The business of the Christian Church is communication. Its job is to spread a good message--the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Word of God. The church that doesn't know how to communicate with its members and with its environment is a doomed church. It is, therefore, necessary that Christian churches have to understand how communication works and how effective communication has to take place. This book deals with the following aspects of communication in the church: the pastoral conversation, marketing the church in the world and the art of composing an effective sermon. It is aimed at all preachers and church leaders.

Communication has become an important theme and heuristic concept in practical theology for Roman Catholics during the ecumenical age. Communication Habits for the Pilgrim Church explains why the moral order is given priority in Vatican teaching about communication and the reasons for Catholic social teaching to make moral judgments about these new realities. Attention is given in the book to the historical context of Vatican Councils I and II. The first chapter shows that behind the pilgrim Church lies an emerging vision of the threefold ecclesial offices of priest, prophet, and king. Chapter two examines the text and context of the Second Vatican Council's pastoral decree «Inter Mirifica». Chapter three provides a documented history of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Social Communication and its teachings. In chapter four we return to the threefold office and examine the contribution of Pope John Paul II. It includes an analysis of how the politics of the Magisterium shapes Catholic social teaching. Chapter five develops major tenets of a critical analysis of the communication of the post-Vatican II Church: attention is given to the discursive aspects of religious authority, argumentation, bureaucratization, and market culture. Chapter six takes a step toward examining the pragmatics of contemporary Vatican teaching. For Roman Catholic moral theology, religious ethics is now deeply concerned with providing moral teaching and guidance on ethical questions raised by the social conditions of globalization and media communication. Communication Habits for the Pilgrim Church concludes that there are three basic sociological and theological aspects of the pilgrim Church. These include a ritual approach to religious communication, the generational experience of Catholics and their respective attitudes toward Church teaching, and the important link in the faith's praxis between reflexivity and forming habits of communication.

Communication is integral to the mission of the church, but it can go awry in myriad ways, both obvious and subtle. Communication in the Church helps congregations create healthier ways for their members to relate to one another for greater personal and congregational success. The book offers practical guidelines to help readers become more effective in how they build relationships, lead meetings, experience trust, practice forgiveness, use power, and bridge cultures. Communication in the Church distills the latest social science research for readers including clergy, lay leaders, continuing education planners, students, scholars, and others. Each chapter includes real-life scenarios, sensible guidelines, practical applications, and suggestions for further learning. This book aims to help readers communicate more effectively—from leading more engaging and productive meetings to preventing or addressing communication breakdowns.

Revolutions in Communication offers a new approach to media history, presenting an encyclopedic look at the way technological change has linked social and ideological communities. Using key figures in history to benchmark the chronology of technical innovation, Kovarik's exhaustive scholarship narrates the story of revolutions in printing, electronic communication and digital information, while drawing parallels between the past and present. Updated to reflect new research that has surfaced these past few years, Revolutions in Communication continues to provide students and teachers with the most readable history of communications, while including enough international perspective to get the most accurate sense of the field. The supplemental reading materials on the companion website include slideshows, podcasts and video demonstration plans in order to facilitate further reading. www.revolutionsincommunication.com