The list below are books that are currently being used by some of the educators and other faith leaders in the New Hope Presbytery!
Faith Formation through Christian Education & Youth Ministry
Sticky Faith is geared to spark a movement that empowers adults to develop robust and long-term faith in kids of all ages. This easy-to-read guide presents both a compelling rationale and a powerful strategy to show parents how to encourage their children’s spiritual growth so that it will stick with them into adulthood and empower them to develop a living, lasting faith.
You’re looking for a youth pastor. Again. What goes wrong? Why do youth ministries crumble? And what is the cost to students, parents, volunteers and church staff? Is a sustainable youth ministry possible, even after a youth pastor leaves? Youth ministry expert Mark DeVries knows the answer is yes, because he helps build sustainable youth ministries through his coaching service called Youth Ministry Architects.
Reimagining Faith Formation is a proposal for what twenty-first century faith formation can look like. Lifelong Faith Associates is committed to helping congregations develop lifelong Christian faith formation for all ages and generations, increasing the capacity of leaders and communities to nurture faith growth in everyone.
The Seasons of Adult Faith Formation provides leaders with a deeper understanding of adulthood today, a vision of twenty-first century adult faith formation, and the tools and processes for designing faith formation for all the seasons of adulthood.
In a culture that has lost touch with love, compassion, and meaning, how can parents be intentional about building a spiritual foundation for their children’s development? In looking to their own upbringing for guidance, parents often feel even more at a loss—they don’t want to make the same mistakes their parents did, so they either become too strict, or they take a completely hands-off approach. A pastor, a teacher, and a mother, Karen Marie Yust offers a refreshing array of resources and provisions to guide and sustain parents and children on thier mutual journey.
- Kissing in the Chapel, Praying in the Frathouse: Wrestling with Faith and College by Adam J. Copeland (Rowman and Littlefield)
Technology
- The Four Dimensional Human: Ways of Being in the Digital World by Laurence Scott (William Heinemann Ltd)
Family/Parenting
In The Spiritual Child, psychologist Lisa Miller presents the next big idea in psychology: the science and the power of spirituality. Combining cutting-edge research with broad anecdotal evidence from her work as a clinical psychologist to illustrate just how invaluable spirituality is to a child’s mental and physical health, Miller translates these findings into practical advice for parents, giving them concrete ways to develop and encourage their children’s—as well as their own—well-being. In this provocative, conversation-starting book, Dr. Miller presents us with a pioneering new way to think about parenting our modern youth.
- The Blessing of a Skinned Knee by Wendy Mogel ( Penguin Compass Publishing)
Internationally known clinical psychologist and lecturer Wendy Mogel’s sage reflections on raising children in a world where entitlement and competition abound have struck a chord with thousands of readers.
In the follow-up to her bestselling book, The Blessing of a Skinned Knee, Dr. Wendy Mogel shows parents how to navigate the teenage years, when a child’s sense of entitlement and independence grows, the pressure to compete skyrockets, and communication becomes fraught with obstacles.
Leadership
Drawing from his extensive experience as a pastor and consultant, Tod Bolsinger brings decades of expertise in guiding churches and organizations through uncharted territory. He offers a combination of illuminating insights and practical tools to help you reimagine what effective leadership looks like in our rapidly changing world.
Rowboat churches depend largely on human effort. When church budgets shrink and membership declines, rowboat churches frantically row harder against a current, often frustrated and disappointed at their efforts. Sailboat churches, on the other hand, take up the oars, hoist sails, and rely on the Holy Spirit to guide them.
Spiritual Growth/Devotion
With lively prose (“a fresh voice and energy” -Publishers Weekly), Dana documents the Sabbath experiment as a guide for families of all shapes and sizes. Each chapter includes tips to help you claim Sabbath moments—to see time not as an enemy to subdue, but as a friend to savor.
In Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life, Fr. Richard Rohr helps us to understand the tasks of the two halves of life and teaches us that those who have failed, or gone down, are the only ones who can really understand “up.” Those who have somehow fallen, and fallen well, are the only ones who can grow spiritually and not misuse “up.” What looks like falling down can largely be experienced as “falling upward!”
For nearly two decades, this classic collection of tough, beautiful, and earthy prayers has lightened hearts and dared spirits to soar.
Interrupted follows the author’s messy journey through life and church and into living on mission. Snatching Jen from the grip of her consumer life, God began asking her questions like, “What is really the point of My Church? What have I really asked of you?” She was far too busy doing church than being church, even as a pastor’s wife, an author of five Christian books, and a committed believer for 26 years. She discovered she had missed the point.
Christ brought Jen and her family to a place of living on mission by asking them tough questions, leading them through Scripture, and walking together with them on the path. Interrupted invites readers to take a similar journey.