Resources on Church Governance Issues
Here are some resources (mostly books) that CAC members working on church governance issues have found useful.
Center for Progressive Renewal
Programs, resources and publications related to congregational renewal. (Watch for programs scheduled within the Central Atlantic Conference.)
United Church of Christ Church Governance Resource Guide
Organization and Structure of Your Church (from Leaders Box)
Books On Topics Related to Church Governance and Revitalization
Liberating Hope!: Daring to Renew the Mainline Church
By Michael S. Piazza and Cameron B. Trimble (leaders of the Center for Progressive Renewal)
Governance and Ministry: Rethinking Board Leadership
By Dan Hotchkiss
This book published by the Alban Institute is a broad guide to church governance issues and models.
Challenging the Church Monster: From Conflict to Community
By Rev. Douglas J. Bixby
Leading Change in the Congregation: Spiritual and Organizational Tools for Leaders
and
Journey in the Wilderness: New Life for Mainline Churches
Gilbert R. Rendle (Alban Institute consultant)
Scattering Seeds: Cultivating Church Vitality
By Stephen Chapin Garner
Garner is a former Wall Street executive who became minister of a UCC church in Massachusetts that transformed its organization around ministry teams
Church Be Nimble: Organizational Dynamics and Creativity in Mainline Congregations
By Marty Kuchma (pastor of St. Paul’s UCC in Westminster, MD, and adjunct faculty member at Lancaster Theological Seminary
Transforming Church Boards Into Communities of Spiritual Leaders
By Charles M. Olsen
Sacred Cows Make Gourmet Burgers
By William M. Easum
Building Effective Boards for Religious Organizations
By Thomas Holland & David Hester
Innovative Planning: Your Church in 4-D
By Bud Wrenn
Leading the Team-Based Church
By George Cladis
Transitioning: Leading Your Church Through Change
By Dan Southerland
Books About Broader Issues of Organizational Leadership and Dynamics
Governance as Leadership: Reframing the Work of Non-Profit Boards
By Richard Chait, and others.
Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Leading
By Ronald Heifetz and Martin Linsky.
Finding Our Way: Leadership For an Uncertain Future.
Leadership and the New Science: Discovering Order in a Chaotic World
Perseverance
Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future
By Margaret J. Wheatley
Books To Guide Group Members in Talking with Each Other
The World Café: Shaping Our Futures Through Conversations That Matter
By Juanita Brown and David Isaacs
The Circle Way: A Leader in Every Chair
By Christina Baldwin and Ann Linnea