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.jpg) Book Review: Church at a Crossroads Encouragse Churches to Embrace New Role
Church of the Crossroads Pastor Neal MacPherson wrote Church at a Crossroads based on two decades as pastor of the United Church of Christ congregation in Honolulu.
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Church at a Crossroads
By D. Neal MacPherson
153 pages. Wipf and Stock, Eugene, OR, 2008
$15.00
| Neal’s book emphasizes the changing role of the local church in American culture and society. The church, he asserts, is no longer at the center of society and part of the establishment. It has been pushed to the fringes of society and no longer enjoys its former social prestige.
Churches respond to this change in three different ways: by ignoring the shift, by trying to go back and reassert power through church growth programs, or by embracing the change.
Church of the Crossroads, he says, has embraced this change. It is finding the kind of ministry Jesus intended. Recognizing the suffering inherent in the cross and not giving in to the economic and social cultures of the world allow Church of the Crossroads—and other churches—to be a transforming witness in the world.
For any pastor or lay leader who struggles with despair at the church’s loss of influence in the life of its community, Neal’s book provides fresh insight to what it means to be a faithul witness as a post-Christendom Church.
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Book Review: When Better Isn’t Enough: Evaluation Tools for the 21st-Century Church
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When Better Isn’t Enough: Evaluation Tools for the 21st-Century Church
By Jill M. Hudson
153 pages. The Alban Institute, www.alban.org, 2004 $16.00
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We recognize that the church has changed. Jill Hudson offers churches a way to evaluate criteria for success of ministry in a new era.
Hudson identifies 12 characteristics by which we can measure effective ministry for the early 21st century. Some, such as being able to guide conversion experiences, may be surprising to pastors trained in mainline seminaries in earlier decades. The characteristics include being able to motivate and develop a congregation as a mission outpost and to communicate a vision. The need to be able to navigate successfully the world of technology may be threatening to some.
She uses these characteristics as criteria of evaluation for churches. “Not everything of the past is ineffective and best discarded,” she says. “Nor will everything we try in the future be successful.” Her work builds on her earlier evaluation theories. Evaluation considers the ministry of the whole people of God as well as that of the professional staff. This book calls for a substantial amount of pastoral self-review and deep dialogue.
Hudson addresses evaluation for small churches, multi-staff churches, and reviewing volunteer staff, dedicating several pages to each of these topics.
Hudson’s book includes appendices with self-evaluation forms for the pastor and associate pastor; forms for a review committee’s evaluation for both the pastor and associate pastor; and forms for evaluating volunteers.
The challenge is that many churches have not adapted to society’s changes, so some of Hudson’s 12 characteristics do not match the expectations of the church. Buyers of the book need to consider the characteristics called for in the postmodern church. Meanwhile, it is helpful that buyers of the book can download the forms from www.alban.org for ease in adapting these forms to reflect those criteria that have been established in the pastor’s position description.
Churches need to listen faithfully for God’s guidance in addition to using these tools. Hudson’s work helps “congregations improve their ministry, members and staff grow in effectiveness, deepen a sense of partnership, and add new richness to the dialogue about the congregation’s future.”
But she warns that complaints are normal and change often brings discomfort. The worst time to conduct a review is when conflict erupts or issues are deeply dividing the congregation. That is the time to get help, which is likely to be needed as a church begins to change to address issues of the 21st Century church.
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Book Review: Glory by the Wayside: The Old Churches of Hawai'i
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Glory by the Wayside: The Old Churches of Hawai'i
By William and Susan Ecenbarger
88 pages. Passage Press, Inc., Castine, ME, 2008 $29.95
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Glory by the Wayside: The Old Churches of Hawai’i by William and Susan Ecenbarger takes readers on a tour of old Hawai’i. The coffee table-style book highlights 37 churches the authors have discovered in their travels around the state. With an understanding that the churches selected for this book are merely a sampler of all the beautiful churches of Hawai’i, the authors have coupled colorful pictures with information about each of the churches.
Included in the book are 20 United Church of Christ churches, making this book particularly meaningful to the Hawai‘i Conference. Although the introduction with its brief history of the Christian missionaries who came to Hawai‘i may raise a few concerns about interpretation, the intent of the book, which is to introduce readers to the beauty and legacy of these important churches and their buildings, is well understood and appreciated.
At least one page has been dedicated to each church and includes several pictures and information such as how the church was built, historical anecdotes, and descriptions of the unique surroundings of the church buildings.
The authors are inviting featured churches to purchase a case of books at a 15% discount to use as a fundraiser or as gifts to members and visitors. The regular cost of the book is $29.95 plus $3 shipping and handling and checks may be sent to: Passage Press, 20 Wilson Point Rd., Castine, ME 04421, or email passagepress@aol.com for more information.
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Article About Safe Churches
Churches across the Hawai'i Conference are working hard to come up with their own Safe Church Policy. Sometimes the need for these policies is not clear to everyone involved. The New York Times recently ran an article that lifts up a UCC church in California that is struggling, not just with their policy regarding Safe Churches, but also with how having a policy in place can help them when faced with a real-life situation. Click HERE to read the story.
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Worksheets Available to help Church Members Prepare for Disaster
Worksheets to help families prepare for a disaster were handed out at the February 11 Disaster Preparedness Workshop at Central Union Church. This workshop, led by Hawai‘i Conference Disaster Coordinator Linda Petrucelli, was co-sponsored by the Hawai‘i Conference along with other denominations and inter-faith communities. The purpose of the workshop was to help church members prepare their homes and church buildings in event of a disaster, learn about available community resources and how religious congregations can help in times of need.
To view and print these worksheets, click the appropriate link below:
 Checklist for Families and Churches
Individual Church Planning Guide for Disaster Preparedness
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