Planned time away from the parish for study, rest, and spiritual renewal can be beneficial-and often necessary-for any pastor, as well as for the congregation. In this thoroughly revised and expanded edition of Alban’s popular Sabbatical Planning for Clergy and Congregations, Bullock and Bruesehoff provide the definitive guide to putting together refreshing pastoral sabbaticals that can help keep ministry vital and growing for the long term

“Time to reflect. Time. This is what clergy renewal is about. To continue in ‘the heat of work’ our whole career is to rob ourselves and our congregations of the time we and they need to reflect on our lives and our call. Here is where change begins.” - Melisa Bane Sevier “Melissa Bane Sevier – fresh from (and refreshed by) a much-needed sabbatical – offers personal testimony, practical advice, and an array of helpful resources that will inspire and empower pastors to seek and then to drink deeply of a time apart. This is a moving statement from and on behalf of our hard-working clergy, written for them but also for those who care about their well-being and that of the congregations they serve.” - Dorothy C. Bass - Author, Receiving the Day: Christian Practices for Opening the Gift of Time “Vital congregational ministry depends on the leadership of pastors, priests, and rabbis whose hearts sing with vision, creativity, faith, competence, and passion. In Journeying toward Renewal Melissa Sevier uses her pastoral sensitivity to tell her own renewal story and the stories of those who have been lead in the planning and practice of renewal leave by the question “What will make my heart sing – again?” Whether you’re planning an extended time of renewal leave, or just trying to bring regular sabbath time back into your days and weeks, this book will be a trustworthy guide.” - Richard Bruesehoff - Director for Leadership Support, ELCA - Co-author of Clergy Renewal: The Alban Guide to Pastoral Sabbaticals

In the wake of the clergy abuse scandal of the last decade, many media commentators predicted the “end” of the Catholic priesthood. Demands for an end to celibacy, coupled with calls for women’s ordination, dominated discussions on the effectiveness of the Catholic Church in America. Renewal argues that rather than a decline of the priesthood and a diminishing influence of the Catholic Church, we are living in a time of transformation and revitalization. The aging generation of progressives that continues to lobby Church leaders to change Catholic teachings on reproductive rights, same-sex marriage and women's ordination is being replaced by younger men and women who are attracted to the Church because of the very timelessness of its teachings.

What would you wish for in retirement? Good health? Financial Stability? A supportive social community? Retiring well is everyone’s goal, but accomplishing this end requires planning and effort. Family physician Gwen Halaas recognizes the challenges professional caregivers such as clergy experience as they try to practice good self-care, particularly as they approach the significant changes inherent in retirement.

Nationally known for his work and teaching on clergy development, Oswald integrates research and experience into a liberating perspective on the pastoral calling. Discover how imbalances in your physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual lives can destroy the very ministry you seek to carry out. Learn what you can do to restore that balance. Packed with self-assessment tools, real-life experiences, and specific self-care strategies.

Power has a God-given role in human relationships and institutions, but it can lead to abuse when used in unhealthy ways. Speaking into current #MeToo and #ChurchToo conversations, this book shows that the body of Christ desperately needs to understand the forms power takes, how it is abused, and how to respond to abuses of power. Although many Christians want to prevent abuse in their churches and organizations, they lack a deep and clear-eyed understanding of how power actually works. Internationally recognized psychologist Diane Langberg offers a clinical and theological framework for understanding how power operates, the effects of the abuse of power, and how power can be redeemed and restored to its proper God-given place in relationships and institutions. This book not only helps Christian leaders identify and resist abusive systems but also shows how they can use power to protect the vulnerable in their midst.