Great Pastor
An interview with Jim Collins.

Jim Collins’s book Good to Great has been a favorite among church leaders since it appeared in 2001. Six years of research resulted in a well-crafted and captivating account of what enables some companies to go from good to great and what prevents others from doing so. The popularity of the book, coupled with his ability to craft clear explanations for complex issues, has helped Collins become the dean of corporate advisers. (more…)

Check out this series of podcasts/netcasts from Allelon!

Who is Allelon?

“Allelon is a 501(C)3 non-profit organization located in Eagle Idaho. We are a multi-generational network of missional church leaders, schools and parachurch organizations which envisions, inspires, engages, resources, trains and educates leaders for the church and its mission in our culture. Said simply, together we are a movement of missional leaders.” (from their website).

Starthrower Resources

Star Thrower Distribution offers the best training and development video and multimedia tools available. Star Thrower creates programs that develop people’s ability to think rather than react. Our programs help institute real change; individual change that can make a fundamental difference in the way an organization behaves.
When you view one of our films, you will find a thought provoking tool with clear training points and superior production quality. Additionally, most Star Thrower products come with a complete set of support materials to make training even easier.
Special pricing is available for the faith community. We offer complimentary previews of all our programs to allow you to view a program in its entirety. Please use this web link to view program suggestions, and to contact Eilene, 800-561-0291 or eilene@starthrower.com for pricing details. www.starthrower.com/faithbased.htm

PCUSA Members who are using Star Thrower programs— partial list

Synod offices:

Rocky Mountains
Lincoln Trails
Covenant
Sun
Trinity

Presbytery offices:

Baltimore
Chicago
John Calvin
Northern Kansas
Southeastern Illinois
Ohio Valley
Central Washington
Heartland
Scioto Valley
Sierra Mission Partnership

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One of our own NCD Pastors, Jim Walker of Hot Metal Bridge in Pittsburgh, has written a book about their ministry at Hot Metal Bridge.

“Jesus said he came to heal the sick, not the well. Even so, some churches have a feeling about them that is vaguely antiseptic, where there seems to be an unspoken pressure to censor any unpleasantness. Jim Walker wanted to build a church that was honest and that lived out its mission down in the muck of life where Jesus calls us to get our hands dirty. In the rough and often unpleasant neighborhoods of the South Side of Pittsburgh, Jim began finding people who wanted to live in a new way – passionate, committed, and totally devoted to God. Be forewarned: Some of the stories and descriptions in DIRTY WORD might offend you, or run afoul of your expectations of the clergy. But if you are equally offended by watered-down theology and pallid discipleship, DIRTY WORD offers a bracing challenge and a fresh evocation of hope. DIRTY WORD is a raw, uncensored look at an unapologetic way of being the church.”

You can get Jim’s book on Amazon or Cokesbury.

Congrats Jim!

At our recent NCD conference we took some time to chronicle some of the NCD stories that are happening around the PC(USA). This video is about the journey of a church, Open Door, in Pittsburgh Presbytery.

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Allelon has a number of positive aspects to it. One area I want to draw your attention to is the “Reflect” button. Click it and take a look at the assessment tools. Their “360″ approach to identifying missional leaders and missional congregations may be a good place to start in identifying who to call in leadership and what congregations need. If anyone has used them, let us know what you think!

The Northumbria Community is organized along the lines of a monastic order – but engagement with the world as its aim. If you follow the links of who they are to the description of their “Rule” you will get a statement that is concise yet open (at the bottom of the overview is a link to “more about the “Rule”). The two major themes are availability and vulnerability. Into both of these fits the activity of the community. It’s a nice resource for developing the proposed character of any new church or transforming community.

Allelon.org

From their website..

Allelon is a 501(C)3 non-profit foundation located in Eagle Idaho. We are a multi-generational network of missional church leaders, schools and parachurch organizations which envisions, inspires, engages, resources, trains and educates leaders for the church and its mission in our culture. Said simply, together we are a movement of missional leaders. (more…)

The 218th General Assembly made a significant step toward helping the church turn around decades of decline by making a commitment to evangelism and discipleship. These are the two critical ingredients to the future health and growth of the PC(USA). A website has also been created that will be dedicated to this initiative http://deepandwide.ning.com/ Check it out, join and we can be a part of what God is and will be doing through the PC(USA)!

“The 218th General Assembly (2008) strives to help Christ’s Church Grow Deep and Wide under the guidance of the Holy Spirit by: (more…)

During the most recent NCD conference, “People over Programs”, planned by Zionesville Presbyterian Church and sponsored by the Office of Church Growth of the GAC, we took time to hear some of the stories of NCD’s around the country. This is a bit of that story…

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