Congregations cannot exist without finances, priorities, leadership, worship, and decision making, yet these five aspects breed the most conflict between church members and clergy. These conflicts unfortunately tend to bring about the most negative consequences: drops in giving, resignation of leaders, and, perhaps most pointedly, loss of members. The importance of congregations and their effect on our lives is clear, yet what is less clear is what makes conflicts in faith communities inev...

The best way to change the world may be one organization at a time. With this ambitious claim, the authors of this highly readable primer provide insightful analysis for evaluating and improving the health of any organization. They advocate a "systems approach," which views organizations as living systems, interconnected in their various departments, and interfacing with their environments. Leaders of organizations from all sectors will find sound advice concerning the four major component...

How does the local church rise to the community engagement challenges of the current context, as we face major socio-cultural change, accelerated by the global pandemic, amidst deeply polarized societies? Just asking the same old “church questions,” such as how to fill empty pews, is no longer enough. We have to ask the “God questions,” such as how God is already at work in our local neighborhoods.What does it take for local churches to engage in more mutually resp...

Merleau-Ponty and Buddhism explores a new mode of philosophizing through a comparative study of Maurice Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology and philosophies of major Buddhist thinkers such as Nagarjuna, Chinul, Dogen, Shinran, and Nishida Kitaro. Challenging the dualistic paradigm of existing philosophical traditions, Merleau-Ponty proposes a philosophy in which the traditional opposites are encountered through mutual penetration. Likewise, a Buddhist worldview is articulated in the the...

Over the past forty years, congregations, businesses, other organizations, and communities across the United States have become increasingly divided along political and ideological lines.In When the Center Does Not Hold, David R. Brubaker, with contributions by colleagues Everett Brubaker, Carolyn Yoder, and Teresa J. Haase, offers relevant, practical mentorship on navigating polarized environments. Through easily accessible stories, they provide tools and processes that w...

This interdisciplinary study promotes the thesis that some contemporary Chinese ink artists succeed in using principles of traditional Chinese aesthetics to convey the union of self with nature, others and the universe. The investigation is a case study of the writings and paintings of Jizi, an ink-wash artist in Beijing, who combines images of icy mountains, Tibetan landscapes, cosmic vistas, and enclosures of personal existence. Jizi’s success in expressing the unification of these dimen...

The Global Agenda for Social Justice 3 provides accessible insights into some of the most pressing social problems and proposes public policy responses to those problems.Written by a highly respected team of authors brought together by the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP), the book offers recommendations for action by elected officials, policy makers, and the public regarding key issues for social justice. Chapters include discussion of social problems related to per...

Collects X-Men: Messiah Complex One-Shot (2007), Uncanny X-Men (1981) #492-494, X-Men (1991) #205-207, New X-Men (2004) #44-46, X-Factor (2005) #25-27. The biggest and best adventures of Marvel’s mighty mutants — these are the X-Men Milestones! With no more mutants being born, the future of Homo superior has never looked bleaker. At the seeming end of their evolutionary cycle, a miracle arrives — in the form of the first child born with the X-gene since the tragic events of M-Day! But this...

Over the last half century, historic preservation has been on the rise in American cities and towns, from urban renewal and gentrification projects to painstaking restoration of Victorian homes and architectural landmarks. In this book, Nancy R. Hiller brings together individuals with distinctive styles and perspectives, to talk about their passion for preservation. They consider the meaning of place and what motivates those who work to save and care for places; the role of place in the fo...

Collects Immortal Iron Fist #1-6. Many years ago, in the mystical city of Kun' Lun, young Danny Rand stared at a suit behind glass -- the garb of the "Immortal Iron Fist" -- and knew that he was destined to wear it. But where did this costume come from? Why did it wait for Danny all those years like a shadow of his future? This history-spanning kung-fu epic will shatter every perception of what it means to be the Immortal Iron Fist!

This book represents the 18th of AAHE’s series on service-learning in the disciplines and focuses on service-learning strategies and models in biology. Although, there are obvious applications for service-learning in such fields as nursing and teacher education, incorporating it into natural science courses has not always seemed practical to science instructors. This book not only provides strong arguments for using service-learning in biology courses but also gives real life examples of h...

Focus on Networking, Building Business through Relationships is specifically targeted to reach entrepreneurs who are looking for expert advice and best practices to become better at forging relationships through networking. Learn from top networkers how to prepare prior to attending events, what to do at events, and how to follow up after events.