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It's Your Turn
May 15, 2005
To readers who have sent notes saying you have been helped by these columns, I say thank-you. I have certainly enjoyed examining products and recommending them for your consideration.
Now, I want some help from you. I want to find out what resources readers of CHRISTIAN STANDARD have found most helpful. There is too much out there for one lone column writer to inspect. We may be missing out on some wonderful products.
My request may be much too broad, so let me define a few areas where I would like to solicit your recommendations. I have chosen the following subjects because they represent needs that people have personally asked me to write about. On the basis of your recommendations, I will review the resource and consider including it in a future column.
I am particularly looking for resources that have multiple recommendations. If several of you recommend the same item, then we should pay attention. These resources could be books, tapes, seminars, CDs, DVDs, Web sites, or the like.
Personal Devotions
What do you read for your personal devotions? Many church leaders complain of a professional barrenness that often develops. We have all been told that a daily quiet time is a valuable spiritual discipline, but what resources have kept you engaged and what resources have deepened your daily walk with Christ? Let me know what helps you keep your appointment with God each day and what keeps you involved as you do so. You could suggest a devotional book or even some unconventional choice.
Church Vitality
What resources have you used to help you reactivate a sluggish, sick, or dying church? This is a special kind of task that requires determination, patience, wisdom, and winsomeness. Some church leaders say they don't hear enough about how to help a traditional church or a church that is mired in the past. Are there resources that can help in this much needed pursuit? We know there is a lot about church growth, but what about church health and turnaround strategies?
Learning to Manage
Are there management books in the secular world that helped you in your church work or had theological overtones? Anyone who looks at the business section of the local bookstore can verify such titles exist. Maybe the concepts also exist within titles we would not expect. Many ministers have testified that there is much on leadership management and business literature that can be transferred to church work.
Write Me!
You can contact me by writing Mike Shannon, c/o Cincinnati Christian University, 2700 Glenway Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio 45204. I would also be glad to receive your e-mails at mike.shannon@ccuniversity.edu. I cannot offer you any honorarium for your help, but I can offer my gratitude, and, I am confident, the gratitude of those who will be blessed by your recommendations.
Mike Shannon is dean at Cincinnati (Ohio) Bible Seminary.
PREVIOUS COLUMNS:
January 18, 2006 - Dealing With the Dark Side
January 4, 2006 - Libraries Without Walls
December 21, 2005 - Communication Concepts from Secular Circles
December 7, 2005 - Words of Wisdom for Women's Ministry
November 23, 2005 - Magnificent Help from the Magazine Rack
November 9, 2005 - Invigorating Volunteers; Developing Disciples
October 26, 2005 - Overcoming Overwhelm
October 12, 2005 - Big Ideas for Smaller Churches
September 28, 2005 - For You and Youth
September 14, 2005 - A Potpourri of Books
August 31, 2005 - A Potpourri of Web Sites
August 17, 2005 - Hart-to-Heart Talks
August 3, 2005 - Ken Can Help
July 20, 2005 - Easum Has Some Advice
July 6, 2005 - Finding Illustration Gold Mines
June 22, 2005 - Get Real with Bobb Biehl
June 9, 2005 - Let Len Lend a Hand
May 29, 2005 - A New Angle on Church Growth
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