When a preacher stays a long time, the church usually doesn't like the next preacher. I volunteer to be the next preacher they don't like. During the six to eighteen months Gail and I work with them, they have time to grieve their losses and select their next preacher wisely. This book describes how we do it.One helpful approach in many congregations is the services of an intentional interim preacher. An intentional interim is prepared by study and experience in transition dynamics...

The role of elder is arguably the church's most thankless job. From putting out fires and dealing with disgruntled members to teaching new Christians and encouraging the weak, all while being a model disciple, an elder's role can seem exhausting and unrelenting. To survive, elders need a place of spiritual solitude and relief where they can draw closer to the Chief Shepherd and have their soul restored.In Rest in Green Pastures, nine shepherds offer encouragement, help, and...

Northern Appalachia is one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth and home to a broad range of ecological and human cultures. With A Literary Field Guide to Northern Appalachia, editors Todd Davis and Noah Davis recognize and celebrate this diversity and the fact that humans are storytelling creatures who develop relationships with their landscapes at the intersection of art and science.A companion volume to A Literary Field Guide to Southern Appalachia, this gui...