• Faith Alive
• Books
• Calvin Theological Seminary
• Conferences/Events
• Miscellaneous
• Sabbaticals
• Speakers
• SPE Training Tools
• Web Resources
We share the following resources in the hope that they may contain ideas for those interested in forming peer learning groups or in sponsoring continuing education events for pastors. This list has been compiled from suggestions made to the Sustaining Pastoral Excellence staff and is not intended to be exhaustive. We welcome other recommendations. Please email them to pastoralexcellence@crcna.org, using "For SPE Resource Page" in the subject line. Note that resources must be related to the topic of pastoral excellence.
Resources available from Faith Alive on the following topics:
• Congregational Care
• Leadership
• Church Planting & Development
• Prayer & Evangelism
• Worship Resources
• Other Ministry Tools
Books
• Leadership
• Mentoring
• Ministry Reflection
• Pastoral Care
• Practical Skills
• Spiritual Disciplines
Leadership
Badaracco, Joseph L. Jr. Leading Quietly. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2002.
Boers, Arthur Paul Never Call Them Jerks, (Alban Institute, 1999)
Friedman, Edwin H. Friedman's Fables. New York: Guilford Press, 1990.
Friedman, Edwin H. Generation to Generation. New York: Guilford, 1985.
Gilbert, Roberta. Extraordinary Relationships. Minneapolis: Chronimed, 1992.
Heifetz, Ronald Leadership Without Easy Answers, (Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1994)
Heifetz, Ronald and Marty Linsky, Leadership on the Line, (Harvard Business School Press, 2002)
Herrington, Jim, Mike Bonem, and James H. Furr. Leading Change in the Congregation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2000.
Herrington, Jim, R. Robert Creech and Trisha Taylor. The Leader’s Journey: Accepting the Call to Personal and Congregational Transformation. San Francisco: Jossey-Baas Publishers, 2003.
Peterson, Eugene. Working the Angles. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993.
Rendle, Gilbert. Leading Change in the Congregation, (Alban Institute, 1998)
Rendle, Gilbert. Multigenerational Congregations: Meeting the Leadership Challenge, (Alban Institute, 2001)
Scazzero, Peter. The Emotionally Healthy Church. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003.
Steinke, Peter. Healthy Congregations, (Alban Institute, 1996)
Steinke, Peter. How Your Church Family Works, (Alban Institute, 1993)
Willimon, William H. Pastor: The Theology and Practice of Ordained Ministry, Abingdon Press, 2002.
Mentoring
Benner, David G. Sacred Companions. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2002.
Biehl, Bob. Mentoring. Nashville: Broadman and Holman, 1996.
Olthuis, James. The Beautiful Risk. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001.
Williams, Brian A. The Potter’s Rib: Mentoring for Pastoral Formation. Vancouver:Regent College Publishing, 2005.
Wright, Walter, Jr. The Gift of Mentors. Pasadena, Calif.: De Pree Leadership Center, 2001.
Ministry Reflection
Kok, Joel. ed. Persevering in Ministry. Grand Rapids: Christian Reformed Church in North America, 2004.
Peterson, Eugene. Subversive Spirituality. Grand Rapids: W. B. Eerdmans, 1977.
Smedes, Lewis. Shame and Grace. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1993.
Pastoral Care
Bullock, Richard and Richard Bruesehoff. Clergy Renewal: The Alban Guide to Sabbatical Planning. Alban Institute, 2000.
Nouwen, Henri. The Wounded Healer. New York: Doubleday, 1990.
Practical Skills
Allen, David. Getting Things Done. New York, N.Y.: Viking, 2001.
Burkett, Larry and Ron Blue. Wealth to Last. Nashville: Broadman and Holman, 2003.
Day, Katie. Difficult Conversations. Bethesda, Md.: 2001.
Farris, Lawrence. Ten Commandments for Pastors New to a Congregation. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003.
Long, Thomas G. Beyond the Worship Wars: Building Vital and Faithful Worship, (Alban Institute, 2001)
Whitehead, James D. and Evelyn Eaton Whitehead. The Promise of Partnership. San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1991.
Vander Zee, Leonard. In Life and In Death. Grand Rapids: CRC Publications, 1992.
Spiritual Disciplines
Dawn, Marva. Keeping the Sabbath Wholly. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989.
Foster, Richard. Prayer, Finding the Heart's True Home. San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1992.
Job, Rueben P. and Norman Shawchuk. A Guide to Prayer for All God’s People. Nashville: The Upper Room, 2000.
Job, Rueben P. and Norman Shawchuk. A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God. Nashville: The Upper Room, 2003.
Job, Rueben P. and Norman Shawchuk. A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants. Nashville: The Upper Room, 1983.
Ortberg, John. The Life You've Always Wanted. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002.
Schultz, Quentin, Habits of the High-Tech Heart. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2002.
Willard, Dallas. In Search of Guidance. Ventura, Calif.: Regal Books, 1983.
Willard, Dallas. The Divine Conspiracy. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1998.
Willard, Dallas. The Spirit of the Disciplines. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1998.
Calvin Theological Seminary (CTS)
CTS has a number of excellence resources for pastors and ministry leaders.
• For online lectures, go to: www.calvinseminary.edu/calendar/lectureCalendar.php
• For online resources, go to: www.calvinseminary.edu/continuingEd/resources
• For upcoming conferences/seminars, go to: www.calvinseminary.edu/continuingEd/index.php
Conferences/Events
Calvin Theological Seminary (CTS): CTS has a variety of conferences/seminars for pastors and ministry leaders. To see what's currently available, go to: www.calvinseminary.edu/continuingEd/index.php.
FREE CONFERENCE: Several times a year Rocky Mountain Renewal offers 3-day seminars with various topics of interest to full-time pastors and full-time missionaries and their spouses. (Seminars for women in ministry are also offered.) They provide 4 meals, housing and a speaker for 4 sessions, all at no charge to you. For more information, visit www.rockymountainrenewal.org/seminars.asp.
Miscellaneous
The Ministry Resource Center of Calvin College has a collection of over 5,000 practical resources for all aspects of congregational ministry. They are available for busy pastors and other church leaders who don’t have the time to search through all the catalogues and visit the bookstores to find the best material for their ministry needs. Visit the Center’s web site at: www.calvin.edu/library/mrc/ or call 616-526-8731 or email ad22@calvin.edu.
Sabbaticals
Click here for information on developing a sabbatical policy, sample sabbatical policies, and sabbatical opportunities and resources.
Speakers
Calvin College and Calvin Seminary have recently published the tenth edition of their "Resource Guide to Speakers and Programs."It contains a wealth of available resources. This booklet is available online.
SPE Training Tools
To download the .pdf file for each SPE training tool, please click on the title shown below. Free hardcopies of each title are available through Faith Alive and they are shipped at no cost to you. Please click on the corresponding link next to each title to place an order.
• Closing Well, Continuing Strong (to order, please click here)
• Effective Leadership in the Church (to order, please click here)
• Toward Effective Pastoral Mentoring (to order, please click here)
• Marriage and Ministry (to order, please click here)
Web Resources
• Alban Institute
• Calvin Institute of Christian Worship Continuing Education Events
• Congregational Resource Guide
• Healthy Congregations (Peter Steinke)
• Lombard Mennonite Peace Center (Richard Blackburn; clergy clinics)
• National Clergy Renewal Program
• The Louisville Institute (Sabbatical Grants for Pastoral Leaders Program)
• Transforming Christian Leaders
