Following Jesus is hard to do – but even harder if we take ourselves too seriously. The Unofficial United Methodist Handbook is the indispensable companion for anyone trying to live a committed Christian life, with a healthy dose of humor. Timeless biblical truths stand alongside everyday life situations that everyone meets, with step-by-step instructions that make the going easy: How to Stay Alert in Church How to Identify an Angel (with diagram) How to Survive for One Hour in an Un-Air-Conditioned Church How to Share Your Faith with Someone How to Identify and Avoid Evil How to Survive an Old Testament Plague How to Memorize a Bible Verse Common Christian Symbols and What They Mean What Is Unique about The United Methodist Church and Its History …plus dozens of other illustrations, maps, diagrams, and essential tips! This unique and incredibly handy resource is perfect for United Methodist youth, adults, students, families, and all those interested in learning about life in the church.

A very handy handbook that provides amazingly essential information and practical tips every pastor needs to know, delivered with brevity and a good sense of humor. Be prepared to laugh as you try to keep hold of the reins--like the circuit rider of yesteryear. The Unofficial United Methodist Handbook for Pastors gives serious information and practical tips to uplift your spirit and warm your heart. Like The Unofficial United Methodist Handbook for the well-informed churchgoer, this handbook for pastors illustrates timeless biblical truths in everyday living, making life easier--and much more entertaining. This book captures all the essential information every pastor needs close at hand to prevail in any circumstance, and have a good and well-needed chuckle along the way: · How to Support and Empower the Church Council without Becoming a Dictator or a Wallflower · How to Know if You're Called to Be a Pastor · Ten Things You Should Never Say to a Church Member · How to Recover from Christmas and Easter Overload · How to Preach a Stewardship Sermon without Sounding Like You Are Begging for a Raise · How to Keep Both Your Job and Your Family · How to Use Your Family Members as Sermon Illustrations without Alienating Them or Boring the Congregation · How to Retire from Ministry Gracefully · What is unique about United Methodist Ministry ...plus dozens of other illustrations, maps, diagrams, and essential tips! This unique and incredibly handy resource is perfect for United Methodist ministers and all who help lead congregations. View the Table of Contents

Written especially for licensing schools and the United Methodist Course of Study, this book of firsts will see pastors through those uncertain early days in ministry. Some of the firsts include: first sermon, first service, first baptism, first Communion, first challenge of pastoral authority, first Church Council meeting, first visit to dying person, first funeral, first wedding, first charge conference, first D.S., first move, first colleague, first bad cold (what do I do if I get sick on Saturday night?), first person who doesn't like you, first vacation, first day off, first non-required book, first parsonage, first bishop, first social justice issue, first tradition you challenge, first nominations meeting, first record-keeping, first funeral director, first sexual temptation, first opportunity for community service, first schedule conflict, first school pressure, first personal family issue, first bulletin or projected material, first bishop, first fund-raising, first stewardship campaign, first personal devotions, first burn-out, first counseling session, first challenge to Discipline, first connectional meeting, first meeting with Board of Ordained Ministry, first robe or alb, first new clothes, first paying of bills, first theological conflict, first Bible study, first revival, first dealing with groupie, first major snafu, first retirement plan decision, first electronic communication.

The Pastor’s Pocket Edition has everything, but the service music, found in the regular Book of Worship. This helpful United Methodist denominational book of liturgy, prayer, and services is indispensable for pastors, musicians, and laypersons that plan and lead worship. Arranged according to the Christian year, this resource enables worship leaders to locate prayers, services, and information quickly. Updated information and new formats insure ease of use, making this a great resource when planning and leading worship. Updates for all formats include: Membership vows, baptismal covenant, diaconal changes, and other updates made as a result of General Conference action. Calendar for dating Easter and related holy days—extend beyond 2020. Chart of lectionary years on page 227--update and extend. Current version of ordinal. Available with all digital formats PDF contents pages--hot linked to each section/item.

This helpful United Methodist denominational book of liturgy, prayer, services and service music is indispensable for pastors, musicians, and laypersons that plan and lead worship. Arranged according to the Christian year, this resource enables worship leaders to locate prayers, services, and information quickly. Updated information and new formats insure ease of use, making this a great resource when planning worship.. It features: A vast collection of worship material: services, liturgies, litanies, prayers, blessings, music, and other acts of worship and praise. Thousands of references to The United Methodist Hymnal, including suggested hymns for a host of worship occasions. Resources for special Sundays and other days of churchwide emphasis. New Christian Years Services Services for various occasions including: Presentation of Bibles to Children An Order of Farewell to Pastor Orders of Installation or Recognition Orders of Daily Praise and Prayer Updates include: Membership vows, baptismal covenant, diaconal changes, and other updates made as a result of General Conference action. Calendar for dating Easter and related holy days—extend beyond 2020. Chart of lectionary years on page 227--update and extend. Current version of ordinal. eBook Edition allows you download a digital file of full text of The Book of Worship to your eReader for personal use.

Popular author F. Belton Joyner has revised his best-selling resource for introducing the United Methodist Church. In a humorous yet respectful style, Joyner takes the reader through illuminating questions and answers on United Methodist terms and beliefs on God, Jesus, the Bible, the church, salvation, and more. Examples of Joyner's questions include “Why did Jesus have to die?†“Who was John Wesley, and who were all those other figures?†“Is the Bible infallible?†“What is The Book of Discipline?†This revised edition includes new sections on United Methodism as a global church, United Methodist ministries beyond the congregation, and United Methodist theology in conversation with other Christian traditions. It has also been updated to reflect recent changes to The Book of Discipline and the orders of ministry. The book's question-and-answer format easily lends itself to use in Sunday school classes and also works for individual study. From new recruits to lifelong United Methodists, readers will gain a lively sense of what is special and important about their denominational home.

A solid family life will help pastors focus and attentively minister to the needs of their congregation.Pastors often struggle with conflicting expectations. The most painful of these conflicts is between the expectations of their congregations, and the needs of their families. They must, at the same moment, be available to parishioners and carve out private family time. Belton Joyner knows that often the best therapy for pastors caught in this dilemma is to laugh at it. With humorous illustrations and light-hearted straight talk, he helps pastors understand their own family dynamics, the role their families play in the life of the church, and how to be an effective minister of the gospel AND a responsible spouse and parent, while living in a fishbowl.