May 14, 2007

MINNEAPOLIS – While leadership books abound, practical advice on administering and nurturing a congregation or other church-related institution – its programs, finances, staff, and assets – is rare. Church Administration: Programs, Process, Purpose, a new comprehensive guide, from two experienced and thoughtful churchmen, treats each aspect of congregational governance not as a bad imitation of business techniques but as a sacred calling with overriding religious mission.

Church Administration, written by Robert Bacher and Michael Cooper-White lays a biblical and theological foundation for leading congregations and church-related organizations, and it offers a wealth of practical information and examples of "best practices" in key areas.

Topics include governance and working with boards and committees, planning, personnel supervision, office management, budget development and financial administration, teamwork and networking, as well as strategies for good communication (including amidst crises), dealing with conflict, and steering a faith community through the increasing legal complexities that impinge upon any religious entity. The coauthors bring to bear their combined experience of over a half-century in various administrative callings, as well as insights gained in consulting with hundreds of congregations and church organizations.

Written for an ecumenical readership and informed by current insights into program development, and a dose of humor, Church Administration takes account of today's complex institutional, cultural, and legal realities. It also provides tools for self-assessment and concrete advice on what to do in the unlikely event that things go wrong.

The book itself, suitable as a textbook, reference work, and hands-on guide, is supplemented by a helpful Web site, http://www.churchadm.com/ with further administrative tools.

Contents
Preface: Riding Time to the End
I Administration's Biography: A Holy History
II Godly Governance
III Boards: Blessed Balladeers
IV Planning with Passion
V Budgets and Balance Sheets: Deeply Doctrinal Documents
VI Raising the Resources: Theology Talks and Money Matters!
VII Oversight (Being CEO) is a Worthy Calling
XIII Communication: Ministry Means Messaging
IX Ministry Teams: Teeming with Talent
X External Relationships
XI When Conflict Comes Calling
XII Life under Law: Navigating Legal Issues in Ministry
Afterword: The Church Administrator as Person

"Here pastors will find both what they need to know about church administration and, even more importantly, why they need to know it for faithful and fruitful ministry." – Lovett H. Weems Jr., Wesley Theological Seminary, author of Church Leadership: Vision, Team, Culture, and Integrity.

"More than simply a ‘how to' manual delineating the nuts and bolts of what is needed to ‘run' a local congregation or church-related agency, this book is an invitation to join a well-informed conversation on the sacred responsibility of leading, managing, and nurturing a faith community. To this conversation, Bacher and Cooper-White bring not only knowledge and experience but wisdom, insight, encouragement and theological perspective." – R. Robert Cueni, President, Lexington Theological Seminary.

"The authors provide a refreshing stream of thought for engaging the practical topic and ‘holy calling' of administration. They combine history, biblical illustrations, and organizational wisdom to propose a thorough approach for the practice of administration. I highly recommend this as an excellent resource for anyone serving in administrative leadership." – The Rev. Dr. Marion Wyvetta Bullock, Executive for Leadership Development, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

"This book is an answer to many questions I have fielded over the years, especially from local church and regional leaders! It is a creative mix of the very practical with the theoretical to produce an excellent resource for a variety of church leaders. This will be high on my recommended list in the months to come. It is a valuable resource for every pastor and trustee as well as a number of other regional church leaders and affiliated organizations." – Rev. Cheryl H. Wade, Associate General Secretary and Treasurer, American Baptist Churches USA.

Robert Bacher is former assistant to the Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, where he was chief administrator of the churchwide organization, and is co-author with Kenn Inskeep of Chasing Down a Rumor (2005). With a doctorate in public administration, Rev. Bacher served as a parish pastor in Colorado, developing a new parish there, headed leadership training in the LCA Youth Office, and then led research, planning, and budgeting in the Division for Parish Services, where he also served as Executive Director.

Michael Cooper-White is President of Gettysburg Seminary and author of On a Wing and a Prayer (Lutheran Voices, 2003). Ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, his past service includes inner-city ministry and chaplaincy, synodical and national denominational administration, and involvement in public policy.

Church Administration: Programs, Process, Purpose, By Robert Bacher and Michael Cooper-White, Item Number: 978-0-8006-3742-2, Price: $25.00 / CAN $30.00 / UK £14.99, Specs: 6" x 9," hardcover with jacket, 240 pages.

To order Church Administration: Programs, Process, Purpose call Fortress Press at 1-800-328-4648 or visit the Web site at http://www.fortresspress.com/.

Fortress Press