First United Methodist Church in Augusta, Georgia, gives concerts to raise money for local service organizations. Trinity Lutheran Church in Mission, Kansas, has been sponsoring a religious art show for more than twenty-five years. Fellowship Lutheran Church runs a Christian arts camp for young people every summer. These are just three of the eighteen case studies of practicing arts ministries in this book, in which Michael Bauer encourages the nurture and support of all the creative gifts of God's people. Bauer lays a solid foundation for arts ministry, grounding it in the historic Christian tradition and urging churches to expand their engagement with the creative arts -- "to live and worship in full color," as he puts it. A concluding chapter clearly lays out how to develop an arts ministry, helping readers to take these ideas from theory to practice, to embrace and celebrate the continuing creative activity of God in the church.

This book addresses the fact that, despite the inevitability of aging, the vast majority of us are ill-prepared for eldercare. Eldercare as Art and Ministry broadens and deepens an understanding of eldercare as an art and as a ministry. As art, eldercare requires creativity, imagination, and perseverance. Here, ministry is considered in its fullest meaning, to include guiding, administering, serving, waiting upon, or acting as a loved one's agent. Through stories, lessons, and poignant vignettes, Jackson-Brown calls each one of us—whether young or older, ordained or laity, fortunate or less fortunate, prepared or not—to serve and care for an aging loved one. For lay people and professionals, this book is a guide to navigate the challenges of eldercare and to find meaning in this important work.

This book explores issues of character facing Christian artists who want to use their gifts more effectively in church ministry.

Focusing on pastoral leadership within local churches or groups of churches, Derek Tidball provides a comprehensive survey of the variety of ministry models and patterns found in the New Testament with applications for today's ministry.

Whether you serve as a vocalist, instrumentalist, technician, dancer, actor, or in some other role, you know what a blessing it is to serve on your church’s worship team. But you also know that some days you’re more technically prepared than you are spiritually prepared for the ministry of leading others in worship. In the midst of rehearsals, setup, and myriad distractions, not to mention the busyness of daily life, it’s easy to miss the forest for the trees. How can you and your fellow team members be prepared to worship in spirit and truth as well as lead others in worship with integrity?With thirty years of experience in worship leading, Rory Noland knows the issues—in both the private life of the worship team member and the public ministry of a worship team. In this readable book, he offers practical insights on how to• Grow as a private worshiper• Encounter the character of God during worship• Respond to the character of God during worship• Be transformed by the character of God• Learn from ancient worship leaders... and more.So relevant you’ll think the author was eavesdropping on your last church service, The Worshiping Artist is ideal to read either by yourself or as a team.

Practical help for church drama directors is only one of the features of this book. The text also includes: directing procedures, advice on building a drama team, actor training tips, script writing, and more, as well as a CD-ROM of staging examples.

Drama Ministry: A Guidebook is a one-stop manual for starting, directing, and managing a drama ministry. Lay leaders who have no formal drama training will glean from the authors 25+ years of drama training and experience. Even those leaders who are experienced in drama will benefit from the practical insights in managing and leading a team, including how to organize a practice and how to ensure team members regularly attend rehearsals and memorize their lines. In addition to drama technique, you will also gain valuable leadership tools for managing your ministry. Ten original sketches are also included to get you started.