Books published by Alban Institute, Inc

This collection includes essays from twenty-one writers in their twenties reflecting on their struggles to reconcile their religious beliefs with their college experiences. Organized into five sections, the essays address questions of tradition and identity, sex and sexuality, vocation and call, negotiating relationships, and life beyond college.

This collection includes essays from twenty-one writers in their twenties reflecting on their struggles to reconcile their religious beliefs with their college experiences. Organized into five sections, the essays address questions of tradition and identity, sex and sexuality, vocation and call, negotiating relationships, and life beyond college.

Untangling the day-to-day issues in our multifaceted lives can seem daunting. Time to sit quietly and reflect is rare. If we are fortunate, we have good friends or close family members with whom to talk things through and find clarity, but many times we feel isolated and lonely. As people of faith, we add another layer to our reflections when we wonder where God fits into our lives. In a broad sense, theological reflection happens any time that we wonder about God, our faith, our beliefs, and our values. In this book, however, Abigail Johnson offers a structured process for engaging in theological reflection by looking at a situation or event through a series of questions. These questions are designed to help individuals and small groups think through situations with the eyes of faith. Johnson provides detailed instructions for group facilitators, making this book a valuable resource for any theological reflection leader. She demonstrates how theological reflection will enrich the faith life of the individual and increase group members' sense of belonging to God and to the whole people of God. She also shows how small groups engaging in theological reflection affects the ongoing life of a congregation-particularly in the community's worship and the members' practice of spiritual disciplines.

Parsons and Leas have created an important tool for congregational leaders in this application of systems theory to evaluating a congregation's life and readiness for change. Church leaders can explore the forces at work and examine the systemic implications in seven key areas: strategy, process, pastoral and lay leadership, authority, relatedness, and learning. The Congregational Systems Inventory is a survey designed to sample the perspectives of church staff, governing board, and key lay leaders, enabling users to assess where their congregation falls in a continuum between two behavioral extremes for each of the key areas. The Manual provides an overview of systems theory, complete instructions for administering and scoring the Congregational Systems Inventory (CSI), and guidance for interpreting and explaining the inventory results using sample scores. Be sure to order The Manual along with this valuable resource.

Frank, straightforward guidance for clergy seeking to develop a sound theology of money and skills for church administration, Ministry and Money also puts forth a new strategy for self-care, and a confident approach to managing both personal and congregational finances. Dan Hotchkiss wants to help clergy overcome their own anxieties about money matters so they can help others address the personal, social, and congregational aspects of this challenging and often difficult topic.

Combining pastoral and behavioral science expertise, the authors spell out ways type and temperament theory illuminate the clergy role. Learn how to use the 16 Myers-Briggs personality types to recognize and affirm your gifts, work with your liabilities, and understand and accept those with whom you minister. "Being a parish pastor is a very complex role. Our mission in this book is to make that task a little less complex and a little more fun by looking at our congregations through the lens of the MBTI." -- The authors

Humans have been choice-makers since the days when hunter-gatherers had to decide when to hunt and what to gather. Making choices is what humans do. But individuals feel more personal autonomy and power to choose today than ever before in human history. In Choosing Change, author Peter Coutts explores theories, ideas, and terms that are most pertinent for leaders who desire to encourage congregational change. He then offers detailed guidance for congregational leaders who want to be motivational leaders.