Ministry Matters - Facing change with clear eyes and open hearts

Pastoral Transition Is Holy Work by Andrea Byer-Thomas   "A pastoral move is never just about one pastor leaving and another arriving. Transitions unsettle relationships, routines, assumptions, power patterns, anxieties, loyalties, hopes, and sometimes old wounds that had scabbed over. Pastors carry a mixture of gratitude, grief, relief, anticipation, worry, and unfinished longing. Congregations carry their own mixture too." Continue Reading What the Numbers Actually Tell Us About the UMC Right Now by Lovett H. Weems Jr. "Things are different today. However, the trajectory of change since 2019 has not so much been different from the past, but accelerated. For example, there are 25 percent fewer local churches today, but the number of churches has been declining for as long as most of us can remember, if not longer."  Read Now No one needs to explain to United Methodist clergy and lay leadership what happened in the disaffiliation process between 2019 and 2023. Trauma-Informed Ministry From foundational frameworks for trauma-informed care to reflections on Scripture, preaching, and pastoral practice, this collection equips church leaders to minister faithfully in the wake of tragedy, crisis, and everyday stress. Explore articles on building resilience, practicing hope, and finding stability for both congregations and the people who lead them. Explore More

For seventeen centuries, Christians have debated Constantine's legacy—did he save the church, or transform it into something else entirely? Lavender contrasts Nazarene Christianity's humility and sacrificial love with Imperial Christianity's alignment with power, tracing the divide through war, wealth, persecution, and church-state relations. A timely, self-examining look at Christian nationalism and public witness, complete with an eight-session study guide for churches and classes. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was, above all, a lifelong reader of Scripture—one whose deep engagement with the Bible shaped his resistance to Nazi tyranny and his costly discipleship. Drawing on moments across his life, from Harlem to imprisonment, Howell shows how Bonhoeffer's reading became a bold awareness that his life belonged to God, even amid uncertainty and evil. An invitation to read Scripture as Bonhoeffer did: faithfully, courageously, and with eyes open to the world. Includes a companion code for Amplify Media video sessions. Countless pastors have turned to this annual to lighten the load of sermon and service preparation, year after year. It's a tried-and-true resource that makes your demanding job easier, whether you use its contents as is or tailor them to your own approach. Includes morning and evening services for every Sunday, fully indexed sermon outlines and topics, midweek devotionals, special-day services, wedding and funeral resources, and more.