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When Jane Wolf was asked to start a recovery ministry
at Salem (OR) Alliance Church, she was adamant about
one thing: The church's pastoral staff would make up
the first support group.
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Wolf
had seen Christ-centered principles based on
the Alcoholics Anonymous "12 Steps"
transform her life and her counseling practice.
Wolf knew the church's leadership would need
a first-hand understanding of support and recovery
ministry if it was going to impact the entire
church.
"Everyone in recovery realizes, 'We are
all beggars who have found bread, and we merely
want to tell another beggar where we found it,'
" Wolf says. "If the |
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bread
wasn't good enough for our pastoral staff, it wasn't
good enough for anyone else. They needed to understand
themselves as broken people, just as we all do."
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A
growing number of churches are offering programs
that address a myriad of internal wounds and addictions--known
in most circles as Recovery Ministry. Leaders
of these ministries are unanimous regarding the
role of senior leadership. "If the senior
pastor isn't absolutely committed to it, it will
be very difficult for it to succeed," says
Dennis Newkirk, Senior Pastor of Henderson Hills
Church in Edmond, OK.
Some of the innovators in recovery ministry nationwide
have recently joined with Leadership Network to
launch a Recovery Ministry Leadership Community.
They offer the following |
words
of wisdom for securing the kind of . . .
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Take
the Bible Literally?
36% of Americans believe the Bible is the "actual
Word of God" and is to be taken literally, while
40% say it is the Word of God although not everything
in it should be taken literally. (Pew
Research Center 4/4/06) |
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Church
of Christ Tops Church Attendance
A new analysis by the Gallup Organization finds
that members of the Church of Christ denomination
are most likely to attend worship services often
(www.sltrib.com).
Pollsters found that 68 percent of Church of Christ
members said they attend services at least once
a week or almost every week, followed by 67 percent
of Mormons--The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. The breakdown for some specific denominations
was . . . |
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Porn
Sites Drawing Younger Viewers
There are 4.2 million porn websites containing
372 million pages of porn, accessed by 68 million
Internet searches each day. The average age of
first exposure to Internet porn is 11. The largest
Internet porn consumers are 12 to 17 year-olds.
Some 80% of 15 to 17 year-olds have had multiple
exposures to hard core porn, while 90% of 8 to
16 year-olds have viewed porn online.
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Jossey-Bass
Publishers
Jossey-Bass publishes more than Leadership Network's
series of 17 titles to date. Its entire catalog
includes books, periodicals, and |
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other
media to inform and inspire those interested in developing
themselves, their organizations and their communities.
Jossey-Bass publications feature the work of some of
the world's best-known authors in leadership, business,
education, religion and spirituality, parenting, nonprofit,
public health and health administration, conflict resolution
and relationships.
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New
Office Space Getting a Workout
Leadership Network's new office is complete, with 5,000
square feet of collaborative space overlooking the Dallas
skyline. The first event in the new space was held in
April with 53 clients in attendance. Twenty-eight additional
events are planned for the space (so far) for the remainder
of 2006. |
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Practicing
Greatness: 7 Disciplines of Extraordinary Spiritual
Leaders
by Reggie McNeal
Available Now |
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Based
on his extensive experience as a coach and mentor to thousands
of leaders across a wide variety of settings, denominations,
and ministries, Reggie McNeal helps readers understand
that greatness is indeed their birthright--if they will
claim it by living the seven personal disciplines that
help leaders grow from good to great.
The disciplines McNeal writes about will shape both the
character and competence of leaders. They include the
disciplines of self-awareness, managing emotions and expectations,
lifelong learning, a sense of mission, making sound decisions,
commitment to community and the regular practice of contemplation.
For an excerpt, go to www.leadnet.org.
Or click
here to order now. |
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You can get up-to-date information on a variety of ministry and leadership topics by perusing past issues of Advance.
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