Contents include: Foreword, by Lovett H. Weems, Jr. Preface Introduction CHAPTER 1. Finding Satisfaction in Following God's Direction CHAPTER2. Working Well with Your Supervisor and Fellow Associates CHAPTER 3. Foundational Attitudes and Commitments CHAPTER4. Church Environments that Enable Thriving CHAPTER 5. Sustaining Personal Spiritual Vitality CHAPTER 6. Building Supportive Relationships CHAPTER 7. Strengthening the Home Front CHAPTER 8. Savoring Joys and Weathering Storms CHAPTER 9. Thriving Skills for Female Associate Staff CHAPTER 10. Veterans' Advice to "Wanna-bes" and "Newbies" Introduction to Appendixes A and B - For Those Who Care about Associate Staff APPENDIX A. The Valued Supervisor APPENDIX B. The Supportive Church Board APPENDIX C. The "Thriving in Associate Staff Ministry" Study APPENDIX D. Professional Organizations for Associate Staff Members Further Reading for Associate Staff Members

This vital revised and expanded update to How to Thrive in Associate Staff Ministry (Alban, 2000) provides guidance to the growing population of staff members employed by churches. Churches are expanding their staffs, but the turnover rate remains high, often due to stress, isolation, and conflict on the job. Lawson and Boersma address what it takes to thrive personally, professionally, and relationally within associate staff ministry. Based on updated research and interviews with over 600 veteran associate staff members from many different denominations, Lawson and Boersma describe the priorities, attitudes, and practices that can help associate staff members thrive in their ministry roles. They present, explain, and illustrate a four-part “Model for Thriving in Associate Staff Ministry,” a concrete framework that readers can use to help achieve satisfaction and balance in their own lives. In addition to addressing those in associate staff roles, the book also includes chapters to help supervising pastors and church boards support their associate staff members. Each chapter includes questions for personal reflection or discussion with others to help readers engage with the material and determine what steps they might take to improve their own experience in associate staff ministry.

This book offers an exploration as to why church ministry staffs succeed or fail. With an emphasis in using faith in Christ as the foundation for analysis, the author draws from research and experience to reveal how a knowledge of interpersonal dynamics and individual differences can aid in finding ways to more effectively work together.

Surveys of pastoral staff repeatedly show that senior or supervising pastors consistently rate their working relationships with their associate staff members higher than do the associate staff members. Satisfaction levels follow similar patterns. In many cases, supervisors are not aware of or attentive to the concerns of their staff, and yet, these staff members are critical to the success of the church. Supervising and Supporting Ministry Staff is a research-based guide to the senior/associate staff relationship that is filled with real-life stories and practical advice to help readers negotiate their staff relationships successfully. The book focuses not only on the business mechanics of the supervisor/supervisee relationship, but also the full experiences of the associate staff, including emotional and spiritual needs. This helpful resource addresses congregations of all sizes across denominations and discusses a range or supervisor/supervisee relationship types.

Churches large and small across the world and in every denomination have rising numbers of single people on their leadership staff. This book presents a research-based perspective on the joys, opportunities, and challenges of being single in vocational ministry. Through extensive interviews and focus groups, the authors present both a practical application and a positive message for those serving God as single clergy or pastoral leaders.

Why does one well-equipped, well-meaning person in ministry succeed while another fails? Bob Burns, Tasha Chapman and Donald Guthrie undertook a five-year intensive research project on the frontlines of pastoral ministry to answer that question. What they found was nothing less than the DNA of thriving ministry today.