Imagine . . . an interconnected group of people who entrust themselves to each other. You can speak of your pain, and someone responds with compassion and prayer. You can speak of your joys, and someone rejoices with you. You can ask for help with sinful struggles, and someone prays with you. The goal of this book is that these meaningful relationships will become a natural part of daily life in your church. With short chapters and discussion questions meant to be read in a group setting, Ed Welch guides small groups through eight lessons that show what it looks like when ordinary, needy people care for other ordinary, needy people in everyday life.

Everyone needs help from time to time, especially in the midst of painful circumstances and difficult trials. In this short book, a highly respected biblical counselor and successful author offers practical guidance for all Christians—pastors and laypeople alike—who want to develop their “helping skills” when it comes to walking alongside hurting people. Written out of the conviction that friends are the best helpers, this accessible introduction to biblical counseling will equip believers to share their burdens with one another through gentle words of wisdom and kind acts of love. This book is written for those eager to see God use ordinary relationships and conversations between ordinary Christians to work extraordinary miracles in the lives of his people.

Who is in charge? What are elders responsible for? How can we build trust between the pastor and elders? How can we hold one another accountable? If these questions sound familiar, it's because every church struggles at times with knowing how to foster a healthy relationship between pastors and elders. The relationship between leaders in the congregation is an important factor in the well-being of the church. A twenty-one-year veteran of the pastoral office, author Timothy Mech defines the roles and responsibilities of each position, outlines where authority should lie, and provides recommendations of how to build trust and accountability within the congregation. This training manual includes discussion questions at the end of each chapter, along with helpful resources, such as sample meeting agendas, reports, templates for congregational letters, and much more. Together with the companion DVD, Pastors and Elders provides the Lutheran congregation with strategies for leaders to work effectively as a team for the sake of the Lord and His Church. Book jacket.

"Nobody reaches out to me when I go to church." "This church really isn't much of a family." Have you heard these kinds of comments? How sad if they are true, especially as God's Word has so much to say about how believers should interact with one another! An array of interpersonal problems between spouses, children, parents, siblings, friends, coworkers can easily develop, but if you are a Christian, you can put the Bible's message into practice and see how radically it transforms your relationships with others. By carefully examining the "one another" commands in Scripture, the authors provide a Word-based understanding of what God intends for Christian relationshipsƒƒ‚‚ƒ‚‚"ƒƒ‚‚ƒ‚‚€ƒƒ‚‚ƒ‚‚"showing not only what they look like, but also how to develop them. Enjoy reading and sharing this book; it's very well suited for individuals, couples, and small groups.

"Should be obligatory reading. . . . A philosophy of life in a nutshell, one that has latched on to the most practical, central, and sensible of all activities, human or cosmic."--Psychology Today

With a foreword by Judy Woodruff, The Unexpected Journey of Caring is a practical guide to finding personal meaning in the 21st century care experience. Personal transformation is usually an experience we actively seek out—not one that hunts us down. Becoming a caregiver is one transformation that comes at us, requiring us to rethink everything we once knew. Everything changes—responsibilities, beliefs, hopes, expectations, and relationships. Caregiving is not just a role reserved for “saints”—eventually, everyone is drafted into the caregiver role. It’s not a role people medically train for; it’s a new type of relationship initiated by a loved one’s need for care. And it’s a role that cannot be quarantined to home because it infuses all aspects of our lives. Caregivers today find themselves in need of a crash course in new and unfamiliar skills. They must not only care for a loved one, but also access hidden community resources, collaborate with medical professionals, craft new narratives consistent with the changing nature of their care role, coordinate care with family, seek information and peer support using a variety of digital platforms, and negotiate social support—all while attempting to manage conflicts between work, life, and relationship roles. The moments that mark us in the transition from loved one to caregiver matter because if we don’t make sense of how we are being transformed, we risk undervaluing our care experiences, denying our evolving beliefs, becoming trapped by other’s misunderstandings, and feeling underappreciated, burned out, and overwhelmed. Informed by original caregiver research and proven advocacy strategies, this book speaks to caregiving as it unfolds, in all of its confusion, chaos, and messiness. Readers won’t find well-intentioned clichés or care stereotypes in this book. There are no promises to help caregivers return to a life they knew before caregiving. No, this book greets caregivers where they are in their journey—new or chronic—not where others expect (or want) them to be.

With so many broken and hurting people in our congregations and in our communities, how is a church pastor supposed to address so many needs? This second volume in Judson Press¿s new ¿Living Church¿ series explores the nature of pastoral care and invites laity and clergy alike to become partners in this essentially human ministry. Beginning with the traditional core of pastoral care as a critical function of the church pastor, author, professor, and veteran pastor Marvin McMickle expands that core into a second circle of care¿as the pastor equips and empowers church members to partner in caring for one another. Finally, McMickle throws open the doors of the church and challenges pastor, lay leaders, and church members alike to extend their ministries of pastoral care to the local community, through ministries of advocacy, justice, healthcare, education, and service. A richly reflective and utterly practical resource, this volume deepens the church¿s understanding of pastoral care¿and expands that compassionate and priestly ministry in the church and in the world.