Many recent books have attempted to address the "crisis" in the mainline church. Anthony Robinson here makes a significant -- and in many ways unique -- contribution to this discussion by bringing his personal insights as a pastor to bear on the issue of renewing congregational life. Writing from twenty-five years of experience in four congregations of differing size, location, and ethnic makeup, Robinson prescribes concrete changes in the practice of ministry that have been tried, tested, and lived out to great success. At the heart of his framework for church renewal is what he calls "cultural change." According to Robinson, technical or programmatic change is not sufficient to address the needs of the day. He argues for changing the very culture of mainline congregations, which involves recognizing and fostering their particular gifts and genius rather than trying to remake them into something they are not. His fruitful strategies for renewal touch every aspect of congregational life, from personal spiritual formation to church leadership.

Transforming Congregational Culture

Religion & Spirituality

Robinson, Anthony B.

Christian Books & Bibles

Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

A sequel to his best-selling Transforming Congregational Culture (2003), Changing the Conversationoffers Anthony Robinson's latest work and thinking on congregational renewal and leadership. Robinson here invites church leaders and members into ten crucial conversations that will change their congregation's culture and help them respond with greater vitality, effectiveness, and faithfulness to our postmodern culture and its challenges.

Changing the Conversation: A Third Way for Congregations

Biblical scholar Robert Wall and pastoral leader Anthony Robinson here join forces to bring the Acts of the Apostles forward to our time as a resource for congregational renewal and transformation. Featuring both careful exegetical study and exciting contemporary exposition, the fifteen chapters of Called to Be Church each first interpret the text of Acts as Scripture and then engage Acts for today's church. The book dives into many of the most vexing issues faced by the church then and now -- such issues as conflict resolution, pluralism and multiculturalism, sexuality, money, church and state, the role of the Holy Spirit, and more. Enhanced by study questions at the end of each chapter, Called to Be Church will lend itself especially well to small-group study within congregations. Pastors, lay readers, students, and ordinary believers alike will find the book helpful and inspiring.

Called to Be Church: The Book of Acts for a New Day

Wall, Robert W.

Following up on their previous volume, Called to Be Church: The Book of Acts for a New Day, biblical scholar Robert Wall and pastoral leader Anthony Robinson here join forces again. Featuring both exegetical study and dynamic contemporary exposition, each chapter of Called to Lead first interprets the text of 1 and 2 Timothy as Scripture and then engages 1 and 2 Timothy for today's church leaders. The book covers many vexing issues faced by church leaders then and now -- such issues as the use of money, leadership succession, pastoral authority, and the role of Scripture. Through it all, Called to Lead shows how Timothy remains a text of great value for the church today

Called to Lead: Paul's Letters to Timothy for a New Day

This book is a collection of letters that teenagers write about their faith.

Words for the Journey: Letters to Our Teenagers About Life and Faith

Copenhaver, Martin B.

Worship & Devotion

Pilgrim Pr

An excellent supplemental confirmation resource, or meaningful confirmation or graduation gift, Words for the Journey: Letters to Our Teenagers About Life and Faith, first published in 2003, is an original collection of letters written by Martin Copenhaver and Anthony Robinson to their teenagers. They discuss a wide variety of topics - God, church, Bible, vocation, relationships, difficult matters, faith, doubt, prayer, sex, abortion, race, and homosexuality - and share what God and their faith means to them.

Words for the Journey: Letter to Our Teenagers About Life and Faith

"We've got a list of questions, issues, stuff we're dealing with. We want your input, your thoughts on this stuff." Such were the origins of this little book. Two young clergy, early in their first call, imagined that I might have some useful wisdom to pass on based on my own years in ministry. Something like this was once standard preparation. Young people learned a profession like law, ministry, or medicine by apprenticing themselves to one seasoned in the practice. Not only has that way of learning largely vanished but we now live in times of increasing segregation and suspicion between different generations. Still, these two millennials bucked the trends. They thought they might have something to learn from an old boomer. The result is this collection of letters: personal, wry, direct, and honest. Full of both hope and realism about the church and ministry. This collection will be a welcome companion for young, and for many not so young, clergy trying to get a handle on ministry in the midst of a time that is full of change and challenge.

Useful Wisdom: Letters to Young (and Not-So-Young) Ministers

Cascade Books

Useful Wisdom

In the Christian world, there is Special Grace, which is knowledge of God through the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. On the other hand, Common Grace is what a person can know of God through everyday life—experiences with family and friends, observance of the natural world. This is a book about the spiritual and moral pathways that can inform one’s everyday life. With the natural skills of a gifted preacher, Anthony Robinson connects stories and anecdotes to biblical wisdom and offers up valuable, useful, and inspiring lessons for life. Common Grace is divided in thirds: first he address the personal, the individual, the self. Next, he relies on the notion that a person is a person because of other people, and he moves to the next concentric circle of family and personal relationships. The third part of the book is about being a person in the world, interacting and contributing to the institutions and make up a society.

Common Grace: How to Be a Person and Other Spiritual Matters

Sasquatch Books

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Books by Robinson, Anthony B.