Southern Missouri Senior Pastors,
We’re thrilled to announce a partnership between SMD Healthy Church and the Southern Missouri Network to provide FREE access to RightNow Media for all SOMO Senior Pastors (plus two additional church leaders).
RightNow Media is like a “Christian Netflix” offering thousands of Bible studies, conference sessions, training videos, kids’ content, and more from over 250 Christian publishers.
As a Senior Pastor, you now have free access to this incredible resource. Please note, this account is for personal use and cannot be shared with your church. However, your church is eligible for a significant discount to equip families, resource groups, and develop leaders. RightNow Media will reach out soon with more details.
Sign up today at RightNow Media Invite. Learn more at RightNow Media.
For questions, contact the Church Development Department at 417.881.1316 or email jmartz@somoag.org
A Spirit-Empowered Church: An Acts 2 Ministry Model
by Alton Garrison
It’s not a mystery why some churches grow, some remain stagnant, and others decline. The biblical principles for spiritual multiplication are evident in the pages of the Scriptures… if we’ll only notice them.
In A Spirit-Empowered Church, Alton Garrison points us to the heart of dynamic church growth: creating Spirit-empowered disciples who are involved in five activities—connect, grow, serve, go, and worship—to change individuals, families, and communities with the love and power of God’s mighty Spirit. Combining a strong biblical approach with inspirational insights and personal stories, Garrison shares the Acts 2 church model that can renew the spiritual vitality of your congregation.
The church of Acts 2 turned the first-century world upside down for Jesus. God wants to use your church to do the same today.
Turnaround Pastor: Pathways to Save, Revive and Build Your Church
by Donald Ross
Is your church a shadow of its former self, once vibrant with life but now all but dead? Your Sunday morning attendance is a fraction of what it once was, finances are getting desperate, and your sense of mission seems nonexistent. That’s where Don Ross was. Most onlookers saw no future in his church. But Jesus saw a place for them, and He molded Don into a Turnaround Pastor, a leader to revive God’s people to do His work.
Turnaround Pastor is both a riveting story and a practical guide complete with actionable steps to save, revive, and build your community of faith. Learn from Dr. Ross’ personal experience and coaching expertise how to communicate effectively with your congregation, make courageous decisions to move your church forward, lead through major changes, cast meaningful vision, advance Christ’s kingdom in your community, and become a Turnaround Pastor.
The Coaching Habit teaches us to say less, ask more and change the way we lead. The purpose of the book is not to make the reader into a coach, but a better leader and person. This book is very practical and helpful for Pastors working with people.
The book focuses on seven core questions. These questions allow people to embrace real answers to the struggles they are having. This allows Pastors to offer support to their staff and congregation. Another benefit is that these questions help us to become the ultimate coach for ourselves.
It all starts with this kickstart question, “what is on our mind?” This begins a journey to help people discover the answer on their own. They then embrace that answer and begin to make the changes needed in their lives.
Take time to read this book and see if it doesn’t change the way you’re leading.
Every Pastor should read this book. It will give them an understanding of what their congregation is thinking when they ask them to change. Clarensau teaches that resistance to our ideas is an opportunity to see things the way our people do.
Many congregations today are facing the need for change. This book helps the pastor navigate those changes through the eyes of the people. This allows the Pastor to have more realistic expectations as they lead their congregation in change.
Clarensau says, “If you criticize the day you didn’t live and the road you didn’t walk, you alienate those who did.” Pastors need to celebrate the past and help the people see the path for the future.
What if the leaders at your church could serve in the areas that bring them joy and energy rather than frustration and burnout. Lencioni helps a team tap into their gifts which increases results. The goal is to put each person in a place to maximize their potential.
Bull Brooks is an entrepreneur, husband, and father who set out to solve his own frustration at work and stumbles into a new way of thinking that changes the way he sees his work, his team and even his marriage.
At WorkingGenius.com the leaders of the church can take a simple assessment and see what their working genus is. The team can put a map together to see how the church can utilize each other’s strengths to see great things happen.
On a personal note, this assessment helped our church understand and appreciate each member of our team. This tool will help move the local church forward by putting people in the places they are passionate about.
Peter Scazzero shares powerful insight on the importance of Pastors and churches being emotionally healthy. Peter shares his own painful but liberating journey of his own church.
Peter’s wife helps him realize how emotionally unhealthy the growing church was. She announces to him that she and the kids will no longer be attending the church because they were tired of being hurt. They would start attending another church.
This started a series of changes to make the church a safe place where emotional abuse was no longer accepted or tolerated. The church became a healthy place to spiritually grow.
Peter calls this book a strategy for discipleship that actually changed lives. This is a book Pastors should read every year and keep a copy on their desk.