Today’s parish leaders are expected to be holy and prayerful spiritual guides, great preachers and compassionate confessors, but also to make important decisions in key areas like finance, budgeting, hiring and firing, fundraising, risk management, relationship-building, and more—often with virtually no transition or training. And with all the requisite education in philosophy and theology they must provide future pastors, in addition to formation in priestly spirituality and pastoral care, seminaries can do little to prepare priests to deal with the difficult temporal issues pastors face. A Pastor’s Toolbox is designed to help fill that void. It is loaded with valuable information, insights, and practical tools that pastors need in order to begin handling the complexities of parish management in the twenty-first century.The book is an outgrowth of The Toolbox for Pastoral Management, a nationally recognized joint project of The National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management and Seton Hall University. The Leadership Roundtable is a nonprofit organization of Catholic lay leaders, religious, and clergy working together to promote excellence and best practices in the management, finances, communications, and human resources development of the Catholic Church in the U.S. through the greater incorporation of the expertise of the laity. Learn more at www.TheLeadershipRoundtable.org.

The remarkable success of the book A Pastor’s Toolbox: Management Skills for Parish Leadership has demonstrated that the demands of time and financial challenges continue to impact the work of today’s parish leaders. The need has become even greater for practical tools to assist in the many aspects of temporal administration, leadership, and church management. This follow-up volume provides all new information, insights, and practical tools that pastors need to handle the complexities of parish management in the twenty-first century. Sixteen contributors from across the country deliver key content that focuses on promoting excellence and best practices in the areas of management, finances, communications, and human resources development. A Pastor’s Toolbox 2 provides: leadership tools for the pastor and his team; help for working with the parish’s pastoral and finance council; intercultural competence and complex pastoring situations; suggestions for time management and effective meetings; human resources, change management, and canon law; tools for parish stewardship, communications, and Catholic schools. The book is an outgrowth of the Toolbox for Pastoral Management, a nationally recognized joint project of Leadership Roundtable and Seton Hall University. Learn more at www.LeadershipRoundtable.org.

Today's leading preachers share their expertise in preparing great sermons On top of all the responsibilities that comprise their vocation, pastors must write sermons that are original, insightful, useful, challenging, and comforting-once a week. This volume in The Preacher's Toolbox series explores the art and craft of sitting down to a blank page and writing a message that nourishes and speaks truth-to the listener. Every chapter, written by an expert in the field, provides insights and techniques that are the result of years of sermon preparation. Articles include: Writing a Good Message in a Bad Week, Scott Wenig Five Hammer Strokes for Creating Expository Sermon Outlines, Jeffrey Arthurs How Prayer Transforms Prep, Michael Lawrence If You Dislike Sermon Prep, Bill Hybels Four Ways to Get Out of a "One Pitch" Preaching Rut, Matt Woodley How to Plan and Package a Year of Sermon Series, David Daniels The Spiritual Importance of Being, an Emotionally Healthy Preacher, Pete Scazzerro A special hands-on section from leading pastors entitled "How I Prepare a Sermon" brings theory into practice and will give you the benefit of decades of experience. Contributors include: Timothy Keller Mark Driscoll Lee Eclov Matt Chandler Justin Buzzard and more Book jacket.

Here is an opportunity for pastors and seminary students to learn from the best. In this second book of the "Preacher's Toolbox" series, more of today's most popular Christian leaders offer sage advice on "Inspirational Preaching" that will motivate and encourage readers to deliver more effective and inspirational sermons. Teachers like John Piper, Brian Wilkerson, Gordon MacDonald and John Ortberg offer guidance and instruction from both personal and Biblical perspectives. Together with Book 1 of the "Preacher's Toolbox" series on "Prophetic Preaching," pastors and Christian leaders will have a well-spring of knowledge on the art of preaching today. Table of Contents - "The Supremacy of God in Preaching," by John Piper - "The Biggest Idea in Preaching," by Haddon Robinson - "Authentic Inspiration," by John Ortberg - "Helping People Think Higher," by Bryan Wilkerson - "Preaching the Wow Factor," by Lee Eclov - "Inspired and Inspiring," by Jeffrey Arthurs - "Fighting for Your Congregation's Imagination," by Skye Jethani - "Preaching with VIM, Not Just Vigor," by Bryan Wilkerson - "Your Text Has Feelings," by Kenneth Quicke - "Allowing Emotion to Buttress Truth," by Gary Fenton - "Tune My Heart to Sing Thy Grace: Why We Preach from Psalms," by Lee Eclov - "5 Veins of Deep Preaching," by Scott Chapman - "Soul Deep Preaching," by Gordon MacDonald - "Preacher as Advocate," by John Koessler - "Preaching with Childlike Wonder," by Matt Woodley - "Last Sunday You Preached Your Final Boring Sermon," by Michael Quicke - "A Good Mystery," by Richard Hansen - "Red Pill Preaching," by Mark Batterson -" Leading and Preaching," by Paul Borden

