New & Forthcoming Titles
Since 1974, Alban publishing has brought congregational leaders research-based information and practical advice on topics such as spirituality, worship, growth, and strategic planning. In the twenty-first century, our books continue to encourage and prepare leaders for ministry in a changing world.
Discovering the Other
Cameron Harder
‹‹ NEW RELEASE
What is God’s mission? Simply put, says theologian and field educator Cameron Harder, God’s mission is to form communities that reflect and embody the life of the Trinity. Discovering the Other is an introduction to two tools that community builders have found helpful: appreciative inquiry and asset mapping. These tools help congregations see that all of life is saturated by the sacred and give them energy to begin living as if it were so. Instead of asking, “What’s wrong?” appreciative inquiry asks, “What’s right?”.... more
Simple Enough
Bob Sitze
‹‹ NEW RELEASE
Kindle / Nook / iBooks
In his newest work, simplicity blogger Bob Sitze offers readers a year's worth of periodic observations into the universe of simple living. Sometimes whimsical, often challenging, and always encouraging, Simple Enough wanders through the landscape of contemporary society, helping readers make sense out of their earnest attempts to find joy in managing their lifestyles. Over 150 short and sturdy entries fill the book, casting the author's insistent eye on parenting, consumerism, faith-based decision-making, technology, daily-life stewardship, and congregational life.... more
New Life through Shared Ministry
Judith A. Urban
‹‹ COMING IN APRIL
In New Life through Shared Ministry, Judith Urban creates a pathway for building a shared ministry system. She assists readers in transforming their congregation into one where members are invited into volunteer ministry; people are matched according to their gifts and interests with ministry opportunities; volunteers are offered support, training, and appreciation; and all grow to spiritual maturity through that ministry... more
Preaching That Matters
Lori J. Carrell
‹‹ NEW RELEASE
“Listeners do love their pastors and they agree with the sermon content they hear,” Lori Carrell once explained to a group of pastors, “but most sermons don’t ask for change, and most listeners don’t experience spiritual growth as a result of the sermon.” A participant responded: “Let’s get practical. I want my preaching to make a difference. What changes are worth making, and how do I make them?” In Preaching that Matters, Lori Carrell shares answers to that question, drawing on the experiences of thousands of people... more
The Graceful Exit
Mary C. Lindberg
‹‹ NEW RELEASE
Kindle / Nook / iBooks
Pastors say goodbye to congregations. Sometimes their goodbyes are timely and sweet; sometimes they are jarring and painful. But as they leave, they face a unique journey of grief, one shaped by their role. They face both the outward grief of leaving people behind and the inward grief of leaving an identity behind. In The Graceful Exit, Lutheran pastor Mary Lindberg shares insights from her experience of ending her service to a congregation, as well as wisdom from other pastors who have changed their life work. ... more
Imagining the Small Church
Steve Willis
‹‹ NEW RELEASE
Kindle / Nook / iBooks
Imagining the Small Church: Celebrating a Simpler Path bears witness to what God is doing in small churches. Steve Willis tells stories from the small churches he has pastored in rural, town, and urban settings and dares to imagine that their way of being has something to teach all churches in this time of change in the American Christian Church. ... more
Preparing the Pastors We Need
George Mason
‹‹ NEW RELEASE
Kindle / Nook / iBooks
Amid the widespread discussion about “the future of the church,” an important point is sometimes overlooked: tomorrow’s church will depend to a great extent on the new pastors of today who will serve and guide our churches in the years ahead. George Mason’s Preparing the Pastors We Need: Reclaiming the Congregation’s Role in Training Clergy makes a timely intervention, asking us to redefine pastoral leadership by analyzing how, in fact, pastors are made in the first place. ... more
Hopes and Fears: Everyday Theology for New Parents and Other Tired, Anxious People
Bromleigh McCleneghan and Lee Hull Moses
‹‹ NEW RELEASE
Kindle / Nook / iBooks
Bromleigh McCleneghan and Lee Hull Moses have written a book about being not-perfect parents in a not-perfect world. The result is a joyous celebration of child-rearing in which any parent—no matter how perfect—can share... more
Practicing Balance: How Congregations Can Support Harmony in Work and Life
David Edman Gray
‹‹ NEW RELEASE
Kindle / Nook / iBooks
Work-life imbalance is a problem that has personal, national, and religious implications. Millions of Americans sense that they are rushing through life and that their work and non-work lives compete with one another. Many of us are harming our health through overwork.... more
Discerning God's Will Together: A Spiritual Practice for the Church
Danny E. Morris and Charles M. Olsen
‹‹ NEW RELEASE
Kindle / Nook / iBooks
Bible study, research, and fieldwork merge in this book of practical principles for decision making by spiritual discernment. The step-by-step approach can be used to help any size group learn a new way to make decisions—a way that is interactive, spiritual, and rooted in faith.... more
Greening Spaces for Worship and Ministry: Congregations, Their Buildings, and Creation Care
Mark A. Torgerson
‹‹ NEW RELEASE
Kindle / Nook / iBooks
In Greening Spaces for Worship and Ministry, Mark Torgerson asserts that greening the built environment of a congregation is a powerful way to achieve and model a commitment to creation care. Green building involves designing and constructing in ways that are environmentally, economically, and ... more