Michael McMullen has compiled a second collection featuring twenty more sermons preached by Edwards that have never before appeared in print. They are taken from a collection of Edwards papers held at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library of Yale University and have been transcribed as a labor of love.

    But every church leader needs to know how to win, and every congregation needs to know when to cheer. This insightful book speaks to every church leader who yearns for a simpler, more effective approach to ministry. An engaging parable about one overwhelmed pastor is followed by an overview of seven successful team practices, each one developed and applied in a ministry setting. Reinforced by relevant discussion questions, these clear, easy, and strategic practices can turn any ministry into a winning team.Your ministry is perfectly designed to produce the results you are currently experiencing. If you are satisfied with those results, you don't need this book. If not, it's time for a change.Like your own personal trainer, 7 Practices of Effective Ministry is an insightful guide for any leader who yearns for a simpler, more effective approach to ministry. Here are seven strategic principles that when put into play will bring focus and clarity to everything you do and turn your ministry into a winning team.Story Behind the BookLooking for ways to help pastors faced with hectic lives and depleted resources, Andy Stanley, Reggie Joiner, and Lane Jones decided to write a parable about the complicated life of a local pastor. Rather than come straight at those in ministry with formulas and lists, they engage readers in an effort to have them identify with the character."For many years, I practiced and taught church growth. What I have witnessed as a member at North Point takes church growth to a whole new level. Andy and his team communicate principles that will add value to you and the church you love." -John C. Maxwell, founder, The INJOY Group "Every professional athlete recognizes the value of solid coaching. The best are always working to get better. From what I've seen at North Point, these seven practices can improve the game of any church in America." -John Smoltz, Cy Young Award-winning pitcher "The practices covered in this book are down-to-earth, practical, and come from real difference-makers who know what church leadership is all about. Andy, Reggie, and Lane have definitely hit the ball out of the park with the 7 Practices of Effective Ministry." -Ed Young, Jr., senior pastor, Fellowship Church

    This third book in a series of faith stories follows FROM WOUNDED HEARTS and TOGETHER IN LOVE. Editor Roberta Showalter Kreider has, once again, compiled a collection of stories that calls the church to honest, faithful, and open dialogue on this most divisive issue. The final chapter is not a single story, but rather a collection of eighty-four responses with one hundred eleven signatures answering the question: Why I Believe That Gay, Lesbian, Bisesual, and Transgender People Should Be Included in the Church on an Equal Basis with Everyone Else.

    In 14 chapter, writers who have dedicated themselves to studying and teaching pastoral ministry reflect on what can be learned from viewing ministry in Anabaptist perspective. Pondering Anabaptist understandings of such images of the pastor as shepherd, teacher, healer, and prophet as well as such issues as leadership, authority, ecclesiology, improvisation, and much more, the authors both affirm the resources for pastoral ministry found in the Anabaptist tradition and suggest areas for growth.