This is an expanded, 624 page reference tool for the 8-stage transition process found in How Do We Get There From Here? (formerly titled, Making Cell Groups Work). This sizable compilation is filled with hundreds of articles by pastors and experts, including helpful articles such as how to transition your church's calendar and budget to allow for a a growing holistic small group (cell group) ministry; how to choose team members to implement the transition; tips on how to prototype groups; and much much more! One of the most valuable tools found in this resource is a revealing readiness assessment tool, which will help you determine weaknesses (if any) in four key areas of church health, all of which are required for a successful transition.

The first book in Hendricksons new Preachers Toolbox series brings together a whos who group of todays most influential pastors, who share their understanding of prophetic preaching as well as their skills. The book is divided into two sections, The Calling of Prophetic Preaching and The Craft of Prophetic Preaching, which deliver clear themes and practical takeaways on the art of preaching prophetically. Speaking with grace and authority, preachers such as Francis Chan, Mark Buchanan, John Ortberg, Mark Driscoll, Timothy Keller, and Anne Graham Lotz offer Biblical and personal messages on prophetic preaching.

Written specifically for any catechist who is new to the job or has never had any formal training, The Catechist's Toolbox features an invaluable collection of catechetical tips, techniques, methodologies, and advice. Throughout the book, master teacher Joe Paprocki shares the wisdom he has gleaned in two decades as a catechist, high school teacher, and religious educator. Employing the metaphor of a homeowner's toolbox, Paprocki explains how a new catechist is like a do-it-yourself builder who needs the right collection of tools to do the job; he then explains what the tools are, what they can do, and how to use them skillfully and effectively. Also available in Spanish! La caja de herramientas del catequista

With the ever-increasing demands placed on our parish leaders, what can seminaries do to prepare priests to deal with the difficult issues they will face? In addition to formation in priestly spirituality and pastoral care, future pastors require lasting support as they discern the call to priesthood and prepare to enter parish leadership after ordination. Filled with valuable information for supporting seminarians in their ongoing formation, A Seminarian's Toolbox provides practical tools and guidance for achieving best practices in parish leadership. This book is a project of The Leadership Roundtable, a nonprofit organization of Catholic lay leaders, religious, and clergy working together to promote best practices in the formation of clergy and lay leaders in the United States. Learn more at www.LeadershipRoundtable.org.

Where have all the prophets gone? And why do preachers seem to shy away from prophetic witness? Astute preacher Leonora Tisdale considers these vexing questions while providing guidance and encouragement to pastors who want to recommit themselves to the task of prophetic witness. With a keen sensitivity to pastoral contexts, Tisdale's work is full of helpful suggestions and examples to help pastors structure and preach prophetic sermons, considered by many to be one of the most difficult tasks pastors are called to undertake.

Pastors spend much of their time counseling people in crisis—a delicate task that requires one to carefully evaluate each situation, share relevant principles from God’s Word, and offer practical suggestions for moving forward. Too often, however, pastors feel unprepared to effectively shepherd their people through difficult circumstances such as depression, adultery, eating disorders, and suicidal thinking. Written to help pastors and church leaders understand the basics of biblical counseling, this book provides an overview of the counseling process from the initial meeting to the final session. It also includes suggestions for cultivating a culture of discipleship within a church and four appendixes featuring a quick checklist, tips for taking notes, and more.