Fortress Press

Preaching and the Literary Forms of the Bible

Thomas G. Long (Author)

Long argues that the literary form and dynamics of biblical texts can and should make a difference in the kinds of sermons created from those texts, not only...

Engage! Tools for Ministry in the Community

Dana Horrell (Author)

Author Dana Horrell calls on years of experience in community action to create this practical guide to help congregations reach out to their local communities. Engage! provides twenty-six practical and proven tools to help leaders develop methods and strategies to get started on a path of effective planning.

The primary audience for Engage! includes pastors, lay leaders, and members in local congregations who are engaged in community ministry.

Mark: Fortress Biblical Preaching Commentaries

David Schnasa Jacobsen (Author/Editor)

The author draws together the strengths of two exegetical approaches to the Gospel of Mark in this volume. With liturgical sensitivity and exegetical skill, Jacobsen here provides a unique preaching resource that will build biblical literacy by assisting both preachers and listeners in understanding Mark's Gospel as narrative-theological whole, not just as a collection of loosely related stories.

Wide Welcome: How the Unsettling Presence of Newcomers Can Save the Church

Jessicah Krey Duckworth (Author)

Jessicah Krey Duckworth presents the stark differences between the established congregation and the disestablished one, intentionally equipped to facilitate the encounter between new and established members.

Why Churches Need to Talk about Sexuality: Lessons Learned from Hard Conversations about Sex, Gender, Identity, and the Bible

Mark Wingfield (Author), David P. Gushee (Foreword by)

Journalist and pastor Mark Wingfield describes how the congregation he serves undertook a study of how churches respond to the inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender members. Why Churches Need to Talk about Sexuality is for congregational leaders and others who want to understand the debates about human sexuality and who desire to follow a process to discuss the topic and make decisions about how congregations and individuals will respond to these issues.

In the Midst of Chaos: Caring for Children as Spiritual Practice

Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore (Author)

In the Midst of Chaos, by Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore, explores parenting as spiritual practice.

Both honest about the difficulties and attentive to the blessings present in everyday life, it explores how parents might use seven daily practices, such as play, reading, chores, and saying goodbye or goodnight, as rich opportunities to shape both parent and child morally and spiritually.

Boundary Leaders: Leadership Skills for People of Faith

Gary R. Gunderson (Author)

A major challenge for religious communities today lies in harnessing the commitment and energy of religious people to address larger societal issues. Key to...

Ask, Thank, Tell: Improving Stewardship Ministry in Your Congregation

Charles Lane (Author)

The goal of this book, says author Charles Lane, is to perform a dramatic rescue of stewardship, freeing it from any connection whatsoever to "paying the...

Addiction and Recovery: A Spiritual Pilgrimage

Martha Postlethwaite (Author)

In Addiction and Recovery: A Spiritual Pilgrimage, Martha Postlethwaite—pastor of The Recovery Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, and a person in recovery—reflects on her pilgrimage...

All-Age Everything: Worship for an Intergenerational church

Nick Harding (Author)

This revised edition of All-Age Everything is full of ideas and suggestions to make all-age worship a true intergenerational worship experience.

Preparing for Marriage: A Guide for Christian Couples

Donald J Luther (Editor)

An effective resource for pastors and counselors to use in premarital counseling. This practical workbook helps engaged couples explore their expectations,...

Church Administration: Programs, Process, Purpose

Robert Bacher (Author), Michael Cooper-White (Author)

This comprehensive guide, from two experienced and thoughtful churchmen, treats each aspect of congregational governance as a sacred calling with an overriding religious mission.

Clergy Burnout: Recovering from the 70-Hour Week...and Other Self-Defeating Practices

John Frederick Lehr (Author)

In this highly accessible book, Fred Lehr clarifies the nature and practice of clergy codependence. In short, insightful, and highly readable chapters, filled...

Guerrillas of Grace: Prayers for the Battle, 20th Anniversary Edition

Ted Loder (Author)

For nearly two decades, this classic collection of tough, beautiful, and earthy prayers has lightened hearts and dared spirits to soar.

The Forgotten Luther II: Reclaiming the Church's Public Witness

Ryan P. Cumming (Editor), Paul A. Wee (Editor)

In this critical time in history, this volume argues that what is urgently needed is a clear, biblically based, theologically grounded rationale for the manner in which the church speaks and acts in the political arena. This volume includes essays from leading Lutheran theologians, a summary description of what this means for local ministry, and a study guide to encourage conversation and action.

Understanding Bible by Design: Create Courses with Purpose

G. Brooke Lester (Author), Jane S. Webster (Contributor), Christopher M. Jones (Contributor)

This book introduces the reader to Understanding by Design: an approach to course design that is proven time-efficient and grounded in the instructor's most closely-held convictions about her subject matter's "big ideas and essential questions."

Tough Questions, Honest Answers: Faith and Religion for 21st-Century Explorers

Cameron Harder (Author)

In Tough Questions, Honest Answers, Christian theologian Cameron Harder explores pressing contemporary challenges to religion--from religion itself to modern "big ideas" that often confound thoughtful seekers. Issues addressed include religion and violence, religion and child sexual abuse, mystery and miracle, the compatibility of science and faith, and God's role when bad things happen. Tough Questions, Honest Answers is an excellent conversation starter for inquirers, skeptics, and faithful doubt

The Words of Jesus: A Gospel of the Sayings of Our Lord

Phyllis Tickle (Author)

What if you could encounter the words of Jesus on their own, lifted up from the surrounding narratives and presented in their full power and...

Professional Sexual Ethics: A Holistic Ministry Approach

Patricia Beattie Jung (Editor), Darryl W. Stephens (Editor)

Sexual health is an essential part of maintaining professional relationships in ministry.

Preaching Parables to Postmoderns

Brian C. Stiller (Author)

Stiller argues that Jesus' parables, through their narrative, personal, and oral dimensions and reversal of expectations, provide unique access to Christianity...