Ventures in Holistic Ministry: Becoming a Church That Makes a Difference

Ventures in Holistic Ministry: Becoming a Church That Makes a Difference

(by Heidi Unruh and Phil Olson, 2000)

Resource Type: CD with many profiles and tools

Main Audience: Church leaders wanting practical tools and models for moving into more effective church-based transformational community ministries

Purchase Now  (Call Evangelicals for Social Action at 1-800-650-6600)

Summary:

The CD includes a wealth of information and resources. Perhaps most valuable is the Toolkit. It is packed with short forms, assessments, and guidance sheets on church-based holistic ministry. In contains 45 tools in total, focused on the following arenas:

• Spiritual power for mission
• Learning about holistic ministry
• Assessing your church’s ministries & attitudes
• Learning your church’s capacity and identity
• Learning your community context for ministry
• Discerning a direction for ministry
• Planning a ministry program

The CD also includes 24 short stories of holistic congregations. The stories are “teaching stories,” meant to illustrate a learning point from the authors’ book, Churches That Make a Difference (i.e., they are not stories of models for replication by others). The CD also includes some quotes from church leaders/pastors about their experiences with holistic ministry, but this section is less valuable than other parts of the CD. The CD also includes a section providing some resources and recommendations regarding scripture study, to undergird a congregation’s launch into deeper holistic ministry.